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Original Source: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/11/sharing-data-among-multiple-servers-through-aws-s3/

Sharing Data Among Multiple Servers Through AWS S3

Sharing Data Among Multiple Servers Through AWS S3

Leonardo Losoviz

2018-11-08T12:30:30+01:00
2018-11-09T10:44:31+00:00

When providing some functionality for processing a file uploaded by the user, the file must be available to the process throughout the execution. A simple upload and save operation presents no issues. However, if in addition the file must be manipulated before being saved, and the application is running on several servers behind a load balancer, then we need to make sure that the file is available to whichever server is running the process at each time.

For instance, a multi-step “Upload your user avatar” functionality may require the user to upload an avatar on step 1, crop it on step 2, and finally save it on step 3. After the file is uploaded to a server on step 1, the file must be available to whichever server handles the request for steps 2 and 3, which may or may not be the same one for step 1.

A naive approach would be to copy the uploaded file on step 1 to all other servers, so the file would be available on all of them. However, this approach is not just extremely complex but also unfeasible: for instance, if the site runs on hundreds of servers, from several regions, then it cannot be accomplished.

A possible solution is to enable “sticky sessions” on the load balancer, which will always assign the same server for a given session. Then, steps 1, 2 and 3 will be handled by the same server, and the file uploaded to this server on step 1 will still be there for steps 2 and 3. However, sticky sessions are not fully reliable: If in between steps 1 and 2 that server crashed, then the load balancer will have to assign a different server, disrupting the functionality and the user experience. Likewise, always assigning the same server for a session may, under special circumstances, lead to slower response times from an overburdened server.

A more proper solution is to keep a copy of the file on a repository accessible to all servers. Then, after the file is uploaded to the server on step 1, this server will upload it to the repository (or, alternatively, the file could be uploaded to the repository directly from the client, bypassing the server); the server handling step 2 will download the file from the repository, manipulate it, and upload it there again; and finally the server handling step 3 will download it from the repository and save it.

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In this article, I will describe this latter solution, based on a WordPress application storing files on Amazon Web Services (AWS) Simple Storage Service (S3) (a cloud object storage solution to store and retrieve data), operating through the AWS SDK.

Note 1: For a simple functionality such as cropping avatars, another solution would be to completely bypass the server, and implement it directly in the cloud through Lambda functions. But since this article is about connecting an application running on the server with AWS S3, we don’t consider this solution.

Note 2: In order to use AWS S3 (or any other of the AWS services) we will need to have a user account. Amazon offers a free tier here for 1 year, which is good enough for experimenting with their services.

Note 3: There are 3rd party plugins for uploading files from WordPress to S3. One such plugin is WP Media Offload (the lite version is available here), which provides a great feature: it seamlessly transfers files uploaded to the Media Library to an S3 bucket, which allows to decouple the contents of the site (such as everything under /wp-content/uploads) from the application code. By decoupling contents and code, we are able to deploy our WordPress application using Git (otherwise we cannot since user-uploaded content is not hosted on the Git repository), and host the application on multiple servers (otherwise, each server would need to keep a copy of all user-uploaded content.)

Creating The Bucket

When creating the bucket, we need to pay consideration to the bucket name: Each bucket name must be globally unique on the AWS network, so even though we would like to call our bucket something simple like “avatars”, that name may already be taken, then we may choose something more distinctive like “avatars-name-of-my-company”.

We will also need to select the region where the bucket is based (the region is the physical location where the data center is located, with locations all over the world.)

The region must be the same one as where our application is deployed, so that accessing S3 during the process execution is fast. Otherwise, the user may have to wait extra seconds from uploading/downloading an image to/from a distant location.

Note: It makes sense to use S3 as the cloud object storage solution only if we also use Amazon’s service for virtual servers on the cloud, EC2, for running the application. If instead, we rely on some other company for hosting the application, such as Microsoft Azure or DigitalOcean, then we should also use their cloud object storage services. Otherwise, our site will suffer an overhead from data traveling among different companies’ networks.

In the screenshots below we will see how to create the bucket where to upload the user avatars for cropping. We first head to the S3 dashboard and click on “Create bucket”:

S3 dashboard, showing all our existing buckets. (Large preview)

Then we type in the bucket name (in this case, “avatars-smashing”) and choose the region (“EU (Frankfurt)”):

Creating a bucket through in S3. (Large preview)

Only the bucket name and region are mandatory. For the following steps we can keep the default options, so we click on “Next” until finally clicking on “Create bucket”, and with that, we will have the bucket created.

Setting Up The User Permissions

When connecting to AWS through the SDK, we will be required to enter our user credentials (a pair of access key ID and secret access key), to validate that we have access to the requested services and objects. User permissions can be very general (an “admin” role can do everything) or very granular, just granting permission to the specific operations needed and nothing else.

As a general rule, the more specific our granted permissions, the better, as to avoid security issues. When creating the new user, we will need to create a policy, which is a simple JSON document listing the permissions to be granted to the user. In our case, our user permissions will grant access to S3, for bucket “avatars-smashing”, for the operations of “Put” (for uploading an object), “Get” (for downloading an object), and “List” (for listing all the objects in the bucket), resulting in the following policy:

{
“Version”: “2012-10-17”,
“Statement”: [
{
“Effect”: “Allow”,
“Action”: [
“s3:Put*”,
“s3:Get*”,
“s3:List*”
],
“Resource”: [
“arn:aws:s3:::avatars-smashing”,
“arn:aws:s3:::avatars-smashing/*”
]
}
]
}

In the screenshots below, we can see how to add user permissions. We must go to the Identity and Access Management (IAM) dashboard:

IAM dashboard, listing all the users we have created. (Large preview)

In the dashboard, we click on “Users” and immediately after on “Add User”. In the Add User page, we choose a user name (“crop-avatars”), and tick on “Programmatic access” as the Access type, which will provide the access key ID and secret access key for connecting through the SDK:

Adding a new user. (Large preview)

We then click on button “Next: Permissions”, click on “Attach existing policies directly”, and click on “Create policy”. This will open a new tab in the browser, with the Create policy page. We click on the JSON tab, and enter the JSON code for the policy defined above:

Creating a policy granting ‘Get’, ‘Post’ and ‘List’ operations on the ‘avatars-smashing’ bucket. (Large preview)

We then click on Review policy, give it a name (“CropAvatars”), and finally click on Create policy. Having the policy created, we switch back to the previous tab, select the CropAvatars policy (we may need to refresh the list of policies to see it), click on Next: Review, and finally on Create user. After this is done, we can finally download the access key ID and secret access key (please notice that these credentials are available for this unique moment; if we don’t copy or download them now, we’ll have to create a new pair):

After the user is created, we are offered a unique time to download the credentials. (Large preview)

Connecting To AWS Through The SDK

The SDK is available through a myriad of languages. For a WordPress application, we require the SDK for PHP which can be downloaded from here, and instructions on how to install it are here.

Once we have the bucket created, the user credentials ready, and the SDK installed, we can start uploading files to S3.

Uploading And Downloading Files

For convenience, we define the user credentials and the region as constants in the wp-config.php file:

define (‘AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID’, ‘…’); // Your access key id
define (‘AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY’, ‘…’); // Your secret access key
define (‘AWS_REGION’, ‘eu-central-1’); // Region where the bucket is located. This is the region id for “EU (Frankfurt)”

In our case, we are implementing the crop avatar functionality, for which avatars will be stored on the “avatars-smashing” bucket. However, in our application we may have several other buckets for other functionalities, requiring to execute the same operations of uploading, downloading and listing files. Hence, we implement the common methods on an abstract class AWS_S3, and we obtain the inputs, such as the bucket name defined through function get_bucket, in the implementing child classes.

// Load the SDK and import the AWS objects
require ‘vendor/autoload.php’;
use AwsS3S3Client;
use AwsExceptionAwsException;

// Definition of an abstract class
abstract class AWS_S3 {

protected function get_bucket() {

// The bucket name will be implemented by the child class
return ”;
}
}

The S3Client class exposes the API for interacting with S3. We instantiate it only when needed (through lazy-initialization), and save a reference to it under $this->s3Client as to keep using the same instance:

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continued from above…

protected $s3Client;

protected function get_s3_client() {

// Lazy initialization
if (!$this->s3Client) {

// Create an S3Client. Provide the credentials and region as defined through constants in wp-config.php
$this->s3Client = new S3Client([
‘version’ => ‘2006-03-01’,
‘region’ => AWS_REGION,
‘credentials’ => [
‘key’ => AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID,
‘secret’ => AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY,
],
]);
}

return $this->s3Client;
}
}

When we are dealing with $file in our application, this variable contains the absolute path to the file in disk (e.g. /var/app/current/wp-content/uploads/users/654/leo.jpg), but when uploading the file to S3 we should not store the object under the same path. In particular, we must remove the initial bit concerning the system information (/var/app/current) for security reasons, and optionally we can remove the /wp-content bit (since all files are stored under this folder, this is redundant information), keeping only the relative path to the file (/uploads/users/654/leo.jpg). Conveniently, this can be achieved by removing everything after WP_CONTENT_DIR from the absolute path. Functions get_file and get_file_relative_path below switch between the absolute and the relative file paths:

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continued from above…

function get_file_relative_path($file) {

return substr($file, strlen(WP_CONTENT_DIR));
}

function get_file($file_relative_path) {

return WP_CONTENT_DIR.$file_relative_path;
}
}

When uploading an object to S3, we can establish who is granted access to the object and the type of access, done through the access control list (ACL) permissions. The most common options are to keep the file private (ACL => “private”) and to make it accessible for reading on the internet (ACL => “public-read”). Because we will need to request the file directly from S3 to show it to the user, we need ACL => “public-read”:

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continued from above…

protected function get_acl() {

return ‘public-read’;
}
}

Finally, we implement the methods to upload an object to, and download an object from, the S3 bucket:

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continued from above…

function upload($file) {

$s3Client = $this->get_s3_client();

// Upload a file object to S3
$s3Client->putObject([
‘ACL’ => $this->get_acl(),
‘Bucket’ => $this->get_bucket(),
‘Key’ => $this->get_file_relative_path($file),
‘SourceFile’ => $file,
]);
}

function download($file) {

$s3Client = $this->get_s3_client();

// Download a file object from S3
$s3Client->getObject([
‘Bucket’ => $this->get_bucket(),
‘Key’ => $this->get_file_relative_path($file),
‘SaveAs’ => $file,
]);
}
}

Then, in the implementing child class we define the name of the bucket:

class AvatarCropper_AWS_S3 extends AWS_S3 {

protected function get_bucket() {

return ‘avatars-smashing’;
}
}

Finally, we simply instantiate the class to upload the avatars to, or download from, S3. In addition, when transitioning from steps 1 to 2 and 2 to 3, we need to communicate the value of $file. We can do this by submitting a field “file_relative_path” with the value of the relative path of $file through a POST operation (we don’t pass the absolute path for security reasons: no need to include the “/var/www/current” information for outsiders to see):

// Step 1: after the file was uploaded to the server, upload it to S3. Here, $file is known
$avatarcropper = new AvatarCropper_AWS_S3();
$avatarcropper->upload($file);

// Get the file path, and send it to the next step in the POST
$file_relative_path = $avatarcropper->get_file_relative_path($file);
// …

// ————————————————–

// Step 2: get the $file from the request and download it, manipulate it, and upload it again
$avatarcropper = new AvatarCropper_AWS_S3();
$file_relative_path = $_POST[‘file_relative_path’];
$file = $avatarcropper->get_file($file_relative_path);
$avatarcropper->download($file);

// Do manipulation of the file
// …

// Upload the file again to S3
$avatarcropper->upload($file);

// ————————————————–

// Step 3: get the $file from the request and download it, and then save it
$avatarcropper = new AvatarCropper_AWS_S3();
$file_relative_path = $_REQUEST[‘file_relative_path’];
$file = $avatarcropper->get_file($file_relative_path);
$avatarcropper->download($file);

// Save it, whatever that means
// …

Displaying The File Directly From S3

If we want to display the intermediate state of the file after manipulation on step 2 (e.g. the user avatar after cropped), then we must reference the file directly from S3; the URL couldn’t point to the file on the server since, once again, we don’t know which server will handle that request.

Below, we add function get_file_url($file) which obtains the URL for that file in S3. If using this function, please make sure that the ACL of the uploaded files is “public-read”, or otherwise it won’t be accessible to the user.

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continue from above…

protected function get_bucket_url() {

$region = $this->get_region();

// North Virginia region is simply “s3”, the others require the region explicitly
$prefix = $region == ‘us-east-1’ ? ‘s3’ : ‘s3-‘.$region;

// Use the same scheme as the current request
$scheme = is_ssl() ? ‘https’ : ‘http’;

// Using the bucket name in path scheme
return $scheme.’://’.$prefix.’.amazonaws.com/’.$this->get_bucket();
}

function get_file_url($file) {

return $this->get_bucket_url().$this->get_file_relative_path($file);
}
}

Then, we can simply we get the URL of the file on S3 and print the image:

printf(
“<img src=’%s’>”,
$avatarcropper->get_file_url($file)
);

Listing Files

If in our application we want to allow the user to view all previously uploaded avatars, we can do so. For that, we introduce function get_file_urls which lists the URL for all the files stored under a certain path (in S3 terms, it’s called a prefix):

abstract class AWS_S3 {

// Continue from above…

function get_file_urls($prefix) {

$s3Client = $this->get_s3_client();

$result = $s3Client->listObjects(array(
‘Bucket’ => $this->get_bucket(),
‘Prefix’ => $prefix
));

$file_urls = array();
if(isset($result[‘Contents’]) && count($result[‘Contents’]) > 0 ) {

foreach ($result[‘Contents’] as $obj) {

// Check that Key is a full file path and not just a “directory”
if ($obj[‘Key’] != $prefix) {

$file_urls[] = $this->get_bucket_url().$obj[‘Key’];
}
}
}

return $file_urls;
}
}

Then, if we are storing each avatar under path “/users/${user_id}/“, by passing this prefix we will obtain the list of all files:

$user_id = get_current_user_id();
$prefix = “/users/${user_id}/”;
foreach ($avatarcropper->get_file_urls($prefix) as $file_url) {
printf(
“<img src=’%s’>”,
$file_url
);
}

Conclusion

In this article, we explored how to employ a cloud object storage solution to act as a common repository to store files for an application deployed on multiple servers. For the solution, we focused on AWS S3, and proceeded to show the steps needed to be integrated into the application: creating the bucket, setting-up the user permissions, and downloading and installing the SDK. Finally, we explained how to avoid security pitfalls in the application, and saw code examples demonstrating how to perform the most basic operations on S3: uploading, downloading and listing files, which barely required a few lines of code each. The simplicity of the solution shows that integrating cloud services into the application is not difficult, and it can also be accomplished by developers who are not much experienced with the cloud.

(rb, ra, yk, il)

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Collective #464 was written by Pedro Botelho and published on Codrops.

Original Source: https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2018/11/7-secrets-for-building-great-client-relationships/

A colleague recently said to me, “I’ve heard that you’re a client relations guru. Are there any tips or tricks that you have for starting to build up those relationships?”

I always love a question like this—something that makes me stop and reflect. It’s true. Working with people and developing new (or existing) relationships is something I have a knack for. Even though I self-identify as an introvert, I love doing it because genuinely connecting with other people, hearing about their experiences, challenges, wins, quirky-cool talents, what winds their clock (and sharing in return)…well, it actually means something to me.

Was that the big secret? Or was there more?

Could I summarize everything I do to establish a client relationship—things I do without even thinking— and distill it into a list of best practices anyone can apply?

Short answer? Yes.

The next seven tips sum up my advice for building great client relationships within the context of project management.

Tip 1. Face Time is the Best Time

I know there are people who successfully work 100% remotely. I get that. But at some point, if you want to build and maintain great, deep, lasting connections with your clients, you need that human relationship phenomenon that only happens when you’re in person. It’s different. Good different.

I like to meet in person…when I just “feel” like we haven’t met in person in a while

As a general rule, I like to meet in person for an initial conversation, key deliverables, or when I just “feel” like we haven’t met in person in a while. It’s a gut thing, which you’ll need to develop with each new client relationship you cultivate.

Tip 2. Pick Up the Phone

Don’t hide behind email. In today’s day and age, depending on your personality, your workload, and that of those you’re in contact with, it can feel easier to just send an email.

Often email is a good choice, but be aware of the fact that live human-voice connection is like wholesome, all-natural medicine. Your job as a project manager is to nurture your relationships with the right dose of it. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It depends on how active the project is, your client’s personality, and the kind of work you’re doing. The important takeaway here is, make sure it’s part of your approach.

Tip 3. Money Always Needs to be a Verbal Conversation

At least the initial presentation of it does. That way you hear any concerns, questions, or confusion right away and nothing is left to fester if there’s a misunderstanding.

Money is a hot button for everyone so it’s best to treat it firmly, respectfully, bravely, and humanly

When delivering an initial quote/proposal to a client (or an estimate of new scope for a project I’m already working on), I schedule a call or an in-person meeting to walk them through things together. I tell them: we may only need 5 or 8 minutes ,but let’s reserve 45 minutes on our calendars in case we need to cover anything in more detail. Then I send my email, quote, proposal a few minutes beforehand.

Money is a hot button for everyone so it’s best to treat it firmly, respectfully, bravely, and humanly.

Tip 4. If a Client Asks You the Status of Something, You Dropped the Ball

As PMs, we should be anticipating what our clients might be wondering or worrying about in advance. The client should never have to ask, “What’s the status on <insert milestone, question, deliverable, etc.> anyway?”

Again, there’s no standard approach to use for all projects and clients. You’ll have to find the right balance, since you don’t want to over-communicate either. But here’s a couple of practical takeaways that might help:

a) Set expectations regarding when and how a client can expect to hear from you next. When you do this, underpromise and over-deliver. Will you be able to get them that document by Wednesday? Tell them Friday. Then when you deliver earlier, everyone’s happy. Tell them a reasonable (safe) time frame. Deliver on it, beat it, or own it and communicate in advance if circumstances have arisen to justify it coming later.
b) When in the thick of a big project, weekly (or even twice a week) check-ins are great for batching items to cover. This creates a structure for everyone and builds in accountability to ensure details don’t get missed.

Corollary to the regular check-in: Batching communication is great except when it’s time-sensitive or potentially impactful bad news. What’s bad news? Anything that will cost more, take longer, or be “less good” than the client was expecting. Depending on timing, it may still be OK to wait for your next scheduled check in (if it’s tomorrow). Otherwise, barring a reasonable effort/assessment of whether you can fix said situation so as to circumvent the delivery of any bad news, don’t wait.

Tip 5. Take Responsibility, but Don’t Panic or Beat Yourself Up

Mistakes will happen. When they do, own them. But, don’t emotionally collapse and beat yourself up. Every challenging situation, every bump is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship, build trust, and collaboratively solve a situation.

take responsibility for everything you…need to own, plus a little bit more

Listen to the client if they have a gripe. Thank them for their honesty. Convey that you will be talking to your team to gain further understanding and perspective on what’s happened and that you’re committed to resolving a situation in a way that’s okay for everyone. Remember that you have permission to be fair to yourself and the company you represent (as in, don’t completely fold and give away the store).

That said, take responsibility for everything you and your company really need to own, plus a little bit more. Be honest, transparent, respectful, firm, human, compassionate, and be smart about it.

Tip 6. Make it Personal

Become Friends. Be genuinely interested in the person. The best working relationships go beyond the work and have personal connection on a variety of levels. At an appropriate level and pace (that you have to figure out), allow that to happen. Don’t pry. Don’t force. Don’t be creepy. Just be genuine and human.

At some point, you should know your client’s favorite color, that they love dogs, or that they’re both happy and sad because their first-born is going off to college. And remember, it’s a two way street, so you’ll be sharing things about yourself too.

Tip 7. Manage Expectations

Back in the mid-90s, when my husband and I first founded Gravity Switch, a fellow consultant (named Ed) gave us some unsolicited advice. He said, “The secret to a successful project is managing client expectations.”

We laughed at this advice. Heartily. But not to his face.

Expectations? C’mon… What about great design? What about solid programming? What about projects coming in on budget and on time? You know, all the important stuff that PMs have to think about.

But duh!

What context defines that great design and the solid programming? What context defines whether something is on budget or on time?

I had this aha moment when I realized that Ed was totally right. By the way, I called him up (it was 15 years later) and told him of our folly, admitted laughing (heartily) at his advice, thanked him for sharing it, and apologized for being a little slow on the uptake.

Key takeaway: if you’re managing expectations, what’s interpreted as “great work” and “a great working experience” will follow.

 

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The last word you may want a user to associate with your website is “predictable.” This term has a negative connotation in the business world and makes you think of a brand that is boring, unexciting, and identical to its competitors.

Yet to a degree, users expect and rely on the predictability of a website. At its most basic level, a website should be predictable – it should function like all other websites, at least to the point where your user does not struggle to make sense of the interface. Otherwise, your think-outside-the-box strategy might throw users off.

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Think of your website like a car. While consumers react positively to creative, innovative ideas that boost the user experience, for example, touch screen infotainment systems and massage chairs, they may not be keen on a brand that tries to completely revolutionize the way vehicles operate, such as one that places the steering wheel in the backseat.

Features along such lines can seem less user-friendly and more gimmicky, designed simply for the “wow factor” – a move on the brand’s part that users would likely not respond to well. Your website must prioritize usability and the user experience above all else to maintain its popularity – and your brand’s credibility.

The solution is to balance predictability with intrigue. Maintain certain elements your users cannot go without, such as menu options and content. Your users must be able to navigate your website with ease or else they will click away. Yet predictable does not have to mean boring.

For instance, some websites are beginning to integrate virtual and augmented realities into the UI. Designers can get away with this progressive idea by making it simple for users with VR-supported browsers, and doing it for the users’ benefit – by letting users view products up close in VR from their homes before making a purchasing decision, for example.

Maintain Internal Consistency

Achieving predictability and creativity is possible by maintaining internal consistency on your website. Marry a logical flow with your interface that may allow slight variations to keep your users intrigued. Add your own flare and innovations, but keep your primary functional elements consistent and comprehensible.

It is intuitive for users to click on a link or a highlighted section of a page, and you can assume they will access your homepage. From there, the user instinctively knows that clicking on other menu options will lead to the content they desire. The user’s intuition is what makes fast website use possible. Do not underestimate it. Creating a website that takes effort to navigate will end badly for your brand.

The consistency of Mozilla design.

Achieve internal consistency with accepted UI design patterns. These are standard design elements your user expects to encounter on your website. Patterns can include navigation options, a search feature, a place to input user data, and links to social media accounts.

UI design patterns can be standard or persuasive. Persuasive UI design engages users and encourages them to take certain actions, such as subscribing to a mailing list or taking the next step in the sales process. Both types of UI design have accepted standards and guidelines that make them work in the company’s favor.

Simplify Your Site

One of the easiest and most rewarding ways to master UI consistency is to keep your website’s design simple. Again – simple does not have to mean plain or boring. It means a clean, easy-to-use website that your users can navigate in seconds. Go with a simple visual design to optimize consistency and get brownie points with Google. That’s right – Google rewards sites with simple designs, because these are the sites users deemed “most beautiful” in a 2012 study.

The beautifully simple ArtQuality.com.br layout.

In the five years since this study, this conclusion has held up. Users still prefer simple websites to those that are visually complex. Existing accepted standards for website layouts limit what you can do at this stage of the design process, but this is a good thing – you can only change the standard layout so much before you cross the line into visual complexity. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel, impress your users with how you use your simple layout.

For example, look at the stunning visuals on FeedMusic.com. It appears you are in a beautiful, swirling miasma of space dust on the homepage. Every page you scroll through (Feed also uses a unique navigational system) showcases another eye-catching, high-definition visual. Using graphics in new and exciting ways can bring a simple layout to the next level, while still maintaining the UI people have come to depend upon. It is possible to stay consistent and make waves in your industry with creative, original UI design.

The FeedMusic.com homepage.

Keep Content Cohesive

One of the most crucial elements to keep consistent is your content. Your brand must maintain a constant tone, voice, and quality across every page. Any mistakes or oversights in this regard can lead to users assuming your site has spammy content or that the brand doesn’t care about its users – both bad news for your business.

Your content should reflect the overall mood of your site and complement your design. It should also match what your users are looking for when they come across your company. Your content should not only exude consistency in the words you write (or the videos you post), but in how often you post new articles. On your website’s blog and social media accounts, consistency in content will pay off handsomely in site traffic and potential conversions.

Create Uniformity among Site Elements

The goal with your website should be to reduce user learning while piquing their interest. This can sound like a conundrum until you realize that when you keep the major UI design elements uniform, you have the freedom to play with the rest of your site. Consistency in the bones of your website gives you wiggle room with the rest of the body. Here are site elements to keep consistent across the board:

Typography size
Whitespace
Color palette
Brand logo and visuals
Size of site elements
High-resolution imagery
Button colors
Navigation menu
Headers, footers, and sidebars
Clickable elements

This is an idea of what elements your users want to remain consistent from page to page to facilitate easy navigation. Use common sense here – changing the location of your sidebar from page to page would only confuse users and probably lead them to click away.

UI Style guide by Alex Gilev.

Keep in mind that your users will not be as familiar with your site as you are. Look at your design elements from an outsider’s perspective – do your elements make sense and work together as part of a larger picture or are they scattered and confusing?

The Takeaway

At the end of the day, consistency always wins the UX and UI game. No matter how beautiful the imagery, how excellent the content, or innovative the theme, users will not stay on a site that is too complex or confusing.

Avoid this by keeping your site seamless and easily digestible. You are free to experiment but within the boundaries of what the current web user deems acceptable. Broaden your horizons, but only if it will bring something of value to your target audience.

Remember – your users should be at the heart of every website design decision you make. With this in mind, design consistency and efficiency should become second nature.