Thats pretty much what I did too. With no artistic flair or training, I just copied similar software that has a good UI. While Im not great at designing one, I know a good UI when I see one.
I unironically love the look of old grey winforms, but my developers dont like it. They want to use new flashy frameworks. But much of the software I design is intended to be used by warehouse and industrial factory staff. Most users are over 40. I know they feel comfortable with the old visual style of winforms, so thats what I insist on for many apps, particularly when its purely utilitarian, like an NFC scanning utility tracking machine components. For newer software projects, Im happy to work with something more modern, like Maui.
Thats pretty much what I did too. With no artistic flair or training, I just copied similar software that has a good UI. While Im not great at designing one, I know a good UI when I see one.
I unironically love the look of old grey winforms, but my developers dont like it. They want to use new flashy frameworks. But much of the software I design is intended to be used by warehouse and industrial factory staff. Most users are over 40. I know they feel comfortable with the old visual style of winforms, so thats what I insist on for many apps, particularly when its purely utilitarian, like an NFC scanning utility tracking machine components. For newer software projects, Im happy to work with something more modern, like Maui.
I agree with you honestly. Utility over prettiness. Honestly, a lot of modern apps and websites have pretty UI and awful UX…