Optimising frontend architecture with layouts and themes

In today’s digital age, user experience plays a crucial role in the success of any software application or website. One of the most significant aspects of user experience in frontend architecture. An optimized design and thoughtful implementation of front-end architecture can enhance user experience, improve user engagement, and evening increase conversion rates. In this blog, we will discuss the importance of frontend architecture and how it can be designed to be flexible in implementation.

Achieving Flexible Structure using Layouts

Designing a flexible structure is a critical aspect of front-end architecture. This is because the position of different components on a screen can have a significant impact on user experience. For example, if a call-to-action button is not placed in a prominent location, users may not notice it, resulting in lower conversion rates. A layout system can prove to be really helpful in such scenarios by providing a flexible structure to the screen. This will not only help provide better visibility and easy-to-adjust components but also provide a path for fast-paced development.

How to build a front end with layouts?

The whole idea is about keeping the learning-curve low and developing at a fast pace. In our solution, we are considering the following five building blocks:

1. Layouts: Layouts are predefined templates that are used to position containers, views, and components in predetermined areas. They are used to apply consistent positioning for content across pages in an application.

2. Pages: Pages are all-encapsulating building blocks for a screen. They are essentially templates that define the layout and content of a particular screen on your application.

3. Containers: Containers are layout elements that are used to wrap other elements. These can be nested inside other containers, allowing you to create complex layouts with multiple levels of hierarchy.

4. Views: Views are templates that define the structure and layout of a particular section of your page. Views can be used to encapsulate containers and components. Although views are optional, they can be used if we want to bind the controller with UI elements. 

5. Components: Components basically return a piece of code that tells what should be rendered on the screen.

Together with pages, views, and containers, as seen above, components are used to render the final screen.

Extending flexibility from UX to UI using themes

It is one thing to design an organized website but it all comes down to achieving a UI that can grab the attention of users. Color schemes and fonts of a website or application can significantly impact user experience. For example, using high-contrast colors can improve readability, while using a font that is difficult to read can make it challenging for users to engage with the content. To provide flexibility in changing the color scheme and fonts, front-end architecture should use a theming system. Themes can allow users to define a set of colors and fonts that can be easily applied to different components throughout the application. This means that changes to the color schemes or fonts can be made quickly and easily without the need to modify individual components.

User feedback and simplifying re-engineering

Changes to layout and theme are a regular requirement that often arises due to user feedback in beta or life stages. It becomes really important that we are able to make the required changes quickly. Also, the cost and time required to revamp the UI of a digital platform can be a significant constraint for businesses.

Better segregation of theme, layout, and application logic will enable the team to rollout out updates quickly and efficiently. For example, if users are having difficulty navigating the application, changes can be made just to the layout to improve usability. Similarly, if users are finding it difficult to read, changes can be made only to the theme to improve readability.

Conclusion

In conclusion, a well-designed front-end architecture can enhance user experience, improve user engagement, and increase conversion rates. Using segregated layouts and themes allow the team to make changes quickly and easily, without the need to modify individual components. User feedback can be used to identify areas for improvement and implemented at a much faster pace with segregation of layout, theme, and application logic, ensuring that the application meets the needs of its users. If you have any requirements or queries related to frontend architecture, feel free to reach out to us.