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What UI density means and how to design for it


I speak and write about design, front-end code, leadership, and (occasionally) math.

Screenshots of Craigslist's homepage and McMaster-Carr's product page circa 2024.You can form an opinion about the density of these websites simply by looking at an image for a franction of a second. The data-ink ratio is close to 1, allowing a huge amount of information — more than 260 arrival and departure times — to be packed into a relatively small space. Some operations, like uploading a file, waiting for a customer support response, or processing a payment, involve complex systems with unpredictable variables.

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UI density