Hopefully, this will be my first step into acquiring an ability to make things [...] that people see and say “wow!”
Overall, great article, but keep in mind that the goal of good design isn't to make people go "wow," it's to be invisible. The best interfaces are the one people don't even notice. Remember that you're designing for your users, not for other designers. It's surprisingly easy to forgot that.
Also, I recommend checking out "Design of Everyday Things" by Donald Norman. It's an excellent introduction into usability design.
Overall, great article, but keep in mind that the goal of good design isn't to make people go "wow," it's to be invisible
Or rather - it's only to make people go "wow" if making that happen is part of what the goal of the design is. Designs being invisible that should "wow" are just as bad as "wow" designs when they should be invisible.
Overall, great article, but keep in mind that the goal of good design isn't to make people go "wow," it's to be invisible. The best interfaces are the one people don't even notice. Remember that you're designing for your users, not for other designers. It's surprisingly easy to forgot that.
Also, I recommend checking out "Design of Everyday Things" by Donald Norman. It's an excellent introduction into usability design.