I'm a video game developer who's dabbled in various aspects of programming, but I want to branch out and improve my UI design skills for mobile apps. In the past, I made a personal Android app using Unity, but I've realized that was probably not the best tool for UI design. Honestly, I'm not a fan of creating 2D art, except for textures. I'm looking for an easy-to-use UI builder that allows me to incorporate my own scripts without just creating a static app landing page. I've heard about Figma, but I'm unclear on how it works—does it function as its own framework, or just output HTML and CSS for use in other applications? Do people typically design mobile UIs using HTML and CSS? I also know C# and I'm open to learning JavaScript or TypeScript if that helps.
3 Answers
If you're considering Unity, you might want to check out .NET MAUI. It could be a great fit for your needs. It's designed for building cross-platform apps, and you'll have a more structured way to create UIs compared to what you'd do in Unity. Plus, you can still leverage your C# skills!
Since you know C#, why not start with something a bit simpler than Unity, like a desktop app? It's an easier way to grasp the basics without mobile complications. Android has a design concept called Material Design that lays out many visual guidelines for you, focusing more on functionality rather than aesthetics. Check out MAUI, Avalonia, or the Uno Platform as well. They all offer different ways to work with Material Design and have great documentation on NuGet. You could also try Blazor Hybrid for a web-like feel. For prototyping, Figma offers material design components that you can drag and drop, making layout super easy!
Figma is actually a fantastic design tool primarily used by designers to create mockups, which developers then use to build the actual app. It’s like a blueprint for your app's UI. If you want something more straightforward, you might find tools like Paper to be better suited—a WYSIWYG tool that can produce usable UI code directly. This could significantly speed up your UI design process!
I've heard of MAUI too, but can you clarify how you actually build the UI with it?