Building the Product

I'm not a designer, how do I make my product not look terrible?

A starting point

You don't need taste, you need a few rules. Use generous whitespace, a single accent color, limited font sizes, and clear hierarchy through size and weight, Refactoring UI teaches exactly this for non-designers. Design in grayscale first to nail the hierarchy, then add color last.

Go deeper

Read

📖 Book
Paid Beginner

Refactoring UI

From refactoringui.com by Adam Wathan & Steve Schoger ~250 pages

Why we picked it

Design tactics written specifically for developers and non-designers who need to ship good-looking UI without a design background. The most practical 'make it not ugly' resource there is.

  • Use spacing, hierarchy, and font weight, not just color, for visual hierarchy.
  • Start with too much whitespace, then remove.
  • Design in grayscale first to nail hierarchy before adding color.
Open refactoringui.com →

Use

🎓 Course
Free Beginner

Figma, Learn Design

From figma.com by Figma self-paced

Why we picked it

A free, well-maintained learning hub from the industry-standard design tool, covering the fundamentals a founder needs to wireframe and prototype. Learn just enough to click through a flow before you build.

  • Covers the UI vs. UX distinction, prototyping, and wireframing.
  • Practical guides on typography, color, and layout.
  • Bridges design-to-code so you can hand off a clear prototype.
Open figma.com →

People also ask

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