Do we need UI components?

It’s not a secret (especially here), that the User Interface (UI) is a huge part of every app. Some say that if the icon is the front door, the UI is the interior design [that’s why CoreUI brings you both icons and components ;)]. Of course, you can take the route of completely designing your own UI from scratch, but… we all suffer from a lack of time. So if you want to get it up and running fast while still having a polished finish, an appropriate UI library seems to be the right option.

A component library is a handy thing to have, especially if you need to scale fast. Netflix or Uber is just at the top of the list of those companies, that leveraged speedy and impressive growth using design systems built from component libraries. The time and resources needed to build from scratch often (in 99%) outweigh any long-term gain.

Optimize

When optimizing development across many platforms, it’s wise to consider using a component library. You probably know CoreUI thanks to our open-source Admin Templates and to be honest, these years of experience with the templates pushed our design team to master our own UI components, which can be easily utilized for any project. By offering an accessible, open-source repository of customizable, and reusable code components you gain faster development and growth.

Time

As Yoda once said ;) “A component library can offer a single source of truth”… Time is our asset, that’s why simple, customizable, easy to learn UI components and Admin Templates can significantly cut development time. You can save thousands of priceless hours because the UI component library offers everything you need to create modern, beautiful, and responsive applications.

Design

Aspart of any design system, a component library can reduce the risk of any variation between products or ending up with different components in different places. They handle the source code for UI elements and usually leverage CSS and JavaScript.

A great example is e.g. React an open-source framework, developed by Facebook as a component library but since grown into a large ecosystem for creating apps, static sites, and desktop applications.

Why

OK, but when it’s best to use a component library? Let’s answer with situations where a component library can add measurable value to a project. Like e.g. code-first prototyping. Most of the component libraries are recommended for projects that focus on functionality over visual design. CoreUI team asked one day, why? We believe that functionality goes in hand with design — you know it from our Admin Templates, so the same story goes with CoreUI UI components. This also opens the chance for developers to design with pre-built components without worrying about any lack of design skills.

Design skills needs

Some say that when you lack the skills or experience to build your own component library, then it’s better to use the ready one. But it’s not always true, cause many times when you’re working to tight project deadlines, then there’s no time to develop something on your own. That’s why the UI component library seems to be a fair option in many cases as integrated component libraries provide all the code components designers and developers need to test functionality, usability, and design before conversion to digital products.

For whom

Startups and SM businesses may need to be more careful with financial resources. A wide range of effective and open-source component libraries around can set these companies up to scale. On the other hand, we mentioned in the lead about Netflix and Uber as great examples of using UI component libraries in their evolution. Rakuten, Samsung or EA are just a few of the companies that decided to use CoreUI’s tools for their projects. So as you can see, this time size does not matter… ;)

In the end

Last but not least, when thinking about UI component library, we cannot forget about UI “Triada”: code-speed-compatibility.

As a single repository for housing ready-made, reusable components, a component library offers quick access to developers and designers everywhere. This significantly improves collaboration and communication between team members. Apart from that, with the UI component library there’s no need to convert the design code — code won’t be duplicated across other designs and projects. Speed is quite obvious, cause thanks to the UI component library you don’t have to start from a scratch/click. Instead of redesigning or creating a calendar, it’s already there to use. And thanks to a set of ready-made, pre-set components, you can avoid any time-draining or decision-making processes. When it comes to compatibility, there’s no wonder that frontend developers can struggle with ensuring cross-browser and cross-device compatibility. With the UI component library, you gain standardization, so you’re on a good path to avoid incompatibility.