UI Kits

Your constantly-updated definition of UI Kits and collection of videos and articles
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What are UI Kits?

User interface kits (UI kits) are collections of pre-designed, standalone UI elements. Designers use them to create prototypes and interfaces. Each kit usually features various individual UI components like buttons, input fields and icons, and other assets like images. Less comprehensive than design systems or libraries, UI kits focus on specific design components and are helpful aids. 

Image showing Web UI Elements Kit

© Summer Ye, Fair Use

Why are UI Kits Important?

UI kits see common use in web and mobile design. They’re also handy tools for designers to use in prototyping. An important distinction to make about these kits is that they’re different from design systems. Design systems are a set of guidelines, reusable components and patterns, which user experience (UX) designers and user interface (UI) designers also use. However, designers can use a UI kit to design websites and other digital products without the need for a design system overall.  

User interface design tends to involve heavy investment of time and resources. Likewise, an organization’s design process that encompasses UI and visual design usually demands a wide range of activities—ranging from the initial steps of user research and empathizing with target users, through wireframing, prototyping, extensive usability testing and numerous design iterations throughout app or web development. 

Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains important points about prototyping: 

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Fortunately, designers have a powerful ally in their toolkit to help them achieve visually appealing web pages, apps that offer seamless user experiences and much more—that much sooner than they might otherwise. Many designers turn to UI kits for handy reference and inclusion of helpful visual elements, layouts and other interaction design features when they work to create new websites and apps. These kits emerged to offer designers and design teams solid foundations and frameworks on which to build digital products that pass with flying colors when it comes to user testing and users’ interactions with a product after its release. 

What are the Benefits of Using UI Kits?

Designers have a convenient tool with many helpful options when they consider UI kits because these kits can:      

1. Save Time and Effort

Designers use UI kits as tools to boost and accelerate their creative and design process, such as design thinking. An effective kit is a handy tool for designers to fast-track their work so they can apply easy-to-use and reusable items without sinking time into creating them from scratch. Here are some typical features that UI kits contain:   

  • Buttons    

  • Icons   

  • Checkboxes

  • Toggles   

  • Avatars   

  • Tooltips   

  • Progress bars

  • Text styles   

  • Color palettes

  • Images  

  • Templates

  • Widgets  

Since designers can conveniently reach for a collection of pre-designed elements—like buttons, forms and menus—in a UI kit, these can be crucial aids in fast-paced environments where time is a critical resource. For instance, mobile UI kits equip designers with a massive range of ready-to-use assets. That means designers can focus more on enhancing the esthetic and functional aspects of their designs—and not get bogged down in the basic construction of each element.   

An image of button component UI kit examples.

Here are some button component examples, from Untitled UI.

© Untitled UI, Fair Use

2. Maintain Consistency

Another major benefit that designers can enjoy when they use UI kits is the consistency that these kits bring to the design process. Consistency across an application or website is a vital factor in UX and UI design. That’s because consistency is key for esthetic coherence as well as the overall user experience—including the trust that develops between brand and user when design elements look consistent and professional. Users benefit from a uniform interface—one that behaves predictably across different screens, so users can have the best of a smooth and intuitive experience with the interface and not have to pause in confusion. A UI kit helps keep this consistency no matter if the project is a small-scale mobile app or a comprehensive website, all thanks to the standardized components within the kit.   

3. Collaboration

When design teams and development teams see eye to eye—and do so well within critical timeframes in their UX design process—it helps their brand avoid some problems that might otherwise plague the evolution of a digital product. UI kits serve as a form of bridge between the teams. Kits reduce the chances of misunderstandings while teams enjoy more productive collaboration, especially cross-functionally between the spheres of design and development. In an Agile environment—where communication and collaboration channels tend to be more open more often—UI kits can help smooth the way towards a better prototype and a better solution, with fewer design-related issues arising along the way. 

UX Designer and Author of Build Better Products and UX for Lean Startups, Laura Klein explains important points about Agile and cross-functional collaboration: 

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4. Accessibility

Accessibility is an essential dimension of modern design. It’s also a legal requirement in many jurisdictions to design to include users with disabilities. Brands that fail to incorporate features to support a good UX for users with physical and cognitive disabilities can face penalties and fines. Fortunately, accessibility isn’t just an affordable factor to include in design; it also benefits all users, since features like captions can help users of all ability levels—when they can’t hear in loud environments, for example. 

Many UI kits have built-in accessibility features, like keyboard shortcuts and color schemes with sufficient contrast for users with vision disabilities. So, designers and the brands they work for can enjoy more peace of mind when they create interfaces that everyone can use.  

Watch our video to understand why accessibility is such a vital part of UX and UI design: 

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5. Scalability

All being well, brands’ digital products will grow and evolve from the initial release. So, designers often have to return and add new pages and features to the websites and apps they create. When designers use a UI kit that’s suited for their product, it’s easy for them to insert new elements as they won’t have to wonder if the new elements are consistent.  

6. Learn Best Practices

UI kits aren’t just tools for simplification. They’re valuable educational resources as well. They offer designers insights into best practices in UI design since they incorporate elements that adhere to established design principles and guidelines. So, new and seasoned designers alike can learn from these pre-built components. They can sharpen their understanding of how to effectively implement and optimize user-friendly interfaces—ones that don’t just meet users’ needs and expectations but exceed them as well. To support this learning process, designers have the opportunity to explore various design patterns and styles that come with such kits. From there, they can adapt and customize these as they need to for the project or product at hand.  

Watch our video on design patterns to understand more about them and why they’re important: 

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What are the Types of UI Kits? 

As UI kits are popular and valuable staples in the larger toolkit of UX and UI designers—and since they provide essential components that streamline the design process and make sure of a cohesive look and feel across projects—they come in several main forms. UI kits see extensive use in design tools like Sketch and Figma. They offer a solid starting point that allows designers to create user interfaces much more efficiently with pre-made elements like typography, color palettes and spacing—all tailored to the components of the specific UI kit.  

UI kits can vary greatly in their composition and quality. Some might include a basic set of components, like icons and checkboxes. Meanwhile, others provide an extensive collection that contains everything a designer might need to design modern user interfaces, mobile apps and websites—for example, toggles that modify fonts, colors and shapes dynamically. Not all UI kits include code components, for example, but those that do can offer HTML/CSS, React or Tailwind components—so giving a boost to their practicality and application in real-world projects.  

Here are the main types of UI kits:   

1. Web UI Kits

Web UI kits are specifically for website development. They provide a comprehensive array of pre-designed components—such as navigation bars, footers and content sections. These kits streamline the web design process, as designers can quickly assemble pages that have a consistent look and feel. Here are some examples:  

  • The EcoShop Web UI Kit, which offers tailored components for e-commerce sites.  

  • The Eduvi E-learning Web UI Kit, ideal for educational platforms. 

A screenshot of Eduvi E-learning Web UI Kit homepage.

© Figma, Fair Use

2. Mobile UI Kits

Mobile UI kits cater to app development for devices like smartphones and tablets. In the mobile-first era, where most users access digital products—as well as services through digital products—designers have to aim larger amounts of thought and effort at smaller screens, especially their targeted users’ ubiquitous smartphones.  

UI kits for mobile consist of elements optimized for touch interactions and smaller screens. These include mobile-friendly menus, button sizes and gestural controls. Mobile kits help designers make sure that their apps deliver an optimal user experience on various mobile devices. Here are a few notable examples which are popular among designers for their versatility and ease of use:  

  • The Figma iOS UI Kit.  

  • The Blade UI Kit. 

A screenshot of Blade UI Kit homepage.

© Dries Vints, Fair Use

3. Hybrid UI Kits

Hybrid UI kits are kits designers use to help create applications that run on both web and mobile platforms. These kits utilize technologies like React Native and Ionic so designers can build apps that offer near-native performance on a variety of devices. At the same time, they maintain the flexibility of web-based development. Hybrid kits often include components that adapt smoothly to different operating environments. That factor makes them a cost-effective solution for developers who want to reach a broad audience across multiple platforms with their brand’s design solution.  

How to Choose the Right UI Kit?

It’s vital to concentrate on several areas as a designer decides which UI kit is the best fit for a project, prototype and product. Here are some main considerations to bear in mind and actions to take:  

1. Identify Needs

The first step is to clearly understand the specific needs of the design project—and, by association, the users’ needs, which should form the core of the design decisions throughout. For example, designers might want to create an e-commerce site, a social media platform or a healthcare app to access a brand’s target audience best. Each type of project has unique requirements and user expectations, and these call for thorough research. So, it's crucial to choose a UI kit that aligns well with these needs.  

When designers pick the right kit, they can make sure that the design elements and features they include do effectively support the primary functions of the app or website they propose to develop and release.  

UX Strategist and Consultant, William Hudson explains important points about user research: 

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2. Consider Compatibility

Compatibility with development tools is another essential factor to consider. The UI kit a designer chooses should integrate smoothly with the platform or framework they’re using. For instance, if a designer is building a project with React, it's important to select a UI kit that supports React components. This compatibility streamlines the development process. What’s more, it makes it easier for the design and development team to implement and maintain the design. That will translate to smoother, more enduring solutions. Plus, it will help to keep the risk of errors cropping up later to a comfortable minimum. 

A screenshot of Cross Platform React Native UI Toolkit homepage.

© Meta Platforms, Fair Use 

3. Assess Quality and Customization Options

Finally, it’s a vital point to weigh up the quality of the UI kit and the customization options it offers. Other designers and developers have thoroughly tested and reviewed high-quality UI kits—and that’s a good assurance of their effectiveness. There are other things to think about as well. For example, designers should look for UI kits that offer extensive documentation and support. These resources can be invaluable when designers need to customize the kit to fit their project's unique requirements. UI kits offer the essentials, and many feature extensive and sophisticated arrays of material to put to use. Nevertheless, a designer’s discernment and the ability to modify elements such as colors, fonts and sizes are key for them to tailor the design to meet the users’ specific needs and the brand’s business goals. 

Overall, UI kits are a handy, popular and much-trusted aid for a diverse range of designers. Especially in the fast-paced atmosphere of designing solutions for mobile, web and hybrid applications, these kits offer designers, their teams and brands an indispensable convenience to get up and running quickly. They can spend less time to produce reliable prototypes they can test—and move on to more solid design solutions they eventually can release to their target audience.  

It’s important to remember the significance of compatibility, quality and customization options. Designers need to consider how UI kits line up with the look and feel of their brand. For example, how stylized are the components, and can they match well with the look and feel the brand wants to cast? 

It takes good judgment and a solid grasp of design principles to be in a position to appreciate which kit will work best for a certain project. When they choose carefully and apply elements well, designers—along with their brands—can enjoy the great boost that the right UI kit can give. From there, designers can power their way along the design process to solutions that users can enjoy seamless experiences within, and scale these long into the future.   

Learn More About UI Kits

Take our course Mobile UI Design for many valuable insights into the exciting world of designing for how most users access apps and sites.  

Watch our Master Class How To Prepare For The Future Of Mobile UX with Steven Hoober, President - Design, 4ourth Mobile. 

Check out Mobile UI Kits: Supercharge Your Mobile UI Design Efforts by MockFlow for many important insights to help with Mobile UIs.  

Read How to choose the best Figma UI Kit? 6 crucial factors and how we address them in Ant Design System for Figma by Matt Wierzbicki for a valuable fund of additional tips and insights.  

Go to 29 Best Figma UI Kits and Design Systems by Jordan Hughes for a wealth of helpful information.  

See What is a UI Kit? Examples and Why You Should Use One by Gala Naseva for further important points, insights and examples. 

Questions about Ui Kits

Can you get free UI kits and which ones are good?

Yes, you can find free UI kits online. These kits provide pre-designed elements and templates. They save you time and make sure that there’s good consistency going on in your design projects. Here are some recommended free UI kits, in no particular order: 

  • Ant Design: Ant Design provides a robust UI kit with a wide range of high-quality components for web applications. It's particularly useful for enterprise-level projects and includes detailed documentation. 

  • Sketch App Sources: This site offers a variety of free UI kits and templates specifically for Sketch. It's a valuable resource for designers who use Sketch for their projects. 

  • Figma Community: Figma has a thriving community where designers share free UI kits and resources. You can find kits for various design needs, from mobile apps to web interfaces. 

Watch our Master Class How To Prepare For The Future Of Mobile UX with Steven Hoober, President - Design, 4ourth Mobile. 

How do I customize a UI kit for my brand?

To customize a UI kit for your brand, try the following: 

  1. To start, identify your brand’s colors, fonts, and design elements. Replace the default colors in the UI kit with your brand colors. 

  1. Next, change the fonts to match your brand's typography. Adjust the shapes and styles of UI elements like buttons, icons, and input fields to align with your brand’s aesthetic.  

  1. Make sure there’s an effective consistency across all elements—to maintain a cohesive look. Then, test your customized UI kit on different devices to ensure it looks great everywhere. This will create a strong, recognizable brand identity.  

  1. Use tools like Sketch or Figma to make customization easier and more precise.  

Watch our video to understand more about web design:  

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What elements typically come with a UI kit?

A UI kit typically includes buttons, icons, typography and color schemes. It usually has components like navigation bars, sliders and input fields as well. Designers often find form elements such as checkboxes, radio buttons and dropdown menus in a UI kit. These kits also contain templates for common screens or layouts—like login pages, dashboards and user profiles.  

What’s more, UI kits may include design assets like images, illustrations and patterns to keep an effective consistency. Make sure your UI kit is well-organized so you can quickly find and use elements during your design process.  

Watch our Master Class Boost Mobile UX with UX Design Principles and Best Practices with Miklos Philips, Lead UX Designer/Product Designer for many valuable insights into the exciting world of designing for how most users access apps and sites. 

Where can I find high-quality UI kits?

You can find high-quality UI kits on several online platforms. Websites like Sketch and Figma offer a variety of UI kits specifically designed for their tools. Visit design resource websites like UI8, Creative Market and Envato Elements for diverse and professionally crafted UI kits. Explore free resources on GitHub and Dribbble—where designers share their work. Check out specialized design communities like Behance for unique and innovative UI kits. Always review user ratings and comments to help you be more certain about the quality and relevance of the UI kit for your project.  

Many high-quality UI kits come with updates and support from their creators. You might want to download a few UI kits and test them to see which one best fits your design process and project needs.  

Watch our Master Class How To Prepare For The Future Of Mobile UX with Steven Hoober, President - Design, 4ourth Mobile to keep a clear view of what users’ modern needs are like. 

What are the benefits of using a UI kit for prototyping?

If you use an effective and suitable UI kit for prototyping, you’ll save time and be sure of great consistency in your design work. You can quickly assemble screens with pre-designed elements like buttons, icons and forms. This speeds up the design process; plus, it allows you to focus on user experience and functionality.  

A UI kit also helps keep a cohesive look going across your project. That will make it easier for users to navigate and understand. What’s more, it improves collaboration as it provides a common design language for team members. What’s more, a good UI kit allows for faster iterations. So, it can empower you and your team to test and refine designs more efficiently.  

Be sure to choose a UI kit that aligns with your project's design goals to maximize efficiency and consistency.  

Watch as Author and Human-Computer Interaction Expert, Professor Alan Dix explains important points about prototyping in this video: 

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What’s the difference between a UI kit and a design system?

A UI kit provides a collection of ready-made design elements like buttons, icons and forms. Designers use a UI kit to quickly create user interfaces. A design system—however—offers a comprehensive set of guidelines, principles and components. It not only includes UI elements. It defines how designers should use these elements to make sure of consistency across an entire product or brand as well.  

While a UI kit focuses on individual projects, a design system scales across multiple projects—keeping a unified look and feel. So, you might use a UI kit for rapid prototyping, for example, and a design system for long-term consistency and scalability.  

Watch as CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains Google’s Material Design, a well-known and much-used design language:  

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What are the common pitfalls to avoid when using a UI kit?

Whenever you use a UI kit, keep inconsistency at bay—stick to the provided elements and styles. Don’t mix components from different kits; it can confuse users and disrupt the visual flow. Resist over-customizing elements. Over-customization will defeat the purpose of the kit and waste time. Also, make sure the UI kit matches your project’s goals; otherwise, it may not fit well with your brand.  

Another major area is accessibility. So, always check that components are user-friendly for everyone. Last—but not least—don’t neglect updates. Regularly make sure your UI kit is up to date, so it can keep up with design trends and technology changes. Plus, regularly review your UI kit usage to make sure it’s in line with your design goals and that it maintains a cohesive user experience.  

Watch our Master Class How To Prepare For The Future Of Mobile UX with Steven Hoober, President - Design, 4ourth Mobile. 

What are the key features to look for in a UI kit?

When you’re choosing a UI kit, look for completeness. Make sure it includes essential components like buttons, icons, forms and navigation bars. Check for flexibility so you can easily customize it to match your brand. What’s more, make sure it supports responsive design to work well on different devices.  

Also, look for consistency in style and design principles to create a cohesive user experience. Ensure the UI kit includes documentation to help you understand how to use and modify components. Another point is to prioritize compatibility with your design tools like Sketch or Figma.  

Overall, be sure to choose a UI kit that aligns with your design process and tools to maximize efficiency and ease of use.  

CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains responsive design and why it’s important: 

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Can I create my own UI kit from scratch?

Yes, you can make your own UI kit from scratch; try the following:  

  1. Define your design principles and style guide: Design essential components like buttons, icons, forms and navigation bars. Make sure you’ve got consistency in colors, typography and spacing. Use good design tools like Sketch or Figma to create and organize your elements.  

  1. Test your UI kit across different devices: That way, you can make sure of responsiveness.  

  1. Document your components and their usage: That will help others understand and use your kit effectively.  

  1. Regularly update your UI kit: That’s how you can keep it aligned with design trends and technology changes.  

Custom UI kits can enhance your brand’s identity and streamline the design process. Be sure to involve your team in the creation process to make sure the UI kit meets everyone's needs and that it maintains a cohesive design language.  

How do I incorporate accessibility features into a UI kit?

Many modern UI kits have accessibility features built into them. These features often include high-contrast color schemes, accessible fonts and ARIA labels for screen readers. They also ensure keyboard navigability for all interactive elements.  

Some UI kits provide detailed guidelines about how to implement accessibility best practices—which helps designers create inclusive user interfaces. Even so, always review the UI kit's documentation so you understand its accessibility support and do your own testing to make sure it meets your project's needs.  

Watch our video to understand more about accessibility, a vital ingredient in design: 

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What are some highly cited scientific articles about UI kits?

Sohail, S. M. A., Mujeeb, M. M., Javeed, S. M., Santhosh, K., Reddy, J. V. V., & Sinha, G. (2023). IOS Frameworks: Ticketing system using UI Kit Framework. International Journal for Research in Applied Science & Engineering Technology (IJRASET), 11(5), 1942-1946.   

This publication is influential in the field of iOS development. It focuses on the implementation of a ticketing system using the UIKit framework. The paper presents a solution to automate the reservation process using modern software and digital equipment. It describes a user-friendly system—one that allows efficient management of customer information and transactions. The authors highlight the advantages of their proposed system—including improved resource utilization, streamlined record-keeping, and enhanced data accessibility. This work is significant as it demonstrates the practical application of iOS frameworks in creating efficient, user-centric mobile applications for the transportation and ticketing industry, potentially serving as a model for similar systems in various sectors. 

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Literature on UI Kits

Here’s the entire UX literature on UI Kits by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about UI Kits

Take a deep dive into UI Kits with our course Mobile UI Design .

In the “Build Your Portfolio” project, you’ll find a series of practical exercises that will give you first-hand experience of the methods we cover. You will build on your project in each lesson so once you have completed the course you will have a thorough case study for your portfolio.

Mobile User Experience Design: UI Design is built on evidence-based research and practice. Your expert facilitator is Frank Spillers, CEO of ExperienceDynamics.com, author, speaker and internationally respected Senior Usability practitioner.

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