Hey everyone π
I'm building a premium SaaS web application and I'm trying to move beyond the typical "Tailwind + shadcn" look.
I can build the functionality, but I want the product to feel like something from Linear, Stripe, Apple, Raycast, Framer, Arc Browser, or Vercel.
I'm looking for advice from people who are experienced in UI/UX, animation, and vibe coding.
Some questions:
π¨ UI Design
- How do you decide color combinations?
- How many colors should a premium dashboard actually use?
- How do you choose typography?
- Which fonts instantly make a product feel premium?
- How do you use spacing, padding, border radius, shadows, blur, and glassmorphism correctly?
- Any design systems or principles you always follow?
β¨ Animations
- Which animation libraries do you recommend?
- Motion (Framer Motion)
- GSAP
- Rive
- Lottie
- CSS only
- Where should animations be used?
- What should never be animated?
- How do companies make interfaces feel smooth without becoming distracting?
π€ Vibe Coding Workflow
I'm trying to build most of the UI using AI-assisted coding.
What tools/workflow do you recommend?
Examples:
- v0
- Lovable
- Bolt
- Replit AI
- Cursor
- Claude Code
- Windsurf
- Figma AI
- Any other tools?
Which combination gives the best results?
π Easy Websites for Inspiration
Besides Dribbble and Behance, what websites do you regularly use for premium UI inspiration?
I'm looking for sites that showcase:
- Modern SaaS dashboards
- Landing pages
- Premium animations
- Glassmorphism
- Bento layouts
- Dark mode interfaces
- Trading/Finance UI
- AI products
π Learning Resources
If you had to learn UI/UX from scratch today, what would your roadmap look like?
What would you learn first?
- Color theory
- Typography
- Layout
- Motion design
- UX psychology
- Accessibility
- Design systems
Any YouTube channels, courses, books, blogs, or creators you'd highly recommend?
π‘ Small Details That Make a Huge Difference
What tiny UI/UX details separate an average product from one that immediately feels "premium"?
Examples:
- Hover states
- Loading animations
- Empty states
- Cursor interactions
- Scroll effects
- Micro-interactions
- Sound design
- Visual hierarchy
- Anything else you've learned over the years
I'd really appreciate any insights, resources, examples, or personal workflows. Even small tips that improved your design process would be incredibly helpful.
Thanks in advance! π