ThemeShadow also automatically adjusts for other environmental specifications. If you use standard controls, ThemeShadow shadows will be incorporated automatically into your UI. Using too many shadows will decrease or eliminate the ability of the shadow to focus the user. In Windows apps, shadows should be used in a purposeful rather than aesthetic manner. The higher the object, the larger and softer the shadow becomes. Light above an elevated object creates a shadow on the surface below. Shadow is one way a user perceives elevation. For example, if you bring an element closer to the user, then the user will instinctively focus on the element.īy moving UI elements closer in z-axis, you can establish visual hierarchy between objects, helping users complete tasks naturally and efficiently in your app. We can apply this spatial instinct to digital UI as well. In the physical world, we tend to focus on objects that are closer to us. It illustrates how close an object is to the viewer. Z-depth is a term used amongst 3D app creators to denote the distance between two surfaces along the z-axis.
This article discusses how to create elevation in a Windows app by using z-depth and shadow. Elevation, the act of bringing select elements of your UI forward, is often used to achieve such a hierarchy in software. Creating a visual hierarchy of elements in your UI makes the UI easy to scan and conveys what is important to focus on.