In today’s digital product landscape, great user experiences don’t happen by accident—they’re the result of deliberate design and solid engineering. That’s exactly what Clifford set out to tackle in his talk, TypeScript and UI/UX, last May 23, 2025. The session explored the core concepts of TypeScripts and why UI/UX designers should learn the basics of TypeScript.

 

Clifford kicked off the session by introducing TypeScript as JavaScript’s “babysitter”— catching errors early with static typing and cool features, allowing developers to build bigger, better apps confidently.

 

He proceeded to describe the core concepts of TypeScript, using creative analogies that made them easier and more relatable to understand.

• Type Annotations were described as “like your social media bio”—a quick way to tell TypeScript what kind of data to expect, making it easier to understand
• Interfaces were compared to “terms and conditions”, defining the shape of objects
• Functions were likened to “employees with job descriptions”—each function clearly states what it needs (parameters) and what it delivers (return type), which makes code easier to understand and maintain.
• Union Types were introduced as “giving you choices.” It is used when a value can be more than a single type.
• Types were described as “like a custom sticker you can put on anything.” Some of the basic data types are number, string, boolean, and etc.
• Generics were defined as “like templates that adapt to different types.” They are basically shape shifters as “one size fits most” of programming.

 

Clifford also delved further into differentiating interfaces and types. He explained that Interfaces are extendable and mergeable, while Types are used for defining unions directly, computed properties, and type extensions through intersection.

 

With this, Clifford emphasized the core connection between Typescript and UI/UX: “Predictability = Better UX.” He emphasized the similarity between Typescript and User Experience, noting that they both aim to eliminate errors in code and interfaces, respectively.

 

Moreover, Clifford also illustrated the connection between Type Safety and Interface Consistency through the UI/UX principles:

• Consistent button styles prevent user confusion
• Predictable interactions across the app
• Clear visual hierarchy through standardized components

 

Clifford also likened union types to state management in User Interfaces through the following:

• Clear state definitions lead to clear, consistent user feedback
• Eliminating impossible states avoids confusing UI state
• Predictable transitions lead to smooth user flows

 

Finally, Clifford pointed out how TypeScripts helps designers decide what reusable components to create.

 

To make the sessions more engaging, Clifford asked developers and some project managers what they knew about the core concepts of TypeScript before he would discuss them. Each developer and project manager who answered was given the chance to either get a prize or do challenges, which made the talk fun and light.

 

Clifford’s session on TypeScript and UI/UX showed that great user experiences come from both reliable code and clever design. He made the core concept of TypeScript and its connection to UI/UX understandable with the use of creative analogies. Even more so with fun challenges and audience interaction, the session was as engaging as it was insightful.

 

Learning the basics of TypeScript is not just useful for developers but also for UI/UX designers who wish to create smarter, better experiences.