[bitwize]

Trying ideas out with an expert in the field. Listening to their criticism. When they, or someone else, is confused by the operation of my work, understand that it could be a UI fail and make efforts to make clearer the communication between application and user. Above all else -- practice.

Being a good UI designer is like being a good writer -- your job is to communicate all that your audience needs to know, without overwhelming, confusing, or distracting them. A balance needs to be struck. What, in any given moment, does the user need to know? How do you arrange that information so that it's clear? How do you present the different choices to proceed to the user? It really boils down to, if the user knows at a glance what the situation is and what they can do next, you'll be fine.