Qt framework is useful for GUI design because it is faster than other languages, is managed directly by the CPU, and uses smart memory management. Key features that make Qt attractive include being cross-platform, supporting both desktop and embedded platforms, allowing code to be written in C++ and compiled to native binaries, being open source and well maintained, having a capable GUI designer and IDE, and allowing new ways to develop apps for devices using QML and JavaScript. The author developed the same application in Java and Qt, finding it ran 5 or more times faster in Qt.