DESIGN PRINCIPAL DEFINITION HOW TO

Whitney Hess examines Design Principles here: Īn insightful, example-laced look into Design Principles: Ī helpful piece addressing Design Principles’ importance in mobile experiences: The Interaction Design Foundation has courses on using Design Principles effectively: Our ‘About’ page exemplifies good hierarchy, ease of navigation, whitespace use, etc., while establishing trust. Be trustworthy and credible – identify yourself through your design to assure users and eliminate uncertainty. Be consistent with navigational mechanisms, organizational structure, etc., to make a stable, reliable and predictable design.ġ7. If functional and aesthetic elements don’t add to the user experience, forget them.ġ5. Use “less is more” – make everything count in the design. Focus on emotion – pleasure of use is as vital as ease of use arouse users’ passion to increase engagement.ġ4. Don’t delay users – ensure quick interface responses.ġ3. Use defaults wisely – when you offer predetermined, well-considered options, you help minimize users’ decisions and increase efficiency.ġ2. Make designs efficient and streamlined.ġ1. Provide context – show how everything interconnects.ġ0. Show users where they’ve come from and where they’re headed with signposts/cues.Ĩ. Have an easy-to-scan visual hierarchy that reflects users’ needs, with commonly used items handily available.ħ.

Reduce distractions – let users perform tasks consecutively, not simultaneously.ĥ. Offer few options – don’t hinder users with nice-to-haves give them needed alternatives instead.ģ. Don’t interrupt or give users obstacles – make obvious pathways which offer an easy ride.Ģ. Offer easy-to-search troubleshooting resources, if needed.ġ.Provide plain-language error messages to pinpoint problems and likely solutions.

Design with aesthetics and minimalism in mind – don’t clutter with unnecessary items.Make systems flexible so novices and experts can choose to do more or less on them.Don’t make users remember information – keep options, etc.Prevent errors if possible wherever you can’t do this, warn users before they commit to actions.Maintain consistent standards so users know what to do next without having to learn new toolsets.Ensure users can easily undo/redo actions.Set information in a logical, natural order.Keep users informed of system status with constant feedback.Usability kingpin Jakob Nielsen identified ten “commandments”:

That way, we put users in control in seamless experiences. Perceived affordances such as buttons are an example. We use some design principles to guide actions. Whitney Hess, Empathy coach and UX design consultantĭesigners use principles such as visibility, findability and learnability to address basic human behaviors. “Design is not a monologue it’s a conversation.” Consequently, you adapt the principles to each case and build solid experience as you address users ’ needs over time.

DESIGN PRINCIPAL DEFINITION HOW TO

You should use discretion whenever you apply design principles, to anticipate users ’ needs – e.g., you judge how to guide the user’s eye using symmetry or asymmetry. Instead, a guideline you might use to implement good hierarchy is “ text should be easy to read ”. For instance, you don’t automatically use a 3:1 header-to-text weight ratio to abide by the principle of good hierarchy. To apply design principles effectively, you need a strong grasp of users ’ problems and a good eye for how users will accept your solutions. The authors of the definitive work Universal Principles of Design state design principles should help designers find ways to improve usability, influence perception, increase appeal, teach users and make effective design decisions in projects. In user experience (UX) design, it ’ s vital to minimize users ’ cognitive loads and decision-making time. “KISS” (“Keep It Simple Stupid”) is an example of a principle where you design for non-experts and therefore minimize any confusion your users may experience.įranks Spillers’ design checklist is an example of a set of customized design principles for mobile user experience (UX) design. When you apply them, you can predict how users will likely react to your design. Design principles represent the accumulated wisdom of researchers and practitioners in design and related fields. You apply them when you select, create and organize elements and features in your work. Professionals from many disciplines-e.g., behavioral science, sociology, physics and ergonomics-provided the foundation for design principles via their accumulated knowledge and experience.ĭesign principles are f undamental pieces of advice for you to make easy-to-use, pleasurable designs. Design principles are widely applicable laws, guidelines, biases and design considerations which designers apply with discretion.

Design principal definition