What are Design Principles?

| Interaction Design Foundation 19/7/13, 12)54 PM

What are Design Principles?

Design principles are widely applicable laws, guidelines, biases and design
considerations which designers apply with discretion. Professionals from
many disciplines—e.g., behavioral science, sociology, physics and
ergonomics—provided the foundation for design principles via their
accumulated knowledge and experience.

Design Principles – Laws with Leeway

Design principles are fundamental pieces of advice for you to make
easy-to-use, pleasurable designs. You apply them when you select,
create and organize elements and features in your work. Design principles
represent the accumulated wisdom of researchers and practitioners in
design and related fields. When you apply them, you can predict how users
will likely react to your design. “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.

Franks Spillersʼ design checklist is an example of a set of customized design

principles for mobile user experience (UX) design.

In user experience (UX) design, itʼs vital to minimize usersʼ cognitive

loads and decision-making time. 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. To apply
design principles effectively, you need a strong grasp of usersʼ problems
and a good eye for how users will accept your solutions. For instance,
you donʼt automatically use a 3O1 header-to-text weight ratio to abide by the
principle of good hierarchy. That ratio is a standard rule. Instead, a guideline
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you might use to implement good hierarchy is “text should be easy to

read”. You should use discretion whenever you apply design principles,
to anticipate usersʼ needs – e.g., you judge how to guide the userʼs eye
using symmetry or asymmetry. Consequently, you adapt the principles to
each case and build solid experience as you address usersʼ needs over
time.

“Design is not a monologue; itʼs a conversation.”

—Whitney Hess, Empathy coach and UX design consultant

Types of Design Principles

Designers use principles such as visibility, findability and learnability to
address basic human behaviors. We use some design principles to guide
actions. Perceived affordances such as buttons are an example. That

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way, we put users in control in seamless experiences.

Usability kingpin Jakob Nielsen identified ten “commandments”:

Keep users informed of system status with constant feedback.

Set information in a logical, natural order.
Ensure users can easily undo/redo actions.
Maintain consistent standards so users know what to do next
without having to learn new toolsets.
Prevent errors if possible; wherever you canʼt do this, warn users
before they commit to actions.
Donʼt make users remember information – keep options, etc. visible.
Make systems flexible so novices and experts can choose to do more
or less on them.
Design with aesthetics and minimalism in mind – donʼt clutter with
unnecessary items.
Provide plain-language error messages to pinpoint problems and
likely solutions.
Offer easy-to-search troubleshooting resources, if needed.

Empathy expert Whitney Hess adds:

1. Donʼt interrupt or give users obstacles – make obvious pathways which

offer an easy ride.

2. Offer few options – donʼt hinder users with nice-to-haves; give them
needed alternatives instead.

3. Reduce distractions – let users perform tasks consecutively, not

simultaneously.

4. Cluster related objects together.

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5. Have an easy-to-scan visual hierarchy that reflects usersʼ needs,

with commonly used items handily available.

6. Make things easy to find.

7. Show users where theyʼve come from and where theyʼre headed with
signposts/cues.

8. Provide context – show how everything interconnects.

9. Avoid jargon.

10. Make designs efficient and streamlined.

11. Use defaults wisely – when you offer predetermined, well-considered

options, you help minimize usersʼ decisions and increase efficiency.

12. Donʼt delay users – ensure quick interface responses.

13. Focus on emotion – pleasure of use is as vital as ease of use; arouse

usersʼ passion to increase engagement.

14. Use “less is more” – make everything count in the design. If functional
and aesthetic elements donʼt add to the user experience, forget them.

15. Be consistent with navigational mechanisms, organizational

structure, etc., to make a stable, reliable and predictable design.

16. Create a good first impression.

17. Be trustworthy and credible – identify yourself through your design to

assure users and eliminate uncertainty.

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The IDFʼs ‘Aboutʼ page exemplifies good hierarchy, ease of navigation,

whitespace use, etc., while establishing trust.

Learn More about Design Principles

The Interaction Design Foundation has courses on using Design Principles
effectively: https://www.interaction-design.org/courses

Whitney Hess examines Design Principles

here:https://uxmag.com/articles/guiding-principles-for-ux-designers

An insightful, example-laced look into Design Principles:

https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2018/01/universal-principles-ux-
design/

A helpful piece addressing Design Principlesʼ importance in mobile

experiences: https://uxplanet.org/mobile-ux-design-key-principles-

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