Understanding the Design Principles
It is one of the complex tasks to talk about design principles as it is yet uncertain how many principles we have. But, the goal of all the principles is one; “To amaze people.” Design principles are a set of values that we follow to make easy-to-use and pleasurable designs. These principles act as the foundation on which design can grow to its fullest. Talking about design principles, while designing the user interface, these principles need to be considered essential. Building any interface demands much focus on multiple elements that bind the whole design together to one another. Therefore, it is a good practice to prioritize the design according to design principles. However, few principles in the interface design are a must to follow.
1. Aesthetics
- Every design has a modern or traditional touch to give a hint of ornamentation to it. This kind of design helps to attract attention and brings uniqueness to the design. But, we should not neglect some things.
- Fashion is, for the time being, keeps updating now and then. Hence, fashion should not trump usability.
- New fashion should not affect the user-performance of the product.
- Generally, users test the new design against the old one. Thus, ensure learnability and productivity of the product is improved or at least stayed the same.
2. Anticipation
Usually, users find updates interesting, and they thrive on choosing them. But, their habitual actions do not change. Therefore, it is the responsibility of designers to design wisely and provide all the information and tools needed for each step of the process.
- Do not expect users to search for the info they need.
- Organize things in such a way that they are easily recognizable.
- The penance for failing to anticipate is often swift and permanent.
- Be specific for everything you add or subtract, or else your competitors will have a good story to tell in their next pitch.
3. Consistency
The importance of maintaining a general look and feel across all the products is the priority. In addition, in-house consistency helps communicate the brand and makes adoption of your other products and services more accessible and faster.
For example, Microsoft Office has multiple products with a similar look and feel that stand out as a family.
4. Continuity
Over time, strive for continuity, not consistency.
- Instantly recognizable that something significant has changed.
- “Uniformity” would mean that your following products would be identical to your last. Thus, the goal is continuity. There is a thread that weaves through our various products but not tying to the past.
5. Discoverability
Discoverability is very rare today, just like common sense. But, if the user does not find it, it does not exist. So, do not create a puzzle maze for users, or else the product will blow away before it finds its existence.
- Mention the feature that exists by showing a message intelligently at spaced intervals. But, stop mentioning it once the feature is adopted or explored.
About Me
I am a UX/UI designer possessing an analytical character in web design. Exploring new techniques and outcomes of improving user experience is the vital interest I desire. I have been attempting various tools like Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Indesign, Adobe After effects, Adobe XD, Figma, Invision Studio, and Fontlab used for graphic and web designing. I cherish working on various projects like illustrating, poster making, developing fonts, publication design, signage design, wireframing, prototyping, and many more. I found that these projects’ learnings are very supportive in web design as everything is linked to each other somehow. It has been great for me to drown deep into this field as each day is becoming worthwhile spending time in the process.
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