A design is the heart of every product or service. But what makes a design great? It's not the designer’s reputation or plugins in a website.
This happens when designers follow the fundamental principles of UI/UX design. Most people are not aware of these principles. That is why they opt for a product management course with UI/UX. It can help them understand the basics of design from creative and marketing aspects.
As per the Clutch survey, 94% of online users felt easy navigation was the most important website feature. At the same time, 83% said that they appreciate it when a website is attractive and up to date. Hence, design is the primary element of a website's backbone.
These fundamental principles don’t just focus on aesthetics. They help in creating a smoother user experience (UX) and regulate feedback mechanism loops. Design principles guide the professionals about element placement to convey exact emotions. This blog will cover six essential design principles that every beginner should know.
What are UI/UX Design Principles?
UI/UX design principles can help designers to create user-friendly and engaging websites or apps. An engaging web design attracts users. It makes them interact with digital platforms. A designer can follow these principles and create the best digital interfaces that can evoke emotions.
UI design principles focus on the visual elements of a design. It guides designers towards exceptional layout, typography, color, and aesthetics.
On the other hand, UX principles revolve around the user's experience. It covers ease of use, accessibility, and user engagement. Both factors ultimately contribute to an engaging interface.
Six Essential Principles of UI/UX
A skilled designer can set himself apart from the crowd using these principles. The design principles can also contribute to better product development, product management processes, and product marketing.
Thorough Research
This stage sets the foundation of the designer's idea. But what should they research? Anything related to the product and its peripheral area. It can describe the type of service, its sectors, its user behavior, and competitors.
Designers can conduct additional research to build a fine product. The research should give them real-world examples of successful products and their UX strategies. They can take notes which would help them during the wireframing process.
This stage can help designers to decide the right label for a button or form a layout for user flow. They can see if their ideas align with real-world experiences. Moreover, research and learning will be an irreplaceable part of a UI/UX designer.
User-Centricity
The second principle of user experience (UX) design is user-centricity. It focuses on creating products and services that address user needs. In other words, the design should solve user’s problems with easy navigation. Therefore, every action of a UX designer should make their user’s life easier.
The designers need to understand the user’s expectations of a company’s digital platform. For example, the designer needs to recreate a mobile banking app. He might conduct research and take surveys to understand user’s issues. Let us say the users are having trouble while transferring the funds due to the complex menu.
The designer can prioritize user’s challenges and try to resolve them with a simple navigation menu. He may test prototypes with real users, and get their feedback to refine the interface further. This iterative approach will lead to a user-centric mobile banking app.
Designers should focus on enlarging interactive elements. They must position them closer to the user to make the service user-centric.
Hierarchy
Hierarchy is the third principle of UX design. It can establish a clear order of visual importance. As per Universal Principles of Design, “Increasing the visibility of the hierarchical relationships within a system is one of the most effective ways to increase knowledge about the system.”
Designers can create a hierarchy using images, graphic elements, and text. The most important elements (usually elements that grab the attention) are positioned near the top of the design.
For example, when a person visits a website's homepage, he can notice various menu items at the top. When he clicks on any of the menu buttons, it will lead him to a new page or present additional options. They might have a form of a drop-down menu.
In this scenario, the primary menu is at the top hierarchy. Its sub-options hold the second place in the design hierarchy. This organization is part of the website's information architecture. It is meant to display a few items more vividly while keeping other options with extra navigation.
Proximity and Consistency
Proximity is a design principle which is known as the Gestalt principle of perception. It states that elements placed close together are perceived as related. But if one places them wide apart they seem like different entities.
According to the Universal Principles of Design, grouping elements through proximity simplifies designs. Plus, it emphasizes their connection.
Similarly, design consistency throughout all digital products can reduce the learning curve for users. When elements behave predictably across a platform, navigation becomes easy. This principle encourages familiarity and predictability in designs.
For example, Google's suite of applications like Google Meet, Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Gmail feature a similar interface. Users can easily recognize a Google product through its logo and menu alignment.
Feedback Mechanism
The feedback mechanism has to work both ways. Designers must get feedback from users as well as clients or stakeholders. It will help them to know if their actions have been successful. This principle focuses on the importance of clear and immediate responses. For example, Instagram’s 'like' button changes its color after user interaction.
It signals that the action is successful. This way, the designers must get feedback on their prototypes and create a responsive user experience.
Similarly, clients' feedback is quite important. Although they are not designers, they can give some criticism about the navigation or user interface. Moreover, a UI/UX designer can also seek feedback from fellow designers. It will provide them with valuable perspectives and prevent them from working in isolation.
Color Theory
A skilled designer never underestimates the power of Color Theory. He can use it in UX/UI design to create aesthetically pleasing functional interfaces. Colors evoke emotions, guide actions, and influence perceptions.
For example, warm colors like red can create urgency. You may notice most call-to-action buttons (subscribe, call now, get a quote) on websites are red in color. On the other hand, cooler tones like blue or green evoke calmness and trust. It is often used in healthcare, vegan food, or finance apps. Designers must understand color psychology to align interfaces with brand image.
Moreover, color theory improves usability with contrast and readability. High contrast between text and background makes it easy to read. Strategic color use can guide users through interfaces. They can follow the highlighted key elements to take the next steps. Consistent color palettes also contribute to brand identity and help in brand awareness.
Final Thoughts
The changing digital world is inviting more owners to take their business online. The rise of eCommerce and independent agencies has led to increasing demand for UI/UX designers. However, the companies are seeking candidates who can carry out project management tasks with cross-functional leadership.
If you are looking for management courses or product management training, consider the MAGES Institute product management certificate.
The MAGES Institute of Excellence offers a Professional Certificate Program in Product Management with UI/UX. The course covers problem discovery, user persona research, conducting user tests, visual design principles, and more. Contact the MAGES Institute today and book your seat.
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