Principles of UI design
There are 10 basic principles of design:
- contrast
- balance
- emphasis
- proportion
- hierarchy
- repetition
- rhythm
- pattern
- white space
- unity
Contrast in design is used to create visual difference between elements. It is also used to lay emphasis as it adds visual interest to your design. It is important for accessibility.
Balance helps to evenly distribute the visual weight of elements. A lack of balance can lead to visual tension, which can make users feel uncomfortable. Balance can be achieved with symmetric, asymmetric, radial, or mosaic approaches
Emphasis is used to make an object stand out. Making an object the centre of interest could be achieved by making its color, size, position and shape dominant.
Proportion is show level of importance. It is assumed that bigger objects are more important so this is a principle UI designers use to show importance
Hierarchy is the order of importance of contents or elements in design. It is used to rank and influence contents or elements in the order you want your users to view them.
Repetition is the re-occurrence of elements in a pattern many times in a design to reinforce an idea or perception and also to show consistency, increases user learnability and reduces confusion.
Rhythm is the re-occurrence of elements in a pattern many times in a design to reinforce an idea or perception and also to show consistency, increases user learnability and reduces confusion. When you repeat elements, the intervals between those repetitions can create a sense of rhythm movement.
Pattern is the repetition of design elements. It is the repetition of more than one design element working together e.g toolbar, nav-bar.
White space is simply the spacing and spaces between elements in a design. It reduces the clutter of elements within a design bringing some sense of balance and not overwhelming the users with too much at a time.
Unity is the principle that brings together all elements within a design allowing each individual element to coexist with one another to communicate a clear message. This ensures harmony.
Conclusion
Learning and applying the fundamentals of UI design will improve your design game and increase the usability of your product and experience of your users.
