A Summary of Nielsen’s UX Principles

We have previously discussed user experience and its connection to improving user satisfaction and, consequently, customer loyalty. UX is not created randomly; it involves a series of UX design research steps that lead to creating appropriate products and features. Although UX is not standardized, there are proposed design principles within this field. These principles are established guidelines that can help enhance the user experience. Among various principles, I want to present those proposed by the renowned usability and user experience expert, Jakob Nielsen.

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Nielsen’s UX design principles are intended to guide designers in creating digital products that are intuitive, efficient, and satisfying for users. They are also called “heuristics” because they are broad rules of thumb and not specific usability guidelines. So, it’s important to note that these principles are not a checklist to follow blindly. Each aspect should be investigated according to your users to effectively apply them, and validation should be tailored to your specific product or service.

Nielsen’s design principles generally apply to various digital products, such as web design, mobile app design, and user interface design, among others. These principles originated in the 1990s when Nielsen and his colleague Rolf Molich developed an initial list of ten usability principles. Over the years, these principles have evolved and adapted to changes in technology and user needs. Nevertheless, they remain relevant and widely used today. The principles are as follows:

1. System status visibility: Users should easily understand what is happening within the system through clear visual feedback.
2. Match between the system and the real world: The design should use terms and concepts familiar to users, speaking their language.
3. User control and freedom: The design should allow users to undo unwanted actions or explore different options without severe consequences.
4. Consistency and standards: Elements and actions in the design should be consistent throughout the system, following established standards and conventions.
5. Error prevention: The design should take measures to prevent errors and, in case they occur, provide clear messages and solutions to correct them.
6. Recognition rather than recall: Users should not have to remember information from one screen to another; it should be readily available and visible.
7. Flexibility and efficiency of use: The design should enable experienced users to use shortcuts and advanced options to speed up their interactions without hindering novice users.
8. Aesthetic and minimalist design: The design should be aesthetically pleasing and use only essential elements to avoid information overload.
9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors: The design should offer clear error messages and actions to help users understand and resolve issues.
10. Help and documentation: If necessary, the design should provide help and documentation resources. However, the design should be intuitive enough to minimize the need for them.

Jakob’s 10 Usability Heuristics Summary Poster from NNgroup

As you can see, while these principles provide guidance, they do not translate into a one-size-fits-all approach to designing digital products. Instead, they highlight key areas of focus in the design process to create better products and experiences. To see how these principles translate into specific features for each product, user research must be conducted.