Remembering Basics
The importance of basic design principles
As a designer, it is easy to feel confident in your abilities to design a website or an experience for a user. That confidence may carry you to jump some fences in the design process; however, without adherence to basic design principles, you may end creating a not so intuitive experience. User Experience design is founded upon simple principles. In my short career as a Usability Specialist, adherence to these principles has kept my feet planted and has helped me become a User Experience team of one; in which co-workers and even those above have come to seek my advice in the creation of web pages and user experiences.
There are a few design principles in particular that have been impactful in my current career.
Visual Hierarchy
Visual hierarchy is the perception of what is most important on a web page. Visual hierarchy is created through the use of color, images or buttons, typography, and more. However, it is the differences between these elements that create the hierarchy. A common example of a visual hierarchy is how color is used on “sign up” buttons; the intended action from a designer to a user is usually made significant through the use of different colors.
Hick’s Law
Hick’s Law states that the more options a user has, the more time it will take the user to make a choice. With this law in mind, a designer can focus on creating a streamlined experience.
Progressive Disclosure
Progressive Disclosure is the art of maintaining focus on the primary information on the page and hiding (disclosing) secondary information in order to reduce clutter and avoid confusion. This can be done through a myriad of options. In most cases, I have seen this principle used through the use of drop-down menus within pages; the information within the drop-downs is more specific while the information on the main body of the page is more general.
Consistency
Consistency is the practice of ensuring the design maintains a flow throughout the whole experience. The formatting and other design elements should be consistent throughout an experience; otherwise, credibility is lost and navigation throughout a website can become difficult.
Aesthetic-Usability Effect
If your site doesn’t look good, chances are your intended audience will not use it. Aesthetic-Usability Effect simply means if your experience does not please the user’s eye then it is likely your experience will not be used. This effect can be achieved through the use of typography, color, and images that all mesh well together in order to create a cohesive and pretty experience.
Conclusion
There are many design principles that I could have listed here; they all are foundations when creating something new for a user. All in all, they should make your experience seamless, clear, and easy to use. These principles have helped me seek out and achieve simplicity in my designs. With adherence to these principles, designing good user experiences will become natural; use of these principles should not be a question. It is simply what you do. Adherence to design principles validates you as a designer.
Daniel Sanderson is a student in the Digital Media program at Utah Valley University, Orem Utah, studying Interaction & Design. The following article relates to the (DGM 2250 Course) and representative of the skills learned.