Principle 1
Keep the UI Design Simple —help the design users achieve their goals seamlessly, If part of the design satisfies your own creative fancy as a designer but serves no practical purpose to the regular user, get rid of this feature
After taking screenshots and records of it— run your design back to the “bare essentials”
Principle 2
Predict and Preempt — You can’t help someone achieve their goals unless you know where they are coming from- understand where your product users are coming from, what their needs/issues are, how they may prefer accessing/using your product, and design towards satisfying that need
Principle 3
Put the User in the Driving Seat— Users should feel fully in control of their use of your product— this means making the UI fade into the background and allowing them to navigate freely. Be wary of design choices that force users into actions or decisions that may cause friction (and frustration), as that may hurt retention in the long run.
Principle 4
Be Methodical and Consistent— Stick to a clear design system and consistent patterns so users can expect how they should interact. We’re talking about consistency within industry standards, too. Remember that people use technology every day, and they’ll expect your design to work similarly to the hundreds of other apps, websites, or technology they interact with in their day-to-day, too
Principle 5
Avoid unnecessary complexity in the UI Design— Aim to be a well-organized minimalist in your work—stick to the minimum number of steps and screens possible at all times, and organize content pragmatically from the start. Nobody expects to find the shower in the kitchen, the TV in the bathroom, or the closet in the yard. Similarly, subtasks belong on the pages where they’re most relevant… not buried somewhere unrelated.
You can improve usability by grouping tasks and subtasks together both thematically and practically.
Don’t send users through a tedious obstacle course of clicks when just one or two actions will do. One of the most practical UI design principles, the Three Click Rule, maintains that a user should be able to achieve any action or access any information with no more than three clicks from anywhere within the app
Principle 6
Provide Clear SignPosts— Aim to make your interface fun to explore with an intuitive layout and clear labelling. Remember that first-time users know a lot less about your product than you do, so make sure that page architecture is simple, logical, and signposted
Principle 7
Be tolerant of user’s Mistakes or Errors —— Make it easy to backtrack whenever necessary by implementing a fast and forgiving undo/redo function. Not only does this help avoid the frustration of lost data and wasted time—it also gives users the confidence to explore your app and make changes without fear of consequences.
Principle 8
Give relevant feedback —— don’t leave people guessing about status information; Acknowledge when actions have been received with success and loading states. Let them know that things are moving as they should. Big, important, and rare actions call for big and important feedback. Smaller and more frequent actions merit smaller forms of acknowledgment
When errors do occur (and they will), embrace clear, kind communication. Lose the jargon and the cryptic numerical error messages. They can only lead to confusion and transparency, and your users will be much happier when they understand what’s gone wrong.
Principle 9
Prioritise Functions —— Failure to create a clear hierarchy is one of the most common obstacles stopping people from designing a truly minimal and streamlined UI.
Principle 10
Design for Accessibility—— Don’t assume that all users think or work like you and your community. This goes for everything from technical knowledge to physical ability to worldview (and more)
