7 essential rules of ui design you better remember

6/29/2017 7 Essential Rules Of UI Design You Better Remember

https://blog.designveloper.com/2017/06/27/rules-of-ui-design/ 1/6

Í

7 Essential Rules Of UI Design You

Better Remember

Just like any other creative fields, the world of design is always evolving with the passing of time. So

even if you consider yourself to be an expert designer, there’s still so much to learn and focus on to

stay ahead the competitions and meet your clients’s expectations.

To step up your design game a little bit, I would love to bring to you 7 important rules of user interface

design that you better remember:

Related: Basic UX/UI Terms Everyone Should Know

(https://blog.designveloper.com/2017/06/15/basic-ux-ui-terms/)

Get to know your users

This is the most important thing to be considered first. If the designer can’t determine their target

audience, they can not create an effective one.

W E B & M O B I L E D E V E L O P M E N T( H T T P S : / / B L O G . D E S I G N V E L O P E R . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / W E B - M O B I L E - D E V E L O P M E N T / ) ,

W E B S I T E D E S I G N ( H T T P S : / / B L O G . D E S I G N V E L O P E R . C O M / C A T E G O R Y / W E B S I T E -D E S I G N / )

B y V a n D o ( h t t p s : // b l o g . d e s i g n v e l o p e r . c o m / a u t h o r / v a n d o / ) o n J u n e 2 7 , 2 0 1 7

Û

Í



Who are your users – inside and out? What do they need? What will stand in the way of them achieving

their goals?

Don’t stop at knowing what your users want.

To do that, you are going to need to take some time to speak with your users face to face. Even better,

watching them use your product, then asking how they think about it.

Think about how people use yourinterfaceTapping a button, swiping a card or dragging and dropping an item with a fingertip? What ways do you

want your users to do? Let’s think about it first before you design your interface.

Once you defined who your users are and what how they interact with your interface, it’s time to build

some cool things.

Related: Best Free Icon Fonts That Web Designers Can Not Ignore

(https://blog.designveloper.com/2017/06/07/best-free-icon-fonts/)

Clarity is job #1People want convenience, not a challenge. Because of this, please do your users a favor: Make

everything as clear and simple as possible to understand. Don’t make them guess.

Í



When people use your interface, they must be able to recognize what it is, understand how to use it

and know what will happen when they use it.

Some says that they want to design their interface more mysterious to make people curious. Yes, it’s

totally okay, even great, but remember there is no room for confusion.

Design with mult iple screen sizes inmindThere’s no one-size-fits-all design for every device in the market. When it comes to designing a website

or an app, you need to make sure that you design with all screen sizes in mind. That’s because people

nowadays spend a lot of their time on mobile devices from doing business, checking email, shopping

or even playing game.

According to a study from Google “What User Want Most From Mobile Sites Today?”

(https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/advertising-channels/mobile/what-users-want-most-from-mobile-

sites-today/), when users visited a mobile-friendly site, 74% of them said that they were more likely to

return to that site in the future and 67% of them were more likely to buy on that site’s products or

services.

It’s incredible frustrating to try to zoom in and out, up and down, left and right on smaller device to read

content. That’s obviously the last thing a customer wants when they are on the move and need to find

out about your business.

Therefore, if your design is not accommodating this change, visitors will hit the “Back” button without

regret.

Í



Related: 6 Little Things That Can Make Or Break Your Website

(https://blog.designveloper.com/2017/05/15/make-or-break-a-website/)

Consistency always mattersConsistency makes your interface easier to use, because visitors don’t have to learn new tricks as they

move around. When someone or something behaves consistently with our expectations we feel like we

have a good relationship with it. The same can be said as a consistent interface. Elements that behave

the same should look the same.

Don’t make things so complicated. Keep your creativity for higher order concerns.

If my words do not convince you enough, consider this: According to the Principle of Least Surprise

(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_least_astonishment) which applies to user interface and

software design: “If a necessary feature has a high astonishment factor, it may be necessary to

redesign the feature.”

Design for the zero stageThe first time users experience with your interface is the most crucial moment. In order to help your

users get to know your interface immediately, it is best to design for the zero state that means the

state in which nothing has yet occurred.

This stage should provide users direction and guidance. Once people understand the rules, they will

easily find a clear path that leads them to what they are looking for.

Í



Keep users in controlPeople always want to be the one who decide what happens next when they use a interface. They feel

more comfortable when they are in control of everything. If they are instantly bombarded with an

unplanned interaction or confusing pathways without their consent, they tend to leave immediately.

Therefore, always keep users in control by describing clearly causation or telling them what to expect

at every turn. Even though you think it states the obvious, oh dear at least you did state, you have

nothing to lose but a chance to win.

Ready to rock?Not all of these rules may be useful for your business, but it’s always beneficial to know what’s

foundation to rely on in the industry.

As Picasso said: “Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them as an artist.” So why don’t you get

your hand dirty, make your own stunning interface by testing and experimenting, and then share it with

me in the comment box. Who knows, you might make a new rule by yourself? �

(https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?

u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.designveloper.com%2F2017%2F06%2F27%2Frules-

of-ui-

design%2F)

(http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?

source=Designveloper

Software

agency

-

Meteor

prime

partner&text=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.designveloper.com%2F2017%2F06%2F27%2Frules-

of-ui-

design%2F)

¬

(https://plus.google.com/share?

url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.designveloper.com%2F2017%2F06%2F27%2Frules-

of-ui-

design%2F)

Ɩ

(http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?

mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.designveloper.com%2F2017%2F06%2F27%2Frules-

of-ui-

design%2F&title=7%20Essential%20Rules%20Of%20UI%20Design%20You%20Better%20Remember&summary=Just%20like%20any%20other%20creative%20fields%2C%20the%20world%20of%20design%20is%20always%20evolving%20with%20the%20passing%20of%20time.%20So%20even%20if%20you%20consider%20yourself%20to%20be%20an%20expert%20designer%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20still%20so%20much%20to%20learn%20and%20focus%20on%20to%20stay%20ahead%20the%20competitions%20and%20meet%20your%20clients%E2%80%99s%20expectations.%20To%20step%20up%20your%20design%20game%20a%20%5B%26hellip%3B%5D&source=Designveloper

Software

agency

-

Meteor

prime

partner)

ã

(http://www.tumblr.com/share/link?

url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.designveloper.com%2F2017%2F06%2F27%2Frules-

of-ui-

design%2F&name=7%20Essential%20Rules%20Of%20UI%20Design%20You%20Better%20Remember&description=Just%20like%20any%20other%20creative%20fields%2C%20the%20world%20of%20design%20is%20always%20evolving%20with%20the%20passing%20of%20time.%20So%20even%20if%20you%20consider%20yourself%20to%20be%20an%20expert%20designer%2C%20there%E2%80%99s%20still%20so%20much%20to%20learn%20and%20focus%20on%20to%20stay%20ahead%20the%20competitions%20and%20meet%20your%20clients%E2%80%99s%20expectations.%20To%20step%20up%20your%20design%20game%20a%20%5B%26hellip%3B%5D)

Ŭ

best UI designÜ UI designÜ UI design rulesÜ user interfaceÜ user interface designÜ

Ű Basic UX/UI Terms Everyone Should Know (https://blog.designveloper.com/2017/06/15/basic-ux-ui-terms/)

Í

7 essential rules of ui design you better remember

Technology