When a user encounters an app or software with a well-designed UI, they are able to work without interruption. This is because good UI design is virtually invisible, allowing the user to focus on the task at hand. Despite the diversity of UI design projects, there are certain golden rules that all successful designs adhere to.
The ultimate goal of user interface design should be to create an environment that is easy to navigate and allows users to accomplish their objectives with minimal effort. Although each UI design project is unique, especially when it comes to the finer details, the general principles of good UI design should remain consistent across all platforms and projects. It is unacceptable that this is not taken into account.
The following 10 UI design principles are essential for creating a seamless and imperceptible user experience.
Keep The UI Design Simple
It is important to remember the objectives of UI design and to prioritize the user’s needs over personal satisfaction. Keeping the design simple and practical is essential, as any superfluous elements can be distracting and serve no practical purpose. Therefore, it is important to prune the design back to the bare essentials and to avoid self-indulgent or overly formalist design.
Predict And Preempt
It is important to understand your user and their needs in order to create a successful user interface design. Once you have a good understanding of your user, you can predict what they will want to do next and provide them with the necessary tools, information, and resources. However, if this does not align with what you want the user to do, you can modify the design to steer them in a different direction. While this approach can be effective, I would caution against preempting user behavior without considering their needs.
Put The User In The Driving Seat
It is essential that users feel empowered and in control of their experience. The user interface should be unobtrusive and intuitive, allowing users to take the lead. It should be readily available when needed, and in the expected location. We should strive to ensure that users never feel as though the interface is making decisions for them, even if that is sometimes the case. I strongly approve of putting the user in the driving seat.
Be Methodical And Consistent
It is important to be methodical and consistent when designing a user interface. Following industry standards and improving upon them is a great way to create a successful UI design. However, when introducing new or unusual features, it may be beneficial to break away from the standard design principles in order to make them stand out. It is important to note that this should be done deliberately and not in a sloppy or erratic manner.
Avoid Unnecessary Complexity In The UI Design
It is important to strive for the minimum number of steps and screens possible. Utilizing overlays such as bottom sheets and modal windows can help to condense data and reduce the size of the app.
Organize information in a logical, autonomous, and self-contained manner. One of the key principles of UI design is to group tasks and subtasks together in a way that is both thematically and practically sound.
Above all, don’t hide subtasks on pages where no one would think to look for them. Nobody expects to find the shower in the kitchen, the TV in the bathroom, or the closet in the yard. Organize screens and their content according to a clear and logical taxonomy.
Strive for minimal steps when completing a task. Following the Three Click Rule, users should be able to access any information or complete any action within the app with no more than three clicks.
Finally, avoid asking users to re-enter information that has already been provided. Doing so can be incredibly frustrating and may lead to users abandoning the task altogether.
Provide Clear Signposts
The sixth of our essential UI design principles concerns intuitive layout and the clear labeling of information. Exploration of the interface by users should be enjoyable and effortless. Therefore, it is essential that the page architecture is straightforward, logical, and clearly labeled. Users should never be uncertain of their location within the software or how to get to other areas. Additionally, it is important to provide visual cues to navigation to avoid burdening the user with the task of remembering how they got to their current location.
Be Tolerant Of Mistakes
It’s totally cool if someone makes a mistake — it happens! And if they’re new to the app, they might not even know what they’re doing. So don’t be too hard on them — make it easy to undo and redo stuff. That way, they won’t be scared to explore and make changes without worrying about messing up. Plus, it’ll save time and data!
Give Relevant Feedback
Keep your users in the loop! Let them know their actions have been received and that everything is going as planned. For big, important, or rare actions, give them a big, important form of feedback. For smaller, more frequent actions, a smaller acknowledgment will do.
Remember, one of the most important UI design fundamentals is to keep info to a minimum. But status info is essential, so make sure it’s always easy to find and totally accurate. Your users should always know what’s going on without having to search for it or worry that the app has stopped working.
Errors are an inevitable part of UI and when such errors occur, let’s make sure we let users know what’s going on in a way that’s easy to understand. A message that just says “error code” and a bunch of numbers is not the best. Explain what the issue is, tell them what they need to do, and don’t forget that the error might be the designer’s fault, not the user’s.
Prioritize Functions
Make sure you prioritize your functions! Not having a clear hierarchy is one of the biggest issues when it comes to designing a minimal and efficient UI. Every item should be necessary for the user experience, and nothing extra should be included. But even among the necessary items, some will be more important than others. Our ninth UI design principle is that this hierarchy should be visible in the design.
If you know that your users mostly want to do X, and you want to encourage them to do Y too, make X and Y more prominent than Z. This could be as easy as changing the size of buttons, text, or other elements.
Design The UI For Accessibility
Don’t assume everyone is just like you and your fellow designers. People from all kinds of backgrounds use apps, so don’t think the way you do things is the only way. For instance, in some places, people read from right to left, so don’t assume everyone will see objects from left to right. Design with questions, not answers. Even colors can be seen differently by different people. Plus, a lot of people are color blind.
Colors are great for making your UI design elements and functions stand out, but don’t rely on them alone. Mix it up with form or something else to make sure everyone can tell the difference.
The key to great UI design is to make it so seamless that users don’t even notice it. Just like we don’t think about the air we breathe until it’s gone!
CONCLUSION
The best designers know that following simple UI design principles such as those we’ve looked at above can help to create a more effective user interface, facilitating interaction to such a degree that the user barely notices the UI at all. Apply these 10 UI design fundamentals to your next project and discover for yourself just how powerful successful UI design can be.
