UX design is a creative field that welcomes creative minds and artistic skills. Design principles are the set of considerations that form the basis of any good product. Web page designing plays an essential role in mobile app design companies for product enhancement and helps in fostering an incredible user experience.
Here are some of the foundational principles of UX design to create great websites that every designer should understand:
Users’ Need
The first step is to explore the users’ needs and understand their requirements. Your website may look and feel great, but it is useless if it doesn’t speak to your target audience. Start by exploring how much users know about the brand. Identify whether users have used websites with similar features before or may require more information.
Keep in mind that you are designing the website for users. Therefore, every design element should be user-centric.
Consistency
Users expect consistency across platforms, which is the purpose of UX design. The website’s font, layout, size, heading, button style, and sub-headings must be consistent throughout the site. Every page should follow the same layout instead of having different designs and functionality. For example, if the contact button is on the top right of the home page, then it should be on the top right of every page.
Consistency makes it easier to get familiar with the website.
Keep it Simple
Too many elements in a design confuse the users. Cluttered websites make it difficult for users to find their desired content. It is better to keep the website design minimalist, with enough negative space. The website should not look like a rainbow with colors popping around. Instead, it should have a proper layout, with enough spaces.
There should be adequate negative space, so people don’t end up tapping something else due to tightly placed content.
Typography
Typography plays a key role in establishing the efficiency of the website. It is a choice that significantly impacts the way users think of your website. The visual typography should be appealing and readable for users to help make the design more user-friendly.
Consider using the fonts that are easier to read and don’t require much effort from the visitors.
One-Step Checkout
Shopping cart abandonment is the number one fear users have when shopping online. The checkout process can get overwhelming, especially when you end up with an empty cart after all the hassle of completing every step. A one-step checkout is an effective tactic that reduces shopping cart abandonment significantly. A one-step checkout can positively impact the user’s experience. Instead of viewing the cart, total bill, and personal information on different pages, this feature allows the user to view all relevant information on one page.
With a one-step checkout, the user can then quickly fill out forms, which makes the whole process super quick. Slow loading speed, long forms to fill, and divided information contribute to unpleasant user experience. This feature eliminated the possibility of customer abandonment.
Simple Navigation
Smooth navigation is a critical part of website design. Without any proper navigation, it’s quite easy for the user to get frustrated. Navigation is directly linked to other aspects of website design like accessibility, responsiveness, and 70% of user experience depends on navigation. Navigation menus and breadcrumbs help users in orienting the website.
Always make sure to add menus in familiar places, such as the shopping cart option on the top right, payment option on the bottom, and use clear labels to avoid any misunderstandings or confusion.
Visual Hierarchy
When designing a website, maintaining a visual hierarchy is essential. The purpose of visual hierarchy is for users to understand important information quickly. When adding elements or features to the interface, it’s fundamental that the most critical aspects be highlighted to gain the attention of the users. There are several different ways to highlight elements. A designer has the power to influence a user’s decision.
- Size: The bigger the size of the element, the more attention it will gain but don’t make it excessively big.
- Color: Bright colored elements will attract more attention compared to lighter colors. Add bright colors to call-to-action buttons.
- Alignment: Highlighting the critical element by aligning it differently from the rest of the items will attract more attention.
- Space: Make sure the element you want to highlight isn’t placed too close to the other items as it will give the impression that they’re all related.
The purpose of highlighting the element is to make a focal point where the user’s attention should be drawn to.
Visual Representation
The final steps of designing a website include adding content and then features. If there’s a lot of textual content on the site, the chances are that the user might get bored and stop reading in the middle. The purpose of a website is to inform the user about the products or services. Adding pictures and infographics is the most interactive way to convey any piece of information effectively.
Almost all users scan your website in the hope of finding something that might catch the eye. When visuals appeal to the user, then they move on to read the text to find out more information.
Creating a website is important because it means you’re creating a whole experience. Furthermore, users should be able to connect with the site emotionally, so they have a great experience with the product or service. As a designer, it is your responsibility to provide that experience by implementing these UX design principles. Only trust the best companies for your app and web design.
Author Bio
Tabish Khalid is a Senior Digital Marketing Executive for Applify Labs, a web and mobile app development company headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida. He enjoys years-long expertise in digital marketing, social media management, search engine optimization, and more. He loves writing about technologies.