7 (updated) principles for interaction design

Although first published almost 20 years ago, Jakob Nielsen’s 10 general principles for interaction design(this will open in a new window) are still incredibly useful and relevant in the field of interaction design. For example, in his principles, he talks about “Consistency and Standards” which is of course, still a core principle of good design and comes up regularly when we are discussing the creation of design guidelines or pattern libraries.

I’m coming up on ten years working in usability and user experience, and I’ve been reflecting on what I have learned during that time. Specifically, when I think about good user centred design practices what principles I keep coming back to. Building on Nielsen’s (and others) principles my seven key (updated) principles for interaction are:

1. Create a world that users can easily locate themselves in.

Users need to be able to quickly get a sense of where they are, what is going on and where they can go from there. Sensible information architecture and clear navigation are key to this.

2. Design for limited attention and scanning.

Users have limited time, limited attention and limited patience. Cut unnecessary content (noise) from your site, break content into easily digestible chunks and make key tasks highly visible.

3. Use plain language.

Avoiding jargon is good for everyone but especially important when considering accessibility and making the web experience accessible to all. Gov.uk provide useful guidelines for writing for the web(this will open in a new window).

4. Make it obvious how things work.

Design with “affordance” in mind, using visual cues to ensure users are clear on how to engage with design elements. “Norman doors(this will open in a new window)” ‘are the classic example to illustrate this principle.

5. Design for how people perceive and group information.

We humans share commonalities in how we perceive and make sense of the world around us. An understanding of principles such as Gestalt(this will open in a new window) allows us to create designs that speak to those commonalities.

6. Make it easy for people to compare options and make decisions.

Hick’s law(this will open in a new window) tells us having fewer options available makes it easier to make a choice. Couple this with strategies such as product reviews (social proof) to give users more confidence and help them make a decision.

7. Design with emotion in mind.

Understand users’ emotional states when they engage with your experience. For example, they might be concerned and want to be reassured or may be bored and looking for entertainment. Designing an experience that connects with those emotions adds value and meaning to every interaction.

What do you think of these principles? What is missing? We would love to know. Add your comments below.

Resources

Jakob Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design(this will open in a new window)

Don Norman and his (revised) book ‘The Design of Everyday Things’(this will open in a new window)

Susan Weinschenk and  her book ‘100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People’(this will open in a new window)

Steve Krugs and his book on ‘Don’t make me Think’(this will open in a new window)

UX Training

Want to learn more about interaction design and our approach to user centred design? Check out our new User Vision Training suite 

Courses include Fundamentals of User Centred Design, Designing for Humans, Leading Your Organisation Toward a Culture of Customer First, and many more.