March 15, 2024
UI UX Designs encompasses a wide array of specializations, each with its unique focus. However, regardless of the specific area of design you work in, following a set of UX principles is essential for creating exceptional products for web and app design agencies. Familiarize yourself with these laws to enhance user interaction and make more effective designs.
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'Don't make users think'. This principle must be the priority of every web and app design agency. However, there is a specific set of rules in the design field that every designer should know. UI UX Designs aren't merely about aesthetics; it's about crafting experiences that are intuitive, seamless, and delightful for users. To achieve this, UI/UX design services
providers must adhere to these principles and laws that govern how users interact with digital interfaces.
Whether you're a seasoned web and app design agency or just starting in the field, understanding these laws will enhance your design skills and enable you to create products that resonate with users on a deeper level. So, let's dive in and uncover the fundamental laws that shape the world of UX design.
To improve usability and efficiency, designers should focus on enlarging interactive elements and positioning them closer to the user.
By strategically placing frequently used elements within easy reach, designers can streamline user interactions, minimizing the necessity for precise mouse movements or finger taps. This approach helps UI/UX design services providers to create a design that elevates user satisfaction and increases task completion rates.
In 1952, psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman found that if we increase the number of choices, it increases the decision time logarithmically. It is essential for designers to make the decision-making process easy for the user by breaking down complex tasks into smaller steps and highlighting the instructions. You can also auto-fill to fill in user information if your system already ‘knows’ this about them. It’s not spooky; it’s beneficial!
“The tendency to approach a goal increases with proximity to the goal.”
The Goal-Gradient Effect is a psychological principle describing how our motivation increases as we reach a goal. It's like when you're running a race, and you feel more energized as you near the finish line. Companies that offer UI/UX design services should make use of traditional bars, circular rings, or static metrics to show the percentage of task completion. Alternatively, you can display the progress bar, making the user feel closer to their goal.
Users expect websites and applications to behave in familiar ways. For instance, e-commerce platforms typically feature a shopping cart icon in the top right corner. Deviating from this convention may need to be clarified for users and help navigation. We can’t deny that creativity is the essence of UI UX Designs; however, using icons and features that are truly news to users may confuse them and force them to leave the website soon.
Based on Miller’s Law, humans can hold only a limited amount of information in working memory. When designing a registration form, asking for too much information upfront can overwhelm users. By breaking the form into smaller, manageable sections, designers can reduce cognitive load and improve completion rates.
The average person can only keep 7 (plus or minus 2) items in their working memory at once. Keep this limit in mind when designing forms, menus, or any interface where users need to process information.
For example, when displaying phone numbers, break up the content into manageable chunks to make it easier to retain in working memory. Spread the digits out: +1 (000) 123-45-67 in place of displaying a number like +10001234567.
“Focus on the 20% of features that deliver 80% of the value to users”.
In UI UX Designs, this principle suggests that 80% of results come from 20% of features. Focus your efforts on the most important features and functionalities that will deliver the greatest value to users. Therefore, before hiring an agency for UI/UX design services, discuss each and every feature in detail and make a list to avoid any miss-out.
For instance, in the mobile user interface of a social media app, prioritizing features like chat, likes, and comments ensures that users can quickly and efficiently connect with their friends and family.
“People remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones.”
This effect is helpful in mobile UI/UX designs of gaming apps. Use this to provide clear feedback and visual cues to encourage users to complete actions. Highlight incomplete stages of games at the top of an app to motivate users to take action and complete them.
Elements that stand out from the rest are more likely to be remembered. Use contrast, color, or size to draw attention to important elements within your mobile UI/UX designs. For example, a call-to-action button in a contrasting color, surrounded by whitespace, draws the user's attention and encourages interaction.
“Users perceive aesthetically pleasing designs as more usable.”
Researchers discovered that even when consumers try to assess a product solely based on its functioning, they are still greatly impacted by the interface's aesthetics. For example, visually stunning mobile UI/UX designs that take less time to load may frustrate users and drive them away.
“These principles explain how humans perceive visual elements as unified wholes.”
German psychologists Kurt Koffka, Wolfgang Kohler, and Max Wertheimer defined gestalt psychology. It focused primarily on how individuals perceive the world. For example, when designing a form for a mobile user interface, grouping related fields together visually communicates their relationship, making the form easier to understand and complete.
“Users are more likely to remember items at the beginning and end of a list.”
This law states that place important content at the beginning and end of lists or pages to increase its visibility and memorability.
“People tend to prefer things that they are familiar with.”
Design interfaces that make users easier to understand and use. For example, a digital calendar with a mobile user interface similar to a traditional paper planner may feel more intuitive to users familiar with analog scheduling methods.
“Present information gradually to prevent overwhelming users.”
While designing a messaging app, initially display only the most recent conversations and then show older messages through scrolling or search functions. This helps prevent overwhelming users with too much information at once.
“Complex designs can overwhelm users”.
This law, also known as the Law of Simplicity, states that people perceive complex shapes as a combination of simpler shapes. Keep mobile UI/UX designs simple and minimize cognitive load to improve usability.
By understanding and applying these UI UX Designs laws, designers can create experiences that resonate with their audience and drive engagement. We at Consagous Technologies have a team of experienced designers who have designed many industry leading websites and mobile apps for our clients. If you would like to discuss how we can help you with UI/UX design services, please feel free to contact us.
