Design: Principles

To some, user-interface (UI) design or Web design might seem like work that relies solely on creativity and seeking innovative ideas. However, you should always base your design solutions on a few rules that optimize the entire design process—such as Ben Shneiderman’s eight golden rules of user-interface design.

Shneiderman pioneered the concepts behind his eight golden rules after conducting fundamental research in the field of human-computer interaction. Although Shneiderman defined his eight golden rules back in 1985, their timelessness has ensured that they are still in use by application and Web designers all around the world.

In this article, we’ll discuss Shneiderman’s eight golden rules, and supplement them with practical tips and examples to help you apply these universal principles in your daily work as a UX designer. Read More

In 2023, it’s time to leave vivid colors behind. Muted colors are now quietly dominating Web design. While muted colors are the opposite of bright and bold, they can still affect the user emotionally and deliver a message of modernity, serenity, and calm. Plus, designers often use muted colors to improve functionality in Web design. From a UX design perspective, a muted color palette is a great way to add interest to your Web site without compromising its simplicity.

In this article, I’ll guide you through the process of choosing a muted color palette to give your designs a sleek, sophisticated look. I’ll also provide examples of the use of muted colors for inspiration and help you get your creative juices flowing. Consider a muted color palette for your next UX design or Web-design project. Read More

This article is Part II of a quick reference on color theory for digital displays. It is the second in a series of articles about the use of color in application program user interfaces and on Web sites.

Contrast Effects

Our perception of hues, values, and chroma levels depends upon their interaction with adjacent hues, values, and chromas, which can result in color-contrast, value-contrast, and chroma-contrast effects, respectively.

While you can achieve good design by using any color-contrast, value-contrast, or chroma-contrast effect, unintentional effects caused by the interaction of contrasting colors can be visually distracting and can even diminish the readability of the text in a user interface or on a Web page. Read More