Key principles of website design that all web professionals need to understand

Design is by no means an exact scientific discipline. However, there are numerous beneficial principles and guidelines that can improve the quality of your projects in terms of usability and aesthetics. In this article, we'll clarify the concept of design principles and emphasise the importance of understanding them

Adherence to website design principles can determine the success or failure of your site. It can have an impact on whether users leave your homepage quickly or stay to see your offers and make a purchase.

Design is by no means an exact science. However, several beneficial principles and guidelines can improve the quality of your projects, focusing on both usability and aesthetics, when you want to create a professional website.

In this article, we'll describe the design principle and the need to understand it. We'll also talk about some of the most widely used and successful recommendations to follow. Let's get started!

What are website design principles?

Design principles are based on the contributions of experts in various fields, such as psychology, physics, ergonomics and others. Generally, these principles are adaptable regulations that guide designers in creating successful end products. They determine which elements are selected or removed and the arrangement of these features.

Design principles simplify the creation of a visually appealing and effective user experience (UX) and user interface (UI). The right application leads to more conversions. LikeHood recorded a 300 per cent increase in sign-ups by incorporating simplicity as a key best practice.

Integrating design principles into your projects will improve the usability of your websites, influence their perception and ultimately help you make the best decisions for both your users and your web design business.

10 laws of user experience (UX)

Numerous definitions of design principles can be found online, with various interpretations by designers and professionals based on their specific requirements. However, there are certain optimal methods that are relevant regardless of the situation.

Scientists and usability experts recommend these much-loved website design principles.

The Ten Laws of User Experience (UX)

These are important principles that all designers should keep in mind. Here are some of the main concepts to bear in mind:

Make key actionable targets easy to reach (Fitts' Law)

This law explains that the time it takes a user to find and interact with a target element is influenced by both its distance and its size. This means that you should ensure that your main actionable objectives are easily reachable.

In addition, if there are several objectives, a sufficient amount of space must be maintained between them. In the case of mobile design, clickable icons should be sized appropriately for tapping.

The extra space between the buttons will prevent users from unintentionally tapping the wrong icon. Typically, mobile designs should have a minimum clickable area of 40 x 40 pixels.

Limit the options available to users to reduce decision time (Hick's Law)

If you've ever felt paralysed by a plethora of choices, you can understand how too many options can overwhelm users. Here's a brief explanation of Hick's law. The greater the number of options and the greater their level of complexity, the longer it will take the user to make a decision.

The law known as Hick's law, or Hick-Hyman law, was developed by psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman to study how reaction time is affected by the number of stimuli presented to a person.

This concept essentially involves eliminating unnecessary items and presenting users with only the essential options they need. By way of example, most websites offer a straightforward choice between ‘Save’ or ‘Cancel’ and ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ when a certain action takes place.

Similarly, this status can also be used to optimise your navigation menu, present products or services and other elements of website design.

Bringing similar objects together in shared spaces (Principle of the common region)

One of the laws of Gestalt psychology, the law of the common region, explains that when elements are grouped together on a page, they are perceived as being connected to each other.

This can be achieved by using margins, backgrounds or borders. An example is when navigation links are usually grouped together to create a menu.

This concept revolves around the way elements are arranged and the spaces between them, so make sure you use it effectively. Another example is on the homepage of a blog, where post previews are presented in chronological order, the title, description and image of each post should be grouped together visually.

Use common situations and reasoning (Jakob's Law)

Jakob Nielsen, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, introduced Jakob's law, which emphasises the importance of using common scenarios and logic in UI development. Normally, your users anticipate - and prefer - your website to work in a similar way to what they are already used to.

We all create mental representations of web conventions. This allows users to focus on their goals rather than trying to navigate through an unfamiliar user interface.

This implies continuing with familiar situations rather than introducing unfamiliar ones. For example, a symbol that resembles a hamburger usually displays a menu when clicked.

When incorporating this icon into your design, make sure it works in a way that is consistent with user expectations.

Use basic shapes and avoid complex shapes (Prägnanz's Law)

In 1910, a psychologist called Max Wertheimer witnessed a sequence of lights flashing intermittently at a level crossing. Although it appeared that one light was moving across the marquee, it was actually several bulbs switching on and off in succession.

This discovery led to a series of guidelines on how we visually interpret objects. One of these laws is the Prägnanz principle, which suggests using uncomplicated shapes and avoiding complex ones.

Your design will be interpreted by users with minimal cognitive effort. Complicated images will be seen in their most basic versions. Minimising mental effort should be a key point in your design objectives.

You can implement this concept by organising and aligning elements into appropriate groups, columns and sections, rather than scattering them randomly across the page.

Basic formations and components will result in simpler comprehension.

Keep elements that belong together close together (Law of Proximity)

The rule of proximity, also from Gestalt psychology, states that objects close to each other will be seen as related. This also helps to reduce the cognitive overload of your users, helping them to understand the information.

Using this principle means using spacing wisely. The components of a group should be tighter than those of separate groups.

In many website headers, the menu links are grouped together, while the calls to action (CTAs) are positioned next to or separated in some way from the navigation options.

This serves as an ideal example of the law of proximity. Menu links and CTAs are visually distinguishable because of their different functions.

Using similarity to create cohesive groups (principle of similarity)

The law of similarity, another Gestalt principle, suggests that objects that are similar will be seen as connected, regardless of the distance between them. Stylising sets of features with corresponding colour schemes, icons and text is the fundamental concept behind this principle.

Use this principle carefully to bring together related content with a similar, cohesive design.

Establish connections between design elements to demonstrate their association with each other (Law of uniform connection)

The principle of uniform connection, also derived from Gestalt psychology, states that elements that are visually connected will appear more closely related than elements that are not connected at all. An example of applying this law is incorporating a progress step into your onboarding or checkout processes.

This visual link illustrates that all the steps belong to the same process.

Divide content into smaller parts (Miller's Law)

Miller's law, coined by cognitive psychologist George Miller, suggests that the average person can only retain five to nine items in their working memory. This principle recommends dividing content into parts. In the case of credit card numbers, these are usually divided into sets of four digits to make them easier to interpret.

This law emphasises the importance of thorough design preparation. As an application grows in size and adds more functions, it becomes more difficult to navigate. You need to take this into account when designing your interface to ensure that you can easily cope with the new features while still being easy to use.

Another method of implementing this rule is to restrict the amount of information the user needs to process simultaneously. Divide the content into smaller sections rather than presenting it as one large block.

Also, take into account the most commonly used screen sizes and regulate the number of elements visible to users at once.

Criticise your design carefully. If you feel that there is too much content in a particular section, move it to another section and organise the items in a logical way.

Drawing attention to items at the beginning and end of a series (serial position effect)

The German psychologist Herman Ebbinghaus introduced this law and developed experimental techniques to measure memory. It is said that users remember the first and last items in a series more effectively. This trend can be used to emphasise key areas of your web pages.

For example, important elements such as CTAs, forms or purchase options have more impact when placed at the top or bottom of the page.

10 principles of usability (UI)

Jakob Nielsen, co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group, has developed a number of usability techniques, including the ten heuristic evaluation principles that we'll be discussing. The Nielsen Norman Group is a well-known company specialising in UX research and consultancy, which has a major influence on web and software design.

Nielsen first created these usability principles in 1990 and then updated them for clarity after analysing 249 usability issues. Remember that these are not specific laws or guidelines, but general rules. That's why they're called ‘heuristics’.

Check that your customers are informed with meaningful feedback

Users must have confidence in your brand and feel comfortable using your application. This means that your website must constantly update users on developments and inform them of the outcome of their actions.
For example, a digital retail platform will inform customers when they place an item in their shopping cart or mark it as a favourite for future reference. Feedback can visually inform users through colour changes, progress indicators, notifications and alerts.

The information should be presented in a cohesive sequence and use familiar language and ideas

Users should be able to understand the terms on your website without having to consult a dictionary. You should follow traditional practices. Use familiar words in the interface text that users already know.
For example, the terms ‘undo’ and ‘redo’ have relatively consistent definitions in application user interfaces. Using terms like ‘revert’ and ‘repeat’ will confuse users because they are unfamiliar to them.

Allow users to have control and flexibility in the way they interact with your website

Users often make mistakes and need the ability to reverse or repeat actions, as demonstrated earlier with the use of buttons. Similarly, you may want to consider offering an Edit option in appropriate situations. For example, this capability is often beneficial for modifying comments and messages on social media platforms.
Access to these features will help users feel empowered and less stressed in the event of an accident.

Comply with established standards and guidelines

Following guidelines may seem comparable to the second principle and can be seen as an elaboration of it. Create navigation systems that users recognise and feel comfortable using. Users should be able to easily understand your interface and access all the elements they need to interact with your site.
A study into the effectiveness of shopping cart terms highlights this fact. The term ‘Shopping Sled’ was used in the design in an effort to distinguish itself. However, half of the users were unable to understand its meaning. The second half deduced its meaning only because of its placement in the place where you would normally find a cart on a web page.

Avoid mistakes wherever possible and warn users before they make irreversible moves

Showing useful error messages is sensible so that users understand how to solve problems and the reasons behind them. However, it is even more efficient to eliminate situations with a high probability of errors or to clearly communicate the potential consequences of the actions users are about to take.
Deleting a user account, for example, is often permanent and cannot be undone. Many applications use the colour red to emphasise this. A confirmation message usually appears when users press the Delete button.

Ensure that important details remain easily accessible

Users should not be forced to remember details of one stage of a procedure, such as a purchase finalisation or a technical configuration, in order to complete another. The aim is for users to remember information rather than having to remember it.
One tactic an online shop can use is to provide a list of recently viewed products, so that shoppers don't have to remember the names of items they haven't bought yet.

Create systems that meet the needs of both beginners and experienced people

You should ensure that your website is user-friendly for new visitors, but also convenient for experienced users who may need shortcuts for common tasks. Keyboard shortcuts, whether assigned by you or allowing users to customise them, are an illustration of this.

Create visually appealing but uncomplicated designs

It's important to maintain a clean interface and avoid overloading users with numerous options. Unnecessary objects take up space and hide important functionalities.

Present error messages that are easy to understand

Clear, easy-to-understand error messages make it easier to identify the causes of problems and immediately locate potential fixes. It's important to provide direct, polite and constructive feedback, avoiding blaming the user and offering advice on how to solve the problem.

Offer help documents that are easily searchable

Sometimes users may need to consult additional help information. Make sure your documentation is easily searchable so that users can quickly locate the relevant information and solve their problems.

Guide to apply design principles

The study of numerous principles and guidelines can be quite daunting. Here are some guidelines for using them:

Stay informed about the most effective methods

It's important to keep learning and informing yourself about the best UX design practices. Study existing web solutions to gain knowledge. Start your projects with research or by looking for inspiration to delve deeper into your users' needs and gather high-quality references for learning purposes.

Carefully select the principles you use

As each project is unique, it will take several design criteria to be successful. You should decide which will be the most beneficial for each website you are building. Remember the main characteristics of the website, its main user processes and the related business objectives.

Make sure you are periodically evaluating and improving your projects

It's essential to carry out exhaustive tests of your website with real users, who are your target audience. If you can't do it yourself, you can ask for help from colleagues, clients and other designers to gather valuable feedback on the usability of your website.

At this point, you're not looking for perfection. Don't hesitate to refine your design based on feedback and keep improving it, because perfection isn't achieved from the start.

Engaging in repeated actions or activities

As you continue to work on them, you'll gradually start using the design principles without even thinking about it. The more you incorporate usability principles into your design process, the easier it will be to create efficient solutions and avoid problems.

Develop your own individual style, but make sure you have a good grasp of the basic principles

Rules are created to simplify processes, but they shouldn't be followed blindly. However, you'll usually only succeed in breaking the rules if you have a thorough understanding of your goal.

These design principles serve as a fundamental toolkit and basic knowledge for exploring and creating your own distinctive style.

FAQ

What are the fundamental design principles for web professionals?

The key design principles include balance, contrast, alignment, proximity, repetition, and visual hierarchy. These elements help create cohesive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing websites.

Why is balance important in web design?

Balance ensures that elements are distributed evenly across a webpage, creating visual stability. It prevents the site from feeling too heavy on one side, making it more appealing to users.

How does contrast impact web design?

Contrast makes important elements stand out, improving visibility and readability. It highlights key information like calls to action, headings, and buttons, enhancing user engagement.

What is alignment in web design?

Alignment is the positioning of elements to create order and organization. Proper alignment leads to a clean, structured design, which improves both aesthetics and usability.

What role does proximity play in web design?

Proximity groups related items together, helping users easily understand which elements are associated. It streamlines navigation and makes content easier to follow, improving the overall user experience.

Why is repetition important in web design?

Repetition creates a sense of consistency throughout the website. By repeating colors, fonts, and elements, it strengthens the brand identity and makes the site feel cohesive and unified.

How does visual hierarchy affect web design?

Visual hierarchy organizes content in order of importance, guiding users to the most crucial information first. It improves readability and user navigation by making the site easier to scan.

What’s the difference between visual design and user experience (UX) design?

Visual design focuses on the look and feel of the website, while UX design centers on how the site functions and how users interact with it. Both are essential for creating an effective website.

How can these principles be applied to responsive design?

These principles should be maintained across all screen sizes. Responsive design adapts the layout while keeping balance, contrast, alignment, and hierarchy consistent for a seamless user experience on any device.

Are these design principles only for experienced designers?

Not at all! These fundamental principles are essential for web professionals of all levels. Whether you’re a beginner or seasoned designer, understanding and applying these principles is key to creating successful websites.

Summary

To develop professional and user-friendly websites, it is essential to have a good understanding of the fundamental principles of design and to apply them effectively to your projects. This will improve your projects, increasing their attractiveness, usability and, most importantly, profitability.

In this publication, we've discussed ten laws of UX and ten principles of usability, covering a wide range of topics. In addition, we've shared various methods for incorporating these best practices into your work.

Looking for a competent partner for your project's web design needs? Get in touch with Studio.351 for fantastic website design.

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