101 UX Principles : A Definitive Design Guide

The most important things you need to know about creating successful user experiences We want our UX to be brilliant. We want to create stunning user experiences. We want our UX to drive the success of our business with useful and usable software products. This book draws on the wisdom and training of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman to help you get your UX right - in 101 ways! 101 UX Principles shows you the 101 most important things you need to know about usability and design. A practical reference for UX professionals, and a shortcut to greatness for anyone who needs a clear and wise selection of principles to guide their UX success. Learn the key principles that drive brilliant UX design. Enjoy 101 Principles including 'Good UX has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End', 'Make Your Links Look Like Links', 'Don't Use Obsolete Icons', 'Decide Whether an Interaction Should Be Obvious, Easy, or Possible', 'Test with Real Users', 'Making the most of fonts', 'Good UX for search results', and 'Show your user - don't tell your user!' “Good to read from beginning to end, and a nice dip-in-and-out text, the chapter titles reminded me of principles I don't even think about explicitly when I likely should. The book inspired me to start more explicitly articulating some of the principles I just take for granted.” - Elizabeth Churchill, Director of User Experience at Google “This is a great practical read. It is convenient to use as a reference when solving real UX problems. I would definitely recommend it as an introduction to UX, but also as a good reminder of best practices for more experienced designers.” - Anne-Marie Leger, Designer at Shopify “A great Mood Booster and Pep Talk. Like a good pep talk from a sports coach before a game, Will reminds us of the common pitfalls we all come across.” - Kate Pincott Product Designer at Facebook Some more of the 101 UX Principles featured in this book: Work with user expectations not against them How to build upon established metaphors How to arrange navigation elements How to introduce new ideas to your user Matching pagination and content structure When invention is not good for UX Striving for simplicity Reducing user tasks What to make clickable Making the most of fonts Making your links look like links Picking the right control for the job Data input and what users care about How to handle destructive user actions When color should not convey information Tappable areas and the size of fingers Getting payment details the right way Use the standard e-commerce pattern If you really must use a flat design When to use progress bars or spinners Dropdowns the right and wrong way Handling just-off-screen content How to do Hamburger menus right When to hide Advanced Settings Good UX for Notifications Cover......Page 1 Copyright......Page 3 Packt upsell......Page 4 Contributors......Page 5 Table of Contents......Page 9 Preface......Page 17 Chapter 1 - Anyone Can Be a User Experience (UX) Professional......Page 21 Chapter 2 - Don't Use More Than Two Typefaces......Page 25 Chapter 3 - Users Already Have Fonts on Their Computers, So Use Them......Page 27 Chapter 4 - Use Type Size to Depict Information Hierarchy......Page 31 Chapter 5 - Use a Sensible Default Size for Body Copy......Page 35 Chapter 6 - Use an Ellipsis to Indicate That There's a Further Step......Page 37 Chapter 7 - Make Your Buttons Look Like Buttons......Page 41 Chapter 8 - Make Buttons a Sensible Size and Group Them Together by Function......Page 45 Chapter 9 - Make the Whole Button Clickable, Not Just the Text......Page 49 Chapter 10 - Don't Invent New, Arbitrary Controls......Page 51 Chapter 11 - Search Should be a Text Field with a Button Labeled "Search"......Page 55 Chapter 12 - Sliders Should Be Used Only for Non-Quantifiable Values......Page 59 Chapter 13 - Use Numeric Entry Fields for Precise Integers......Page 63 Chapter 14 - Don't Use a Drop-Down Menu If You Only Have a Few Options......Page 65 Chapter 15 - Allow Users to Undo Destructive Actions......Page 69 Chapter 16 - Think About What's Just off the Screen......Page 73 Chapter 17 - Use "Infinite Scroll" for Feed–Style Content Only......Page 77 Chapter 18 - If Your Content Has a Beginning, Middle, and End, Use Pagination......Page 81 Chapter 19 - If You Must Use Infinite Scroll, Store the User's Position and Return to It......Page 85 Chapter 20 - Make "Blank Slates" More Than Just Empty Views......Page 87 Chapter 21 - Make "Getting Started" Tips Easily Dismissable......Page 91 Chapter 22 - When a User Refreshes a Feed, Move Them to the Last Unread Item......Page 95 Chapter 23 - Don't Hide Items Away in a "Hamburger" Menu......Page 99 Chapter 24 - Make Your Links Look Like Links......Page 103 Chapter 25 - Split Menu Items Down into Subsections, so Users Don't Have to Remember Large Lists......Page 107 Chapter 26 - Hide "Advanced" Settings From Most Users......Page 111 Chapter 27 - Repeat Menu Items in the Footer or Lower Down in the View......Page 115 Chapter 28 - Use Consistent Icons Across the Product......Page 119 Chapter 29 - Don't Use Obsolete Icons......Page 121 Chapter 30 - Don't Try to Depict a New Idea With an Existing Icon......Page 125 Chapter 31 - Never Use Text on Icons......Page 129 Chapter 32 - Always Give Icons a Text Label......Page 133 Chapter 33 - Emoji are the Most Recognized Icon Set on Earth......Page 137 Chapter 34 - Use Device-Native Input Features Where Possible......Page 141 Chapter 35 - Obfuscate Passwords in Fields, but Provide a "Show Password" Toggle......Page 145 Chapter 36 - Always Allow the User to Paste into Password Fields......Page 149 Chapter 37 - Don't Attempt to Validate Email Addresses......Page 153 Chapter 38 - Don't Ever Clear User-Entered Data Unless Specifically Asked To......Page 157 Chapter 39 - Pick a Sensible Size for Multiline Input Fields......Page 159 Chapter 40 - Don't Ever Make Your UI Move While a User is Trying to Use It......Page 163 Chapter 41 - Use the Same Date Picker Controls Consistently......Page 167 Chapter 42 - Pre-fill the Username in "Forgot Password" Fields......Page 171 Chapter 43 - Be Case-Insensitive......Page 175 Chapter 44 - If a Good Form Experience Can Be Delivered, Your Users will Love Your Product......Page 179 Chapter 45 - Validate Data Entry as Soon as Possible......Page 185 Chapter 46 - If the Form Fails Validation, Show the User Which Field Needs Their Attention......Page 189 Chapter 47 - Be Forgiving – Users Don't Know (and Don't Care) How You Need the Data......Page 193 Chapter 48 - Pick the Right Control for the Job......Page 197 Chapter 49 - Allow Users to Enter Phone Numbers However They Wish......Page 201 Chapter 50 - Use Drop Downs Sensibly for Date Entry......Page 205 Chapter 51 - Capture the Bare Minimum When Requesting Payment Card Details......Page 209 Chapter 52 - Make it Easy for Users to Enter Postal or ZIP Codes......Page 213 Chapter 53 - Don't Add Decimal Places to Currency Input......Page 217 Chapter 54 - Make it Painless for the User to Add Images......Page 219 Chapter 55 - Use a "Linear" Progress Bar if a Task will Take a Determinate Amount of Time......Page 223 Chapter 56 - Show a "Spinner" if the Task Will Take an Indeterminate Amount of Time......Page 227 Chapter 57 - Never Show an Animated, Looping Progress Bar......Page 231 Chapter 58 - Show a Numeric Progress Indicator on the Progress Bar......Page 233 Chapter 59 - Contrast Ratios Are Your Friends......Page 237 Chapter 60 - If You Must Use "Flat Design" then Add Some Visual Affordances to Controls......Page 241 Chapter 61 - Avoid Ambiguous Symbols......Page 247 Chapter 62 - Make Links Make Sense Out of Context......Page 251 Chapter 63 - Add "Skip to Content" Links Above the Header and Navigation......Page 255 Chapter 64 - Don't Only Use Color to Convey Information......Page 259 Chapter 65 - If You Turn Off Device Zoom with a Meta Tag, You're Evil......Page 263 Chapter 66 - Give Navigation Elements a Logical Tab Order......Page 267 Chapter 67 - Write Clear Labels for Controls......Page 271 Chapter 68 - Let Users Turn off Specific Notifications......Page 275 Chapter 69 - Make Tappable Areas Finger-Sized......Page 279 Chapter 70 - A User's Journey Should Have a Beginning, Middle, and End......Page 283 Chapter 71 - The User Should Always Know at What Stage They Are in Any Given Journey......Page 287 Chapter 72 - Use Breadcrumb Navigation......Page 291 Chapter 73 - If the User is on an Optional Journey, Give Them a Control to "Skip This"......Page 295 Chapter 74 - Users Don't Care About Your Company......Page 299 Chapter 75 - Follow the Standard E-Commerce Pattern......Page 303 Chapter 76 - Show an Indicator in the Title Bar if the User's Work is Unsaved......Page 307 Chapter 77 - Don't Nag Your Users into Rating Your App......Page 309 Chapter 78 - Don't Use a Vanity Splash Screen......Page 313 Chapter 79 - Make Your Favicon Distinctive......Page 315 Chapter 80 - Add a "Create from Existing" Flow......Page 319 Chapter 81 - Make it Easy for Users to Pay You......Page 323 Chapter 82 - Categorize Search Results into Sections......Page 327 Chapter 83 - Your Users Probably Don't Understand the File System......Page 331 Chapter 84 - Show, Don't Tell......Page 335 Chapter 85 - Be Consistent with Terminology......Page 339 Chapter 86 - Use "Sign in" and "Sign out", Not "Log in" and "Log out"......Page 341 Chapter 87 - "Sign up" Makes More Sense Than "Register"......Page 343 Chapter 88 - Use "Forgot Password" or "Forgotten Your Password", Not Something Obscure......Page 345 Chapter 89 - Write Like a Human Being......Page 349 Chapter 90 - Choose Active Verbs over Passive......Page 353 Chapter 91 - Search Results Pages Should Show the Most Relevant Result at the Top of the Page......Page 357 Chapter 92 - Pick Good Defaults......Page 361 Chapter 93 - Don't Confound Users' Expectations......Page 365 Chapter 94 - Reduce the Number of Tasks a User Has to Complete by Using Sensible Defaults......Page 369 Chapter 95 - Build Upon Established Metaphors – It's Not Stealing......Page 373 Chapter 96 - Decide Whether an Interaction Should Be Obvious, Easy, or Possible......Page 377 Chapter 97 - "Does it Work on Mobile?" is Obsolete......Page 381 Chapter 98 - Messaging is a Solved Problem......Page 385 Chapter 99 - Brands Are Bullshit......Page 389 Chapter 100 - Don't Join the Dark Side......Page 393 Chapter 101 - Test with Real Users......Page 399 Bonus – Strive for Simplicity......Page 403 Other Books You May Enjoy......Page 405

Publisher's note: This edition from 2018 is outdated and doesn't make use of the most recent UX best-practices. A new 2nd edition, updated for latest use cases and examples, has now been published.

Book Description

We want our UX to be brilliant. We want to create stunning user experiences. We want our UX to drive the success of our business with useful and usable software products. This book draws on the wisdom and training of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman to help you get your UX right - in 101 ways!

101 UX Principles shows you the 101 most important things you need to know about usability and design. A practical reference for UX professionals, and a shortcut to greatness for anyone who needs a clear and wise selection of principles to guide their UX success. Learn the key principles that drive brilliant UX design.

Enjoy 101 Principles including ‘Good UX has a Beginning, a Middle, and an End’, ‘Make Your Links Look Like Links’, ‘Don't Use Obsolete Icons’, ‘Decide Whether an Interaction Should Be Obvious, Easy, or Possible’, ‘Test with Real Users’, ‘Making the most of fonts’, ‘Good UX for search results’, and ‘Show your user - don't tell your user!’

“Good to read from beginning to end, and a nice dip-in-and-out text, the chapter titles reminded me of principles I don't even think about explicitly when I likely should. The book inspired me to start more explicitly articulating some of the principles I just take for granted.”

- Elizabeth Churchill, Director of User Experience at Google

“This is a great practical read. It is convenient to use as a reference when solving real UX problems. I would definitely recommend it as an introduction to UX, but also as a good reminder of best practices for more experienced designers.”

- Anne-Marie Léger, Designer at Shopify

Some more of the 101 UX Principles featured in this book:

Work with user expectations not against them

How to build upon established metaphors

How to arrange navigation elements

How to introduce new ideas to your user

Matching pagination and content structure

When invention is not good for UX

Striving for simplicity

Reducing user tasks

What to make clickable

Making the most of fonts

Making your links look like links

Picking the right control for the job

Data input and what users care about

How to handle destructive user actions

When color should not convey information

Tappable areas and the size of fingers

Getting payment details the right way

Use the standard e-commerce pattern

If you really must use a flat design

When to use progress bars or spinners

Dropdowns the right and wrong way

Handling just-off-screen content

How to do Hamburger menus right

When to hide Advanced Settings

Good UX for Notifications

Learn from the opinions of a UX expert, evaluate your own design principles, and avoid common mistakes. Key Features Hear insights from an author who was trained by the Nielsen Norman Group Browse over 20 years of collected UX insights Accept or reject 101 thought-provoking opinions on design Challenge your own ideas on UX Book Description There are countless books about designing for the web. They all give multiple routes and options to solving design challenges. Many of them are plain wrong. This has led to an entire generation of designers failing to make interfaces that are usable, software that is intuitive, and products that normal people can understand. 101 UX Principles changes that, with 101 ways to solve 101 UX problems clearly and single-mindedly. The 101 principles are opinionated. They'll rub some designers up the wrong way, but these principles are rooted in 20 years of building for the web. They're not based on theory - they're based on practice. Simply put, they've been proven to work at scale. There's no arguing with that. Following in the footsteps of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman, this book is the go-to manual for UX professionals, covering everything from passwords, to planning the user journey. Build a deeper understanding of accessible design and implement tried-and-tested strategies in your company. What you will learn Use typography well to ensure that text is readable Design controls to streamline interaction Create navigation which makes content make sense Convey information with consistent iconography Manage user input effectively Represent progress to the user Provide interfaces that work for users with visual or motion impairments Understand and respond to user expectations Who this book is for This book is for UX professionals (freelance or in-house) looking for shortcuts to making software that users intuitively know how to use across web, desktop, and mobile. Downloading the example code for this book You can download the example code files for all Packt books you have purchased from your account at http://www.PacktPub.com. If you purchased this book elsewhere, you can visit http://www.PacktPub.com/support and register to have the files e-mailed directly to you Learn from the opinions of a UX expert, evaluate your own design principles and avoid common mistakes. Hear insights from an author who was trained by the Nielsen Norman Group Browse over 20 years of collected user experience insights Accept or reject 101 thought-provoking opinions on design. Challenge your own ideas on user experience. There are countless books about designing for the web. They all give multiple routes and options to solving design problems. Many of them are plain wrong. This has led to an entire generation of designers failing to make interfaces that are usable, software that's intuitive, and products that normal people can understand. 101 UX Principles changes that-with 101 ways to solve 101 UX problems clearly and single-mindedly. The 101 principles are opinionated. They'll rub some designers up the wrong way, but these principles are rooted in 20 years of building for the web. They're not based on theory-they're based on practice. Simply put, they've been proven to work at scale. There's no arguing with that. 101 UX Principles is a new chapter in user experience. Following in the footsteps of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman, author Will Grant asserts his own ideas on design. Set to become the go-to manual for UX professionals around the world, 101 UX Principles covers everything from terminology, to planning the user journey. You will come away with an understanding of accessible design and the tools to put new strategies into practice. 101 UX Principles pushes the boundaries of user experience and sets the standard for comment on the industry. What you will learn: Use typography well to ensure that text is readable Design controls to streamline interaction Create navigation which makes content make sense Convey information with consistent iconography Manage user input effectively Represent progress to the user Provide interfaces that work for users with visual or motion impairments Understand and respond to user expectations This book is for UX professionals (freelance or in-house) looking for shortcuts to making software that users intuitively know how to use, across web, desktop and mobile. Explore 101 ways to improve your UX designs. Will Grant continues the lineage of Jakob Nielsen and Don Norman to bring his own expertise to the field of user experience (UX). Will's insights will challenge your approach and develop your skills, offering a better and more consistent UX to your customers