Category:Design Principles

Design principles codify the behavioral research and/or design research known about specific User Experience topics. 

The term can also be used to describe the driving behavior behind a design or a design group. In other words Fitt's Law is a design principle that explains the relationship between an object and its target. "Set users up for success" is a design principle that describes one of any good company's design goals.

It's worth noting that many of the design principles listed below are Heuristics- that is to say, they're practical methods to decision making sufficient for immediate goals, but not always appropriate for in-depth or complex decisions.

• General Principles
• Web Principles
• Human-Computer Interaction Principles
• Universal Design Principles
• Cognitive Design Principles
• Information Architecture Heuristics by Abby Covert on her website
• User-Centered Design Principles
• Content Strategy Principles
• 10 General Principles for Interaction Design
• Visual Design Principles

Additional resources

Richard Dalton put together a list of characteristics and principles of UX For Richard, Characteristics are a vector between two points, and a user may be closer to one side or another. For each of those items we've listed the characteristic, its explanation, and the range from one side to the other. Richard lists only three principles: Relevant, Comprehensible, and Aesthetic. For a deeper explanation of each, access the PDF or visit the website.

• Design Principles - Hands-down the best resource for design principles.
• Creating Etsy's Design Principles by Magera Moon
• Laws of UX by Jon Yablonksi
• The ultimate guide to proper use of animation in UX covers principles specific to animation