Master the art of user experience design through the 100 laws, guidelines, human biases, and general considerations in this comprehensive, cross-disciplinary encyclopedia.

Richly illustrated and easy to navigate, Universal Principles of UX pairs clear explanations of every concept with visual examples of the ideas applied in practice. The book is organized into six broad categories:

• Consider
• Empathize
• Define
• Research
• Design
• Validate

And, features principles as diverse as:

• Design is not neutral
• Make the choice easy
• Some complexity cannot be reduced
• Map the ecosystem
• So you think you can scroll
• Don’t grade your own homework

Each principle is presented in a two-page format. The left-hand page contains a succinct definition, a full description of the principle, examples of its use, and guidelines for use. Sidenotes appear to the right of the text, and provide elaborations and references. The right-hand page contains visual examples and related graphics to support a deeper understanding of the principle.

This landmark reference is the standard for designers, engineers, managers, and students who seek to broaden and improve their user experience design expertise.

The titles in the Rockport Universal series offer comprehensive and authoritative information and edifying and inspiring visual examples on multidisciplinary subjects for designers, architects, engineers, students, and anyone who is interested in expanding and enriching their design knowledge.

User Experience Director and Designer, Irene Pereyra is responsible for translating business requirements into intuitive interactive solutions. She has led the strategy and UX initiatives for clients including The Met, Wacom, Balenciaga, USA Today, EA, HTC, Google, Nickelodeon, FOX, Verizon, BBC, Red Bull, and many more for both the web and cross-platform applications. Her work has been recognized by Cannes, The Webbys, FWA, Interaction Design Association and The European Design Awards. Irene has been a guest speaker at numerous conferences, such as OFFF and FITC, and taught at prestigious learning institutions like Hyper Island in Sweden, SVA in New York, Elisava in Barcelona, Harbour Space in Barcelona, and the Design Academy in the Netherlands. Her personal projects have been displayed in design conferences and festivals in Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris, New York, Singapore, and Tegucigualpa. Originally from Amsterdam, she holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta and a Master of Science in Communications Design from Pratt Institute in New York. She currently resides in Barcelona and heads up her design studio, Anton & Irene, together with her creative partner, Anton Repponen.

Prologue

Chapter 1: Consider

1. The user comes first.

2. You’re human—act like it.

3. UI makes or breaks usability.

4. Work on UX and UI simultaneously.

5. Always surpass expectations.

6. Design is not neutral, it’s inherently ethical.

7. Visual metaphors communicate the fastest.

8. The bias to remember the unusual.

9. Attractive products are perceived as more usable.

10. First and last items in a series are remembered most. 

11. Less is more.

12. Less is a bore.

13. Provide feedback quickly or else.

14. Sometimes a little friction is a good thing.

15. You only get one chance to make a first impression.

16. There's no such thing as timeless UX design. 

17. Nothing lasts forever, and we both know hearts can change.

Chapter 2: Empathize

1. Accessibility first.

2. Make the choice easy.

3. Diverse teams create better solutions.

4. Devices are ubiquitous.

5. Design for clumsy handling.

6. Children are not small adults.

7. Take extra care of seniors.

8. Systems should match the real world.

9. Know when to break with convention.

10. Persuade, don’t coerce.

11. Allow for differences in digital literacy.

12. Design for both novices & power users.

13. Design for learnability.

14. Design for passive attention.

15. Make it unobtrusive.

16. Avoid forced interruptions.

17. Make notifications valuable.

18. Minimize form input.

19. As little design as possible.

20. Rebel! Rules are meant to be broken.

Chapter 3: Define

1. Choose the right client.

2. Understand the problem first.

3. Gather requirements.

4. Define the problem statement.

5. Find shortcuts without sacrificing quality.

6. Start with the minimum viable product.

7. Under-promise and over-deliver.

8. Only introduce complexity when necessary.

9. Some complexity cannot be reduced.

10. Assume worst case scenario.

11. Create a user flow.

12. Remove barriers & obstacles.

13. Things that are not there are just as important.

14. Pointing devices inform functionality.

Chapter 4: Research

1. Design cannot be fully objective.

2. Most of the science used in design is bull.

3. Determine the ‘how’.

4. Map the ecosystem.

5. Look at the data.

6. Uncover the ‘why’.

7. Determine the ‘what’.

8. Personas are useless unless created properly.

9. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

10. Learn from bad examples.

11. Make mental models work in your favor.

12. Uncover expectations.

13. Not all e-commerce is alike.

14. Most usability issues can be spotted a mile ahead.

Chapter 5: Design

1. Brainstorm efficiently.

2. Priming before presenting.

3. Building consensus is easier than you think.

4. From low to high fidelity.

5. Don’t just illustrate, annotate.

6. Learn from navigation in the real world.

7. Build a logical structure.

8. Visualize the relationship between pages.

9. Navigation makes or breaks user experience.

10. Yes, side doors matter.

11. The letter, the word, and the paragraph.

12. Maintain consistent branding.

13. So you think you can scroll. 

14. Animate responsibly.

15. Make data lovable.

16. Dark mode rises.

17. Never give total control.

18. Personalization is either hit or miss.

19. A word is worth a thousand pictures.

20. Make it perform the best it can on any device.

21. Pattern library, style guide, or design system—choose one.

22. Don't let design systems kill creativity.

23. Expect the unexpected.

Chapter 6: Validate

1. An audible system status is awkward.

2. Don’t ask for unnecessary things.  

3. Manage errors effectively.

4. Be liberal with the inputs you accept.

5. Confirm user actions.

6. Broken pages shouldn’t feel broken.

7. Fill the gap our imagination can’t bridge.

8. Metric-based design is silly.

9. Don’t grade your own homework.

10. Prioritize attention where impact will be greatest.

11. Stay involved in the project post launch.

12. Re-evaluate & revise.

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Index