If you’re trying to create a website for a specific audience, there are a few things that you should keep in mind: visual hierarchy, fluid layouts, Consistency, and Miller’s Law. By following these principles, you’ll ensure your site’s design follows these principles. In the end, it’s all about enhancing the user experience. To get a clearer idea of each principle, read on!
Visual hierarchy
The first principle of visual hierarchy is scale. As a rule, larger items tend to catch the attention of the viewer. The larger the object on the page, the larger its effect on the viewer. Therefore, designers should keep the size of each element in the design as a factor in determining their relative importance. Generally, you should use sizes of 14 to 16 px for body copy and 18 to 22 px for subheader. If you’re using large fonts, you can also use a size of 32px for the header.
A good visual hierarchy should be based on the importance of different design elements and the content on the page. The elements must be grouped and varied in color, contrast, and grouping. Once you’ve defined the visual hierarchy, you should test it with a user to determine whether it’s easy to understand. In addition, users should have no problem completing tasks if they can easily access the various elements. This will build trust and ensure your website is easy to use and understand.
The F-pattern and the Z-pattern are the best choices for content-heavy pages. Both patterns take advantage of the way people naturally read and understand text. Creating a visual hierarchy makes it easier for viewers to understand the content on a page and their intention. Contrasting colors and symbols are the best way to focus the viewers’ attention. Alternatively, you can use light or dark backgrounds to emphasize different parts of the content.
Fluid layouts
A fluid layout is a style of design that adjusts its content size to match the viewport. It does not have a set width, but rather a max-width attribute that can be configured using a percentage, height, or width. In a basic layout, images have top priority, but do not automatically scale with changes in the viewport. Instead, fluid layouts use percentages to adjust images based on the width of the browser window.
This design strategy is more user-friendly. Because fluid layouts use percentage values instead of fixed pixels, it can be applied to mobile screens. Elements of a design layout will adjust according to their placement in the layout. Fluid grids also use CSS to control their appearance across different screen sizes. They can be very effective on a variety of devices. You can use website builders that offer responsive page templates to help you design for mobile screens.
One of the primary differences between fixed and fluid layouts is the amount of space each component takes up. For example, a single column can take up 80% of a browser window, while three columns could take up 64% and 18% of the screen, respectively. The content can stretch to fill a user’s window, which means that fluid layouts are more flexible. The CSS used in fluid layouts is different from those used in fixed layouts.
Consistency
Consistency is important for a variety of reasons. For one thing, it gives users a sense of familiarity, which will improve their experience. Another advantage of consistency is that it will help your team to maintain internal and external consistency across applications and systems. Consistency in these areas will help you reduce redundancies and create a single source of truth for all components. Here’s an example of how consistent a system is:
While people are overloaded with information, they are often more likely to buy products that are easy to understand. Consistency builds a foundation for harmony, and harmony is a desirable attribute in any experience. Consistency in web design makes user interfaces predictable and learnable, and it unifies a brand. But what exactly does this mean? Here are a few examples. The first is the design of the Comcast Corporation’s website.
If a website has a logo in the top left corner, users will expect that clicking on that logo will take them back to the home page. The same thing goes for their publications, and most users expect the same behavior from them on every site. For example, most websites use a logo in their headers. If a user clicks on a publication name or logo, they will be directed to the home page. Consistency can be internal or external.
Miller’s Law
Known as the “Miller’s Law of Web Design,” this concept refers to a general rule of web design that limits the number of things a person can remember in their short term memory. In today’s world, this law is especially relevant for UX designers. Too many information overloads can lead to poor user experience, and websites should follow this rule to avoid annoyances. To maximize user experience, limit your visual hierarchy to seven items or fewer.
To make navigating the Internet easier, consider using Miller’s Law. Breaking the law results in a poor user experience. By breaking the law, you are forcing web viewers to memorize a lot more information than they actually need. For example, a site with 7 products on one page and seven menu sections is probably not going to be useful for the majority of people. Limiting the amount of information is an important design principle because it allows users to hold onto more information in their working memory.
The law states that the average human has a capacity for only seven pieces of information in their working memory, so it’s important to organize information into bite-sized chunks. When creating information-rich web pages, chunking information into logical groups will allow users to better process the information and make it easier to understand. In addition to this, chunking information will make your site more user-friendly. The average human can remember about seven pieces of information at a time, so it’s important to use the same principles in designing web pages.
Originality
Mies van der Rohe once said, “Don’t try to be original, be good.” Similarly, originality in web design doesn’t necessarily have to mean breaking the rules. Good design must be usable, valuable, credible, and functional. Often, there are already existing designs of a given concept, so why reinvent the wheel? It’s better to follow a proven design principle and avoid plagiarism.
Mobile-friendliness
One of the most basic principles of mobile-friendliness is responsive design. Your website should support breakpoints that adjust design based on screen size. For example, two blocks on a desktop should stack when viewed on a mobile device. Fluid design is another important principle that makes elements visible on any device. For more information, see Principles of mobile-friendliness in web design. In addition, test your site with a variety of mobile devices.
Mobile-first design focuses on user experience. It makes the user interface simple, but keeps important elements close to the surface. Mobile users navigate using their fingers, which may not be as precise or convenient as a mouse or touchpad. This approach is especially important for websites that serve large amounts of data. You should keep mobile-first design in mind when creating a new site. If you aren’t sure whether mobile-first design is right for your project, check out these five principles.
In addition to making your site easy to navigate, it makes it easy to share content with other devices. Mobile-friendly designs are also more likely to generate conversions. Moreover, they can increase your web traffic and boost conversion rates. Juan is a detail-oriented UX Designer. He loves Lady Gaga and exploring local bike trails. Interested in mobile-friendly web design? Contact us! Our team is always available for your questions!
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