Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design :-
Just like a Rules you live a life, you can follow the some rules while designing the User Interface. Based on Ben Shneiderman’s 8 Golden Rules of UI design, These combined with our doable advice will improve the readability and accessibility of your design for your users!
Ben Shneiderman's "Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design" encompass a set of guiding principles aimed at crafting user interfaces that excel in terms of efficiency, user-friendliness, and overall effectiveness. Devised by Ben Shneiderman, a renowned expert in the field of human-computer interaction, these rules are widely respected in interface design. Here is a restated version of Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules of UI Design:
1. Strive For Consistency:
This is one of the fundamental principles in user interface design, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a uniform and predictable design throughout an interface. Consistency are very important in Interface Designing. Consistency can be achieved by keeping elements like fonts, color, shape, and position consistent across all menus and screens for a specific software.
Consistency in design and behavior fosters user predictability and the development of intuitive mental models. Here's an elaboration of this principle:
- Visual Uniformity : Ensure a uniform visual language by using consistent fonts, colors, icons, and layout structures. Visual elements should convey a cohesive brand identity and maintain a consistent look and feel across the interface
- Interaction Predictability : Consistent interaction patterns and behaviors should be used. To reduce confusion, common actions such as clicking, dragging, or scrolling should behave predictably across different sections of the interface.
- Functional Consistency : Ensure that similar functionalities are consistently represented. Buttons, icons, and other interactive elements with similar functions should have a recognizable and consistent design to promote usability.
- Language and Terminology Standardization : Keep the terminology and language used throughout the interface consistent. To avoid confusion and improve user understanding, labels, instructions, and menu items should use standardized language.
- Navigation and Layout: Maintain consistency in navigation structures and layout formats. Based on previous interactions with the interface, users should be able to predict where to find specific features or information.
- Consistency in User-Flow : Create user flows and task sequences that are consistent. When users engage in similar processes, the steps should be familiar and logical, reducing the learning curve.
- Accessibility Conformity : Ensure that accessibility features are integrated consistently. Design elements for disabled users should adhere to standardized practices, promoting an inclusive user experience.
Also Read :- Good Interface vs Bad Interface - Part 1
2. Seek Universal Usability:
Design the interface to be accessible and user-friendly for a diverse audience, encompassing individuals of varying ages, abilities, and backgrounds. This involves addressing accessibility and inclusivity concerns.
This approach centers around user inclusivity and equal access, aiming to accommodate the needs of diverse users. To achieve universal usability, several key principles and strategies can be employed:
3. Offer Informative Feedback:
Supply users with clear and immediate feedback as they interact with the interface. Informative feedback aids in clarifying the consequences of their actions and reducing uncertainty. Provide feedback to users to confirm that their actions have been recognized. This can include visual cues, sounds, or messages that inform users about the outcomes of their interactions.
This principle ensures that users are well-informed, enhancing their overall experience while reducing the likelihood of user confusion or frustration. Here are some essential considerations when applying this rule:
4. Design Dialogs To Yield Closure:
"Design Dialogs to Yield Closure" is one of Ben Shneiderman's Eight Golden Rules of Interface Design. This rule highlights the importance of creating user interfaces with well-organized and purposeful dialogs that guide users through tasks, ultimately providing a sense of closure or task completion.
In interface design, it's crucial to break down complex tasks or processes into smaller, more manageable dialogs or steps. Each of these dialogs should have a specific purpose and contribute to a clear and logical progression towards the user's goal. Closure, in this context, refers to the user's perception of successfully finishing a task or achieving their desired outcome within the interface.
Consider these key aspects when implementing this rule:
- Clear Sequencing: Create dialogues that flow logically and sequentially, guiding users through a series of steps with a distinct beginning, middle, and end. This ensures that users comprehend the context and goal of each interaction.
- Seamless Progression : Create dialogs to simplify processes and avoid unnecessary steps or information overload. Users should have the impression that their interactions with the dialogue are purposeful and efficient.
- Feedback and Confirmation : To confirm user actions, provide feedback within the dialogue. Visual cues, such as checkmarks or success messages, can be used to reassure users that their input has been received and processed successfully.
- Error Handling : Clearly address errors within dialogs. Clearly communicate the nature of the error, provide instructions on how to correct it, and confirm resolution to ensure users are not left in the dark.
- Avoid Ambiguity: Reduce ambiguity in conversations by using simple language and avoiding jargon or complex terminology. Ambiguous prompts can cause user confusion and impede the sense of closure.
- User-Friendly Closures: Make certain that the dialogue's conclusion is user-friendly. Provide options for users to confirm, save, or exit the interaction, and ensure that these options are consistent with their expectations and the overall context of the interaction.
- Consider Contextual Closures: Customize dialog closure to the specific context of the user's journey. The closure should align with the user's intent and expectations, whether it's completing a purchase, submitting a form, or confirming an action.
5. Prevent Errors:
"Prevent Errors" is a fundamental principle in user interface design that focuses on minimizing or eliminating the occurrence of user errors. The goal is to create interfaces that are user-friendly and forgiving, reducing the risk of mistakes and their potential negative consequences.
Design the interface to minimize the occurrence of errors, and when errors do transpire, furnish users with clear and constructive error messages to facilitate error correction. Here's an explanation of this principle:
- Clear and Informative Labels :Provide explicit and easily understandable instructions to guide users through tasks. Clear communication helps users comprehend the expected actions, reducing the likelihood of errors.
- Input Validation : Implement robust input validation mechanisms to catch errors at the source. Real-time feedback on data entry helps users correct mistakes promptly and ensures that only valid inputs are accepted.
- Defaults & Smart Default : Set sensible defaults to minimize the need for user input, reducing the possibility of errors. Smart defaults that align with common user preferences enhance the overall usability of the interface
- Progressive Disclosure: Introduce information progressively to users, avoiding overwhelming them with too many options or details at once. This approach minimizes cognitive load, reducing the likelihood of decision-making errors.
- Feedback Mechanisms: Establish clear and immediate feedback mechanisms to inform users about the success of their actions or alert them to potential errors. Visual cues, tooltips, and error messages contribute to a more informed user experience.
- User Testing : Conduct thorough user testing to identify potential pain points and areas prone to errors. User feedback can provide valuable insights into aspects of the interface that may need refinement for better error prevention.
6. Permit Easy Reversal Of Actions:
This design principle underscores the importance of enabling users to effortlessly undo or reverse their actions. It is particularly relevant in situations where users may make mistakes or change their decisions during their interactions with the system. Allow users to undo their actions, affording them a safety net and alleviating anxiety associated with the prospect of making mistakes. Here's an elaboration of this principle:
- Error Mitigation: Allowing users to undo actions helps mitigate the impact of mistakes. Users can explore the interface, experiment, and recover from errors without fear of irreversible consequences.
- User Confidence: The availability of an undo feature instills confidence in users. Knowing that they can easily correct or reverse actions encourages them to interact more freely with the system.
- Exploration and Learning: Easy reversal of actions promotes a supportive environment for users to learn and explore. Users are more likely to engage in unfamiliar tasks or features if they know they can backtrack if needed.
- Complex Interactions: In systems with complex workflows or multi-step processes, the ability to undo actions becomes crucial. Users can navigate through intricate tasks without worrying about getting stuck or making irreversible errors.
- User Control: Providing an undo option aligns with the principle of supporting users' internal locus of control. Users feel in command of their interactions, fostering a positive user experience.
- Consistency and Predictability: Including an undo feature creates a consistent user experience. Users come to expect the ability to reverse actions, and the absence of such a feature can lead to frustration and confusion.
- Enhanced Productivity: Users can work more efficiently when they have the flexibility to backtrack. This is particularly important in software applications, where users perform a series of actions to achieve specific outcomes.
- User-Friendly Iterative Processes: For tasks that involve iteration or refinement, the undo feature facilitates a smoother workflow. Users can make incremental changes, review the results, and easily revert to a previous state if needed.
7. Keep Users In Control:
Instill in users a sense of control over the interface and their interactions with it, making them feel that they are in command of the system rather than the other way around.
The principle "Keep Users In Control" underscores the importance of empowering users to navigate and interact with a system with a sense of confidence and autonomy. By providing clear and intuitive interfaces, transparent feedback, and predictable navigation, this rule aims to enhance the user experience, ensuring that users feel in command of their interactions and have a positive and efficient engagement with the interface.
8. Reduce Short-Term Memory Load:
Reduce the need for users to remember information, such as previously entered data or specific actions taken. Ensure that vital information is readily visible and easily retrievable.
These Eight Golden Rules serve as invaluable guidelines for designers, facilitating the creation of interfaces that prioritize user satisfaction, efficiency, and effectiveness. Adhering to these principles can result in interfaces that are more user-intuitive and user-centric.
