Design Principles

Design principles are fundamental ideas and guidelines that inform and shape the process of creating user interfaces and user experiences in software development. They serve as the foundation for decision-making in design to ensure usability, consistency, and aesthetic appeal in products.

Purpose

The purpose of design principles is to guide designers in creating effective, user-centered interfaces that meet the needs and expectations of users. They provide a framework for making design decisions and help maintain a cohesive and intuitive user experience across the product.

Format

Design principles are typically articulated as a list of clear, actionable statements or concepts. Each principle is accompanied by explanations and examples to illustrate its application in design practice.

Examples

Intercom

Connected, Modular Systems: We favour modular systems over bespoke optimisations. We reuse, evolve and merge before creating something new.
Opinionated by Default, Flexible Under the Hood: We optimise our designs to feel simple and opinionated by default, but progressively reveal power and flexibility.
Follow Fundamentals: We favour established best practices and avoid overly clever, non-standard design patterns.
Make it Feel Personal: Our designs reflect that we’re connecting real people, not entries in a database.
What You Ship is What Matters: Our deliverable is not the design file. We take pride and ownership of what we ship.

BBC

Universal: Our messages are clear and are communicated through simple, useful, and intuitive interfaces. Our services are inherently open and accessible.
Compelling: Our voice ranges from serious and authoritative through to witty and entertaining. We sound authentic and relevant, warm and human. We engage our audiences with compelling storytelling.
Authentic: We value the familiarity and trust placed in us. We acknowledge the BBC’s heritage of iconic design and broadcasting history with subtle references.
Pioneering: We pioneer design innovations that surprise and delight. We introduce the unexpected but always take our audiences with us.
Current: We curate a timeline of Britain; reflecting the present as it happens and adding relevant contextual links with the past.
Distinctive: We stand out by looking to tomorrow instead of simply referencing the design trends of today. We strike a balance between cookie-cutter design and beautiful anarchy.
Joined-up: All our services and platforms are one connected whole which deliver experiences sensitive to their context of use. We enable coherent journeys both within and outside familiar paths. We connect our audiences where there are shared interests and experiences.
Local / Global: We need to speak to everyone but we recognise the individual. Our message is scalable and localisable.
Modern British: Our services are woven into the fabric of everyday life in the UK. They embrace a modern British design aesthetic that extends outside national boundaries. Our character is vibrant and sometimes quirky.
Best: Last but not least we put quality first.

Airbnb

Unified: Each piece is part of a greater whole and should contribute positively to the system at scale. There should be no isolated features or outliers.
Universal: Airbnb is used around the world by a wide global community. Our products and visual language should be welcoming and accessible.
Iconic: We’re focused when it comes to both design and functionality. Our work should speak boldly and clearly to this focus.
Conversational: Our use of motion breathes life into our products, and allows us to communicate with users in easily understood ways.

NHS

Put People at the Heart of Everything You Do: Patients, family, carers, staff. Design things that understand and respect people’s needs. Take the time to learn about the whole person - their emotional, physical, and technical needs. Design with Compassion.
Design for the Outcome: What will good look like? What are the health, wellbeing, or other measurable outcomes that your work will impact? Your work should improve lives, either directly or indirectly.
Be Inclusive: NHS services are for everyone. Make sure people with different physical, mental health, social, cultural, or learning needs can use your design.
Design for Context: Don’t just design your part of a service. Consider people’s entire experience, and the infrastructure and processes involved. Think about how people begin and end their time with what you are designing.
Design for Trust: People trust the NHS. Take care not to jeopardise that. Design things that are reliable and secure.
Test Your Assumptions: Design and test your work with real people. Observe behaviour and gather evidence. Work with subject experts and existing research. Do not rely on hunches.
Make, Learn, Iterate: Start small. Experiment with different ways of doing things. Make prototypes to improve your understanding. Test and refine.
Do the Hard Work to Make it Simple: Healthcare journeys can be complex. Take the time to understand what you are trying to solve. Do not push complexity onto the people using what you are designing.
Make Things Open. It Makes Things Better: Share your learning. Share your work. Be transparent in your design decisions.

Anti-patterns

Lack of Clarity: Vague or overly broad principles that don’t guide behaviour or decision-making effectively.
Misalignment: Principles that are not aligned with the actual practices or behaviours within the organisation.