Fundamentals
Usability First
Minimise risk, cognitive load, and interaction cost before adding anything else
Key Insight
Every UI design decision should reduce usability risk, not add to it. The core principle: have a logical reason for every design detail. Decoration without purpose increases cognitive load. Interaction cost — the effort required to complete a task — should be minimised at every step. These aren't constraints on creativity; they are the conditions under which creativity serves users.
Key Points
- •Minimise usability risk: test assumptions early, don't ship unvalidated patterns
- •Every design detail needs a reason: decoration without purpose adds cognitive noise
- •Interaction cost: reduce the number of steps, taps, scrolls, and decisions required
- •Cognitive load: limit the number of things users must hold in mind at once
- •Common patterns lower learning cost — use established conventions before inventing
Guidelines
- ✓Remove any element you cannot explain the purpose of
- ✓Test primary user flows with real users before launch — not after
- ✓Count steps to complete core tasks: each step is a drop-off opportunity
- ✓Apply the 80/20 rule: which 20% of features do 80% of users need?
- ✓Accessibility is not optional — it is a usability requirement for every user
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