7 UI Design Principles That Will Transform the Customer Experience

Many businesses struggle in their efforts to turn website visitors into customers. Good user interface web design is one of a few things that can go a long way toward helping you reach this goal. While they’re different, your user interface and user experience are closely linked. The UI is a significant part of the presentation of a web page, and it facilitates the interactions users have with a given page. 

A strong web page interface design is not only pleasing to look at, it also makes things easy for the user. It deploys subtle tactics to draw their attention to the right places, provides them the information they need, and guides them toward the goals they’re trying to achieve. 

Below, we’ll take a  look at the UI design process and some of the principles that go into creating a successful UI for web design. 

1. Focus on the User

This is a basic tenet of user interface design. The interface is for the user, so you need to take some time to understand who that user is and what their goals might be. You should also try to learn about their expectations and what they could want from an interface. Things like interviews, surveys, and the creation of user personas can be valuable when planning an interface design. You can also refine your user interface with steps like user testing and usability testing. 

2. Consistency 

Strong UI web design relies on consistency. Settle on certain design choices and make them consistent across all pages on a website. This includes use of color, screen layout, terminology, typography, controls, menus, and more. Users will get confused if these design elements change from one page to the next. By keeping them consistent, you create a more satisfying UI.

3. Clarity 

Clarity is one of the most important UI design principles. New users should be able to look at a page and understand its purpose in seconds. The navigation should be intuitive, and every element on the page should have a clear function. If anything is confusing or distracting, it should be refined or removed from the page. 

4. Visual Hierarchy 

Visual hierarchy is one of the keys to strong UI web design. The visual hierarchy of a page arranges the elements in such a way that it lets the user know the importance of different elements while also guiding them through the page in the correct order. A designer can create a visual hierarchy using elements like typography, color, size, and negative space.

5. Familiarity

Another one of the UI design principles is to lean on what users already know. By using familiar screen layouts, control elements, and more, you make it easier for new visitors to understand the UI of a website. As an example, everyone knows what a hamburger menu is and everyone knows what will happen when they click on a shopping cart icon. People also tend to look for menus at the top of the page, and most people expect to navigate to the homepage if they click on the website logo at the top left of the page. 

6. Provide Feedback

Users should always know when their input generated a response from the page. Designers should add different responses to actions so users can be sure they were registered. As an example, you can add a sound or a visual to indicate the action is taking place. Buttons can turn gray after they’re clicked, or an animation can let the user know they need to wait a second while a process is running in the background. 

7. Closure

Designers should make sure users get clear closure when they complete a multi-step process. Let them know they completed the process and they can start on something new. For example, when a customer completes a purchase, the site should navigate to a confirmation page that thanks them for making a purchase and tells them what to expect next. 

While there are UI design trends that can change with time, these principles tend to hold true. Whether you’re designing a website today or 10 years from now, you would want to follow principles like focusing on the user, staying consistent, aiming for clarity, and having a strong visual hierarchy.