We often view design principles as rigid guidelines that dictate design decisions. But in reality, they are an incredible tool for rally the team around a shared purpose and document the values and beliefs that an organization embodies.
They align teams and inform decision making. They also keep us afloat amid all the hype, big assumptions, desire for faster delivery, and failure of AI. But how do we choose the right ones and how do we get started? Let’s find out.
Real World Design Principles
In times when we can generate any acceptable design and code in a matter of minutes, we must decide better What is worth designing and building? – and what values we want our products to embody.
It is similar to voice and tone. You may not design it intentionally, but then end users will define it for you. And so, without principles, many business initiatives are random, sporadic, ad-hoc – and feeling lazy, inconsistent or simply bored by the outside world.
Design principles are guidelines and design considerations that designers apply with discretion — by default, without debating or discussing what has already been agreed.
A fantastic resource that I keep coming back to after all these years is Ben Brignell. Principles.design. has 230 tips for design principles and methods.searchable and tagged, covering everything from language and infrastructure to hardware and organizations.
Ten principles of good design
There is no lack of principles. But the good ones are more than just being visionary – they have a point of viewand they explain to us what don’t do it as much as what we do. They also explain what we represent in the world, beyond profits, stock prices and all the hype and noise around us.
Many years ago I found myself The 10 principles of good design by Dieter Rams (see above), a very Humble, practical and tangible. Overview of the principles that informed, shaped and protected your design work at Braun.
There is no visionary statementsand no big bold statements – just a clear description of what we do and where our ambition and care for the products we design lies. It’s honest, sincere, and in many ways, beautiful. human.
Examples of design principles
There are many wonderful examples what I have nearby:
Design principles in design systems
How to establish design principles
Design principles may be personal, but are generally compromised and shaped by the the entire product team. Design principles They are not just for designers. User experience is all from performance to support and customer service, and ideally, participants would cover these areas as well.
However, in practice, establishing principles can be incredibly challenging. They are abstract, vague and often ambiguous, and often very difficult to agree on.
You can start with a simple 8 step workshop (inspired by Marcin Treder, Maria Meireles and Better):
- Pre-session research
Study how users talk about products, what they appreciate, and the words they use. - Get into principle mode
Invite 6-8 participants, ask them to choose their favorite object and describe it in 3 words. - Product Analogies
Compare the product to tangible items (e.g. ‘A Porsche 911’ or ‘a Braun audio system’). - Extract attributes
Individually, in silence, everyone writes down 3 to 5 initial principles, which are then grouped by topic for review. - Link attributes to research
Link attributes to the user’s real pain points or desires, to ensure they are based in reality. - Value Statements
we write ‘We want X for Y’ Sentences that express the reason behind our thinking. - Go to principles
Eliminate analogies to create lasting rules that will guide our design process. - Reality check
Look for both positive and negative examples in our products to see where principles are followed or ignored.
Useful starter kits for beginning workshops
Concluding
Creating principles is only a small part of the job; most of the work is about sharing and incorporating them effectively. It’s hard to get anywhere without finding ways to make design principles a default – reviewing configuration, templates, naming conventions and results.
Principles help avoid endless discussions which often arise from personal preferences or tastes. But design shouldn’t be a matter of taste; You must be guided by our objectives and values. Design principles can help with just that.
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Useful resources
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