101 UX Principles – 2nd edition

Will Grant is a British UI/UX expert and a digital product designer. He is a web technology entrepreneur with over 25 years' experience, leading teams (and products) at the intersection of technology and usability. After his Computer Science degree, Will trained with Jakob Nielsen and Bruce Tognazzini at the Nielsen Norman Group – the world leaders in usable design. Since then, Will has overseen the user experience and interaction design of several large-scale web sites and apps, reaching over a billion users in the process. Will is a "design purist" and obsessed with building beautiful, compelling, and familiar products that customers intuitively know how to use.

• Table of ContentsEveryone Can Be Great at UXBe Strategic About Using These PrinciplesDonUse A/B Testing To Test Your IdeasTest with Real UsersNobody Cares About Your BrandDon't Use More Than Two TypefacesUsers Already Have Fonts on Their Computers, So Use ThemUse Type Size and Weight to Depict an Information HierarchyUse a Sensible Default Size for Body CopyUse an Ellipsis to Indicate That There's a Further StepMake Interactive Elements Obvious and DiscoverableMake Buttons a Sensible Size and Group Them Together by FunctionMake the Whole Button Clickable, Not Just the TextDonSearch Should be a Text Field with a Button Labeled "Search"Sliders Should Be Used for Non-Quantifiable Values OnlyUse Numeric Entry Fields for Precise IntegersDon't Use a Drop-Down Menu If You Only Have a Few OptionsAllow Users to Undo Destructive ActionsOptimise your interface for mobileUse "Infinite Scroll" for FeedIf Your Content Has a Beginning, Middle and End, Use PaginationAllow Users to Accept or Reject Cookies with One ClickHelp users understand their next steps from "Empty States"Make "Getting Started" Tips Easily DismissableWhen a User Refreshes a Feed, Move Them to the Last Unread ItemDon't Hide Items Away in a "Hamburger" MenuMake Your Links Look Like LinksSplit Menu Items Down Into Subsections, so Users DonCategorize Settings in an Accessible WayRepeat Menu Items in the Footer or Lower Down in the ViewUse Consistent Icons Across the ProductDon't Use Obsolete IconsDonNever Use Text on IconsAlways Give Icons a Text LabelUse Device-Native Input Features Where PossibleStreamline Creating and Entering PasswordsAlways Allow the User to Paste into Password FieldsDon't Attempt to Validate Email AddressesRespect UsersPick a Sensible Size for Multiline Input FieldsUse Animation with Care in User InterfacesUse the Same Date Picker Controls ConsistentlyPre-Fill the Username in Make Your Input Systems Case-InsensitiveChatbots Are Usually a Bad IdeaIf Your Forms Are Good, Your Product Is GoodValidate Data Entry as Soon as PossibleIf the Form Fails Validation, Show the User Which Field Needs Their AttentionUsers DonPick the Right Control for the JobAllow Users to Enter Phone Numbers However They WishUse Dropdowns Sensibly for Date EntryCapture the Bare Minimum When Requesting Payment Card DetailsMake it Easy for Users to Enter Postal or ZIP CodesDon't Add Decimal Places to Currency InputMake It Painless for the User to Add ImagesUse a Show a Numeric Progress Indicator on the Progress BarShow a Contrast Ratios Are Your FriendsIf You Must Use Avoid Ambiguous SymbolsMake Links Make Sense Out of ContextAdd "Skip to Content" Links Above the Header and NavigationNever Use Color Alone to Convey InformationIf You Turn off Device Zoom with a Meta Tag, YouGive Navigation Elements a Logical Tab OrderWrite Clear Labels for ControlsMake Tappable Areas Finger-SizedLet Users Turn off Specific NotificationsEach Aspect of a UserThe User Should Always Know What Stage They Are at in Any Given JourneyUse Breadcrumb NavigationUsers Rarely Care About Your CompanyFollow the Standard E-Commerce PatternShow an Indicator If the UserLet Users Give Feedback, but DonDon't Use a Vanity Splash ScreenMake Your Favicon DistinctiveAdd a Make it Easy for Users to Pay YouGive Users the Ability to Filter Search ResultsYour Users Probably DonShow, Don't TellBe Consistent with TerminologyUse Make It Clear to Users If TheyStandardize the Password Reset ExperienceWrite Like a Human BeingChoose Active Verbs over PassiveSearch Results Pages Should Show the Most Relevant Result at the Top of the PagePick Good DefaultsOnly Use Modal Views for Blocking ActionsGive Users The Experience They ExpectDecide Whether an Interaction Should Be Obvious, Easy, or PossibleDon