What does innovative entail? When is a design considered useful? How do you know if it’s really delightful? Good design principles define qualities that can be interpreted in different ways, and ground them in the context of a specific product. (查看原文)
A principle should offer practical guidance on how to solve a design problem within the context of a specific product. Compare these two versions of one of FutureLearn’s principles:
“Make it simple. Make it so simple it’s almost invisible! We should always work to remove friction on the platform, creating an experience that allows users real freedom to the content. If our platform is easy to understand, people can and will use it more.”
This statement makes perfect sense — no one can argue with the need to have a simple and usable interface. However, it’s not clear from this advice exactly what simplicity means and how to achieve it. Compare it with this version:
“No needless parts. Every design element, from the largest to the smallest, must have a purpose, and contribute to the purpose o... (查看原文)
“In practice, the question “Is it simple?” is much harder to answer objectively than “Does this contain needless parts?” The latter can be acted on by going through the interface and questioning the purpose of every element.” (查看原文)
