Designers value clarity, efficiency, consistency, and beauty. Originally noticed in Salesforce’s Lightning Design System. These are fantastic guiding principles, but doing them all at a rigorous level can be time and resource intensive. To get things done, we make sacrifices.
To shift from idealized principles to operating values that help us make quick decisions, we should prioritize:
- Clarity above all
- Efficiency when interfaces are clear
- Consistency when interfaces are efficient
- Beauty when interfaces are consistent
Clarity Above All
Everyone should understand the content of an interface. They should understand the consequences of every action. This shouldn’t demand training. For example, a guitar takes a few seconds to understand, but a lifetime to master.
Clarity isn’t concerned with mastery of the process the interface supports. Its concern is that the interface accurately represents its content and capabilities.
When an interface isn’t clear, making it more efficient will help people with training. This creates a dependency inside the organization. It’s difficult to scale training. It’s far easier to scale an organization that has software with clear interfaces.
Efficiency When Interfaces are Clear
People should be able to complete their job-to-be-done without thinking about the interface. For example, a book reader shouldn’t be thinking about the binding, pages, and size of the text. The interface should “fit” the situation well enough to fade into the background.
Efficiency isn’t concerned with a person’s history with an interface. Its concern is that people can use the interface with minimum effort.
Our first attempt to make an interface more efficient is to make it familiar. Unfortunately, using known patterns to create the illusion of familiarity hides process inefficiencies. It can look and feel right — tricking people into believing it’s efficient. Concentrate on the mechanics. Optimize the process.
Consistency when Interfaces are Efficient
Using interfaces with similar goals shouldn’t demand learning separate processes. For example, pulling a door handle to enter a room, then pushing a door panel to enter the next room. If someone has taken the time to learn a process, use that knowledge.
Consistency isn’t concerned with what a person finds interesting. Its concern is with people correctly assuming how an interface operates.
The desire to make a boring interface more exciting leads to abandoning familiarity. The trade is rarely worthwhile. The delight of assuming how an interface works, and being correct, is hard to beat. When an interface works the person using it feels more competent. In control. Powerful.
Beauty when Interfaces are Consistent
When someone is using an interface, it should look and feel like other related interfaces. Not functionally consistent — aesthetically consistent. For example, imagine someone wearing pajamas to a black tie affair. Something went wrong. Pajamas are great, but not when everyone else is wearing a tux or a gown.
Beauty isn’t concerned with an individual’s cosmetic preference. Its concern is with a larger population’s sense of a coherent look and feel.
Everyone has cosmetic preferences. One person might find something gorgeous, while another finds it hideous. After a theme emerges can an interface “feel right” in relation to other interfaces.
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