Member-only story

10 interaction design rules you must never break

UI Design best practices.

Cristian Bosch
UX Collective
7 min readJun 24, 2020

10 interaction design rules you must never break cover image

InIn life, there are certain rules you must never break. If you do there will be hell to pay. In User Interface design there are also rules to live by. They are called “heuristics” or general principles that improve usability in user interfaces. These are repeatable patterns that have been tested over time and help users navigate an interface. A well-designed interface will always contemplate the following principles. A not so well designed interface will surely lack one or more of these principles. You’re a UI designer so why would you break one of these rules and cause your users such headache?

This list was adapted from Norman Neilsen’s 10 Heuristics for User Interface design.

1. Visibility of System Status

The system should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within reasonable time.

visibility of system status

Always give your users appropriate information, hints and context so they know where they are within the system at all times. This allows the user to feel in control and know what to do next. Did the item get…

Create an account to read the full story.

The author made this story available to Medium members only.
If you’re new to Medium, create a new account to read this story on us.

Or, continue in mobile web

Already have an account? Sign in

Published in UX Collective

We believe designers are thinkers as much as they are makers. Curated stories on UX, Visual & Product Design. https://linktr.ee/uxc

Responses (10)

What are your thoughts?

Hi Cristian, I am a product designer from China. I just read your article and benefited a lot. May I translate your article into Chinese and share it with my friends? I will attach the original author and link. Hoping to get your authorization.

--

I have seen a few different types of representing the heuristic, but this one is my favorite!

--

Why not add another rule:
11. If you intend to charge people for access. Tell them upfront.

--