12 Core Principles for Premium Quality UX Design

The UX design process I described in Part Two of this series is guided by principles that add value to the product and differentiate normal products from high-quality products. Here are what I consider the 12 Core Principles for Premium Quality UX Design:

1. Focus on the user

The “U” in UX design is the most important piece. As UX designers, we can’t create a good user experience without considering the users themselves. Research and study of user behavior is key to ensure the success of the product.

2. Business value

Despite the focus on the user, the product must bring value to the business in order to justify the investment to create it. The Product Owner will help ensure that business expectations are met.

3. Flexibility

Throughout the product’s lifecycle, requirements will naturally change, as will business needs. These changes often need to be made quickly, so the product design process must be flexible in order to adapt.

4. Iteration

An iterative, agile process of continuous development based on UX design is the fastest and most effective way to make changes in order to offer a better product or service.

5. Consistency

No matter how large or complex the product is, every UI element from the same family should have the same behavior and the same look and feel. This helps avoid the degradation of the user experience, improve trust with the user, and enhance the usability and maintainability of the product.

6. Reusability

If we build a system in which we can reuse certain parts throughout product development, we significantly increase consistency, flexibility and efficiency. All wins!

7. Inclusivity

The product or service must be accessible and usable by a wide and diverse range of people. This includes designing for people with and without disabilities.

This does not mean that it is always possible or appropriate to design a single product that works the same way for everyone, but solutions must be found so that each individual has a user experience that is appropriate to their particular needs.

8. Ethics

During the entire product’s lifecycle, other macro-variables must also be taken into account to ensure that the product or service is positive for both people and the planet. This includes its impact on society, its economic impact, its energy use, whether it contributes to the depletion of scarce natural resources, and its residual impact on the environment.

9. Security

Products are the gateway to the companies we work with, so the commitment to safety and security is crucial, and all the requirements the company demands must be met. Also, a safe, secure product and company increases user confidence and leads to a better overall experience.

10. Performance

The ability to respond quickly to user interactions is very important. Some digital products or services might be used by millions of people around the world at the same time, and the product’s speed may be affected by that volume. UX designers must take into account all possible factors that can impact product performance, such as the visual design, quality of the code, requests to the system, assets such as images, sound, video, and texture, etc. By improving the product’s performance or the perception of its performance, we also improve the usability and achieve a better user experience.

11. Measurability

Without analytical data, we can’t be certain that the changes we make to a product are actually improving the user experience. We must define what we want to be able to measure before we make changes. By choosing the right metrics and studying data variations over time and with each iteration of the product, we will be able to determine the outcome of the changes. The advantage of digital products is that there is a great variety of data that can be collected, such as user behavior, product (performance and security) or business data (conversion rate, execution time, etc.).

12. Fun

As important as the rest of principles above. Having fun while working on UX design (or everything for that matter) leads you to get better results… and if not, at least you’ve had a good time. 😉