The primary components of psychological design rarely change, even as the Software and Web Development industries continue to evolve. In order to create an enjoyable and productive interface, Shneiderman’s 8 golden rules provide a perfect foundation. Shneiderman’s rules originated in the 1980s and have persisted throughout the shift from desktops to smartphones due to their focus on the human brain, not the devices. When designing anything from a simple landing page to a fully established eCommerce Website, Shneiderman’s rules serve as a usability checklist.
The Guidelines That Shape Amazing Design
Digital products should strive to remove as many mental roadblocks as possible from the user journey. If a user does not understand the ”how to” instructions for the product, and has to come up with a variety of ways to figure out the “where to” buttons, then the product is a design failure. By adhering to these fundamental UX design principles, you ensure that users’ goals are accomplished without barriers created by technology.
Here are some insights into the eight rules of design:
1. Design for Consistency
This is the most important rule. Interface consistency means that similar situations should lead to similar actions. For example, a “Submit” button should be the same color on all pages and use the same icon every time you use that functionality. Consistency allows the site to be learned quickly, as the knowledge of how one part of the site works can be applied everywhere.
2. Aim For Universal Usability
It is probable that your service users come from a variety of backgrounds. Some are novices and will need detailed instructions. Others will be experts and will want to skip to the relevant bits. Your design should cater to both of these extremes. For the novices, use clear labels and descriptive instructions. For the seasoned users, implement shortcuts like keyboard commands and “hit” menus that don’t take up space, allowing them to expedite their workflows.
3. Give Users the Information They Need
The interface will need to respond when users perform actions on your site. You can think of it as a conversation. If you ask a question and receive utter silence, you will think something is wrong. It’s identical for a website. A user should click a button and the button should change to a “pressed” state. If they submit a form, it should show a confirmation message. Users will start double-clicking or think the site is frozen. The actions users perform on your site will need clear and reassuring feedback. The more significant the actions, like payments, the more feedback is required so users will know exactly what is happening.
4. Design Dialogs to Yield Closure
Thinking about how users check out on eCommerce sites is a good example. A good checkout process is made of four steps. Each step should provide a sense of closure. There is the cart, then shipping, then payment, and a final “Thank You” page. Each of these steps should feel complete to the user. This gives users a sense of accomplishment and clarity on how far along they are in the process.
A Short Quiz: Are You in Compliance?
- Predictability: Are buttons that do the same thing consistent across all pages?
- Response: Does the site communicate to the user that a certain action has been successfully completed?
- Freedom: Is it easy for the user to “Undo” anything they do?
- Simplicity: Does the interface let users concentrate on a single thing in a given time span?
5. Preventing Mistakes
Instead of dealing with mistakes when they occur, take it to an even smarter level. Don’t drive someone to an open text field and have them guess a date. Provide a calendar. If a password requires a special character, explain that while they’re typing it, instead of after a rejection. If you think about and smooth out these potential bumps, you will enable your users to progress instead of forcing them to stop to fix a mistake.
6. Allowing the Reversal of Actions
Users should be given the chance to regain lost possibilities when they commit to a mistake. A user will feel less anxious and more at ease while interacting with your site with the presence of an ‘Undo’ or ‘Cancel’ button. Users will more likely navigate your site when they know they can fix an error.
7. Encourage Internal Locality of Control
Users want to feel in charge of their online experience. They want to choose when to play a video or navigate to a new page. Users dislike when a site begins a video with sound or when a pop-up appears as they’re trying to read something. Starting to do things to a user without their permission comes off as invasive. If you want to keep their trust, let them decide when to take the necessary action.
8. Minimize Short-Term Memory Load
When it comes to thinking and remembering, we have our limits. If someone wants to use a product code, and has to remember that code from the prior page, they will likely become frustrated. You cannot afford a bad UX for a design that forces users to relearn the layout of the website over and over.
Why These Rules Still Matter Today
Taking everything else away, Shneiderman tells us to be empathetic. It’s about moving away from one’s own head and considering the user’s time, objective, and potential for frustrations. Applying the principles is more than attempting to create a “minimalist” or “clean” site. It is about building something of substance and putting usability best practices. Users return to sites because they trust the site, and they build this trust because the site works and is functional.