Universal Principles of Design [Quick Reference]
Cheat Sheet for the book by Lidwell, Holden, and Butler
80/20 Rule
80% of x involves 20% of y
Example
A toolbar that takes up little space but provides a bunch of functionality.
Accessibility
Environments should be accessible to as many users as possible without modification. There are 4 traits that indicate this: perceptibility, operability, simplicity, and forgiveness.
Example
Web forms with placeholder text and aria attributes.
Advance Organizer
Instructional technique that explains new things using existing knowledge. Two types: expository and comparative.
Example
Tree chart do depict someone's ancestry (expository).
Aesthetic-Usability Effect
People like to use and prefer pretty things.
Example
Pretty things.
Affordance
Where physical characteristics of an object match/influence its function
Example
Plate on door meant to be pushed vs handle meant to be pulled.
Alignment
Placement of elements so that the edges line up along a line. Could also be a line through the vertical center.
Example
Any word document.
Anthropomorphic Form
A tendency to favor humanoid looking things.
Example
Pear shaped method soap dispenser.
Archetypes
Universal patterns derived from innate biases.
Example
Foreboding architecture surrounding nuclear disposal sites to warn future intelligence.
Area Alignment
Aligning elements based on the density of their area and not just their edges.
Example
Vertical silhouettes of people.
Attractiveness Bias
Tendecy to perceive attractive people as smarter, more moral, sociable, and competent.
Example
JFK vs Nixon.
Baby-Face Bias
Tendency to see people and things with baby faces as more naive, helpless, and honest.
Example
People almost universally adore babies. However, the same can not be said about your average adult male.
Biophilia Effect
Environments rich in nature views reduce stress and increase focus and concentration.
Example
Go camping.
Cathedral Effect
Relation between perceived height of a ceiling and cognition. High ceilings -> creativity. Low ceilings -> concrete, detail-oriented.
Chunking
Combining many units of info into limited units (chunks).
Example
Most websites, brochures, and handouts.
Classical Conditioning
Associating a stimulus with an unconscious or emotional response.
Example
Teaching a dog to sit by using treats.
Closure
Tendency to perceive a set of elements as a single, larger element.
Cognitive Dissonance
Tendency to seek consistency among attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs.
It's easier to use small incentives to change people's attitudes than trying with large incentives. Large incentives only create justifications while the underlying attitude remains unchanged.
Color
Saturated colors attract. Desaturated colors for efficiency and performance.