Learn from Google's Design Principles

While doing some research on search engine optimization (SEO) for my web design book, I came across a page from Google’s User Experience team that discusses the organization’s design principles. Upon reading these principles, I felt compelled to share it with the world (or at least the three people who read my blog ).

The folks at Google have come up with a “words to live by” list for web designers everywhere – not just those employed by Google. Here are the top ten principles. Read the details at Google’s site.

1. Focus on people – their lives, their work, their dreams… above all, a well-designed product is useful in daily life.
2. Every millisecond counts… unnecessary clicks, typing, steps, and other actions are eliminated.
3. Simplicity is powerful… think twice before sacrificing simplicity in pursuit of a less important feature.
4. Engage beginners and attract experts… the best designs appear quite simple on the surface but include powerful features that are easily accessible to those users who want them.
5. Dare to innovate… it is the element of imagination that transforms designs from ho-hum to delightful.
6. Design for the world… design products that are contextually relevant and available through the medium and methods that make sense to users. [Amen!]
7. Plan for today’s and tomorrow’s business… if a profitable design doesn’t please users, it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
8. Delight the eye without distracting the mind… a positive first impression makes users comfortable, assures them that the product is reliable and professional, and encourages people to make the product their own.”
9. Be worthy of people’s trust… make sure the interface is efficient and professional, actions are easily reversed, ads are clearly identified, terminology is consistent, and users are never unhappily surprised.
10. Add a human touch… text and design elements should be friendly, quirky, and smart – not boring, close-minded, or arrogant.