How to Make a Good Design

Sources: https://www.apa.org/images/2020-01-trends-technology-flow_tcm7-267085_w1024_n.png

Do you wonder how people out there can make a very good design? Now I will share to you about some tips that you can do to make a good design and I also will present to you the example of each of these tips that is taken from my current project’s design.

What is Usability?

Usability is a criteria that measure whether user can easily use a certain object to achieve a goal. The object that is measured is usually a real live product, but in this article we will apply the usability to the design of user interface of website or mobile application.

Usability Goals

1. Security: We must provide a clear security assurance to user
2. Efficiency: We must provide systematic structure of UI to help user
3. Learnability: User must be able to understand the design easily
4. Memorability: User can easily remember the design

Nielsen 10’s Usability Heuristics

The popular tips in making design is to follow some principle that is proposed by the expert. Jakob Nielsen propose 10 general principles for interaction design. These are called “Heuristics” because these are broad rules of thumb and not the must use usability guidelines. These principles are:

1. Visibility of system status

The design should always keep users informed about what is going on, through appropriate feedback within a reasonable amount of time.

The header “Lupa Kata Sandi” say the status of the system where we currently are

2. Match between system and the real world

The design should speak the users’ language. Use words, phrases, and concepts familiar to the user, rather than internal jargon. Follow real-world conventions, making information appear in a natural and logical order.

We speak with user’s language that is familiar with the user. In this page also we display the profile picture to make it look more like real world

3. User control and freedom

Users often perform actions by mistake. They need a clearly marked “emergency exit” to leave the unwanted action without having to go through an extended process.

User can choose whether to accept or decline to make sure the action taken by the user is what the user intended

4. Consistency and standards

Users should not have to wonder whether different words, situations, or actions mean the same thing. Follow platform and industry conventions.

We use industry convention about home screen of business application

5. Error prevention

Good error messages are important, but the best designs carefully prevent problems from occurring in the first place. Either eliminate error-prone conditions, or check for them and present users with a confirmation option before they commit to the action.

We prevent error by checking the value that user input before sending it to the core of the application

6. Recognition rather than recall

Minimize the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use the design (e.g. field labels or menu items) should be visible or easily retrievable when needed.

Help user recognize things rather than make user recall the information

7. Flexibility and efficiency of use

Shortcuts — hidden from novice users — may speed up the interaction for the expert user such that the design can cater to both inexperienced and experienced users. Allow users to tailor frequent actions.

User can achieve efficiency by placing a shortcuts to help them achieve their goals faster

8. Aesthetic and minimalist design

Interfaces should not contain information which is irrelevant or rarely needed. Every extra unit of information in an interface competes with the relevant units of information and diminishes their relative visibility.

The interface only contains what the information that is relevant with the current situation

9. Help users recognize, diagnose, and recover from errors

Error messages should be expressed in plain language (no error codes), precisely indicate the problem, and constructively suggest a solution.

We give user error message in plain language so that user can understand very well about the problem and the solution

10. Help and documentation

It’s best if the system doesn’t need any additional explanation. However, it may be necessary to provide documentation to help users understand how to complete their tasks.

Give user documentation about how to use the application

That’s all about the tips and example I can give to you about how to make a good design by following Nielsen 10’s Usability Heuristics so that the user can easily use our product. Thank you for reading this article and I hope this article can help you in making a better design.