Always design for people
Understand people’s motivations and limitations. Focus on what they want and need and the rest will come.
Delight but don’t distract
The different between design and art is that design must be focused on a goal. Don’t let design get in the way of what people need to know, understand or do. That said, never miss a chance to delight. People will more likely have a positive experience with your design if it makes them feel good!
Do get lost in the detail
It’s the little things that will inevitably make or break a design. Pay attention to error handling, messaging, interaction subtleties, thank yous and confirmations. No more ‘forgotten pages’.
Less is more, More is less
Put it out there
Everyone will have an opinion about a design and so long as I am designing for people, I must respect, consider and act upon these opinions accordingly. Scrutiny is the key to succeeding as a designer. It’s nothing personal.
Measure and back it up
Test designs. Find out what did – or didn’t – work. Iterate and learn.
Commit to continuous improvement
It is better to strengthen, build upon and improve the foundations than ripping them out or starting something new.
Work hard
Great design comes from patience and hard work, not luck, not a flash of genius.
