Few Basic Interaction Design Principles Will Boost UX Design

If you want to improve and take the UX design to the higher level, then you must implement Interaction Design. Commonly known as IxD, there are a few basic principles to follow in interaction design so that you can make the UX design more useful and effective.

Interaction design usually deals with the behavior of human and computer systems with its carefully engineered designs. If you are an interaction designer, then you must make the functions and content of the product design more user-friendly and easy to use. It will only be useful when the design is technically feasible and will raise the commercial interest.

All of these working together will provide a better user experience irrespective of the fact that it is designed for a traditional graphical user interface or any other smart electronic gadgets.

The principles to follow

The basic principles to follow will make your task easy and effective. These principles are:

• The mental model of the users – To start with your interaction design you must know, understand and follow the mental model of the users. This is because most users operate any interface based merely on their basic instinct. In other words, when a user encounters a button, they tend to think that it will suffice their purpose and trigger to meet their requirements. Therefore, you have to keep the needs and wants of the users in mind when you design. If the button triggers any different operation Ratner than what is expected by the user, then your design must be bad.
• User’s needs – At all cost and times you must meet the needs of the users which is another fundamental principle of interaction design. That means you will first need to evaluate the requirements of the users as that is the primary work of any product manager. You will get different tools and find many ways to identify the needs of the users. Observing the behavior of the user, analyzing all data collected, building user scenarios are to name a few of such methods and tools to make a design that will meet the needs and pu8rpose of the users quickly and effectively.
• Consistency – This is another fundamental principle in the UX design process. Consistent performance of the design is required within the similar or familiar scenes and functions. This will not only help in useful and smooth operation but will also render a feeling in a specific category of the product. The primary objective to provide consistency to the design is to reduce the learning costs of the users along with the cognitive costs and the likelihood of any misuse.
• VI system – The most crucial system tool to provide consistency to the design of any category is Visual Identity System or VI. This will guide all of the external image design with its essence of visual consistency of a high degree. It will guide the users quickly and ‘compel’ them to be associated with the visual information of the business or products. Along with the auxiliary graphics that are commonly used in VI system, the colors, the shapes, the background, as well as the twisted angles, remain exactly the same when you use such a useful system tool. This consistency will stimulate the brain cells of the user and generate reactions to identify the product or business instantaneously. On the whole, it will drastically reduce plenty of cognitive costs and gets recognition from everyone making the design a set “standard.”
• Less is more – This is a design philosophy originally anticipated by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, an architect. This promotes simplicity and originality while opposing over decoration in a design. There can be different interpretations of it across different industries but “less” does not mean “simple” in any way in the internet industry. Ideally, it is the focus of the designer to reduce the cognitive and operational costs of the user.
• Simple language – The use of simple language in place of confusing and hard to understand technical terms is the norm now in UX design. You must know that users are not designers or developers and mostly do not understand the developments process and the intricacies and complexities of a design concept. Therefore, it is paramount that the text and language are close to the general thoughts of the users. Moreover, users nowadays are busy people and most of them are not smart. Therefore, you must optimize and use a few functions for the middle-class users.
• Functional than aesthetic – There is a constant debate between functionality and aesthetics amongst designers. While most people now think functionality reigns supreme there are a few that still consider a good looking interface is the need of the hour. Well, good aesthetics will surely please the user and will also reflect the upgraded iterations of the product but a functionary of the product design is more significant. Unnecessary focus on beauty may result in the loss of the basic operation and standard normal operating principles of the product.  
• Design and art – Modern design is all about a combination of art and design to provide a better user experience. However, the design is significantly different from art because art gives a sense of “feeling,” but a design helps people to solve problems and meet their needs. A good design will have a combination of both design and art in the right proportion so as to provide a little “emotional feeling” to the user beyond functionality. This will make the user smile which is priceless and a remarkable achievement.

Lastly, a design must be intuitive. This is another significant feature of designing that will provide a better user experience and a successful design.

A good design will not make the user think but act to achieve their goals and meet their needs and that too in the shortest possible time.

You must use accurate operating parts so that the design stands and conveys the necessary information to the users. That means the user will be able to operate the interface on the basis of their instinct and life experience at no extra cost for learning.