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

Don’t let aesthetic or interaction 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!

Get lost in the detail

It’s the little things that will inevitably make or break a design. Pay attention to error handling, messaging, micro-interactions, thank yous and confirmations. No more ‘forgotten pages’.

Less is more, More is less

Simple.

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 foundations rather than ripping them out or starting something new. Most of the time.

Work hard

Great design comes from patience and hard work. Not luck, not a flash of genius.