UX for startups is one of the most important considerations these businesses have. Poor product design can inhibit great app ideas and drive users away. Of course, UX design isn’t the only thing to consider, but it plays a critical role in the long-term success of any mobile application.
Startups are often focused on innovation and delivering the best idea. Sometimes this focus on innovation leads to UX/UI design becoming an afterthought. Without a decent UI design, your startup can’t hope to deliver a quality User Experience or retain users.
This post will cover UX design principles startups should understand. Knowing these UX design principles will help your startup deliver a quality User Experience and find innovative ways to deliver features and services.
UX Design Principles Your Startup Should Know
To understand UX design principles, you must understand how User Interface design plays a vital role. UI design refers to the elements of an application that users interact with. For example, a button’s shape, color, font, etc., is part of UI design. Therefore, User Interface design is critical to delivering a great User Experience. Without a good UI design, your application cannot hope to deliver a good UX.
Keep this point in mind as we discuss UX design principles. UI design elements will be mentioned as they play a vital role in the UX design principles we will discuss. To deliver a quality UX design, keep these principles in mind:
- Keep it consistent
- Meet the needs of your user
- Make it accessible
- Establish a navigation hierarchy
- Simplify when possible
Keep It Consistent
One of the most important UX design principles is consistency. Every element of your application’s User Interface should be consistent. It is a simple principle that is very effective when executed properly and a glaring issue when not. Skilled UX designers won’t often miss easy consistency issues like color schemes, fonts, and button shapes.
However, consistency goes beyond color schemes and font choices. In addition, you need to use consistent branding, content, images, CTA (call to action) copy, and more. For example, if you use the CTA copy “Call Now” on your call button on one page, it would be a bad UX design to use a CTA copy that reads “Contact Us” for a call button on another page. In addition, your tone and brand voice should be consistent throughout the application. Users will immediately notice drastic changes in tone and brand voice. Inconsistency in this regard will confuse users and lead them to distrust your brand.
Meet the Needs of Your User
When designing and developing your startup’s product, you must ensure that the user’s needs are met. While this might sound like a fairly obvious UX design principle, it is too easy to get caught up in design and development and forget the user’s needs. What purpose does your product serve? Why are users choosing your product?
Developing a UX/UI design that looks great to you and your internal team that users don’t find appealing or helpful is possible. The best way to ensure that your startup’s application meets the needs of its users is to do thorough customer journey research. How will customers navigate your product? Is it easy for them to complete their desired actions?
Getting to know what your target audience expects is also helpful. It will be nearly impossible to meet the needs of your users if you don’t know who they are and what they want. As your UX designers go through the UX design process, keep your end user at the center of the process.
Make It Accessible
Most applications and digital products aim to appeal to the widest possible audience. Even in niche segments, startups want their product to be usable by people from all walks of life. Accessibility is a must in UX/UI design. This means UX designers must account for people with different eyesight, cognitive, and physical abilities.
Accessible app and web design should eliminate as many obstacles for users as possible. For example, UX designers should ensure that touch targets are generously sized for those who might have different physical abilities. As highlighted by popular webflow companies, it’s crucial for UX designers to prioritize user inclusivity, including those with varying physical abilities. This involves considerations such as ensuring touch targets are adequately sized to accommodate a diverse range of users.
In addition, UX designers should avoid using color as the only action indicator for people who are color blind. For example, when an error is made in a form, don’t just change the text color of the erroneous fields to red. People who are colorblind won’t know where the error is, and they will likely get frustrated with your product.
Establish a Navigation Hierarchy
A logical navigation hierarchy is a critical component of good UX design. Information and content should naturally flow from most important to least important. This UX design principle should be applied to the navigation element of your startup’s product and its content. Not only does a clear hierarchy make logical sense, but it helps your users find the information they need in the place they expect to find it.
Users who have difficulty navigating your application will be frustrated and look elsewhere. Luckily, establishing logical navigation shouldn’t be difficult if you take the time to map the customer journey through your product.
Simplify When Possible
Sometimes less is more. Don’t try to do too much with your application’s UX/UI design. Mobile apps lend themselves to minimal designs because they operate on small screens. It is understandable to be tempted to load your application full of animations and cool UI design elements, but if you do too much, you will distract the user from their purpose and maybe even limit the performance capabilities of your application.
Today, the most successful UX designs are minimal. This gives users more space to tap touch targets, it doesn’t overwhelm them with content and information, and it allows them to easily digest what they are interacting with. It may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes, simplicity makes for the best UX design.
Final Thoughts
Designing an application is not a simple task. However, many startups make the mistake of overcomplicating the process and doing too much. When in doubt, keep your UX design simple and accessible. If you want to learn more about UX for startups, reach out to an experienced app development partner.
