Technology
8 UI Design Principles You Must Know (Before You Make Another Ugly App)
Expert Professors from Rishihood University, top BDesign college in India shares list of 8 UI Design Principles You Must Know to build apps
13 July 2025
TL;DR
Here are the key design principles every designer should follow: Consistency – Maintain uniformity in fonts, colors, and layout to make the interface predictable and easy to use. Hierarchy – Arrange elements based on importance using size, color, or placement to guide the user’s attention. Alignment – Align text and visuals neatly to create a clean and professional look. Proximity – Group related elements close to each other to show connection and improve readability. Contrast – Use contrasting colors, sizes, and shapes to highlight key content and improve visual clarity. Whitespace – Let your design “breathe” by using empty space effectively. It enhances focus and aesthetics. Feedback – Provide visual or audio feedback when users perform actions (e.g., button clicks, form submissions). Simplicity – Avoid clutter. Keep design clean and focused to help users complete tasks efficiently. Accessibility – Design for everyone, including users with disabilities. Use readable fonts, proper contrast, and alt text. Responsiveness – Ensure your design adapts to different screen sizes (mobile, tablet, desktop) seamlessly.
Table of Contents
You know what’s underrated? Good UI.
You don’t notice it when it’s there. But when it’s missing,oh boy. Confusing layouts, buttons hiding in plain sight, forms that make you cry… It’s chaos. Which is exactly why UI design principles exist.To bring some order to the madness.
If you’re a student who’s ever thought, “Design is cool, but what exactly goes into it?”,this is for you. Whether you’re considering a UI design course, already exploring a Bachelor of Design (B.Des), or endlessly judging apps on your phone, understanding the principles of UI UX design is your first step into the world of real design.
1. Clarity > Cleverness
Design isn’t about being fancy. It’s about being understood. One of the foundational UI UX design principles is clarity because if users can’t figure out your app in 5 seconds, they’ll bounce faster than you can even show around your product.
Keep buttons obvious. Labels readable. Navigation is intuitive.
It’s like talking to your grandma.You simplify but not dumb down.
Why it matters: People aren’t reading. They’re scanning. If your UI makes them stop and think, you’ve already lost them.
2. Consistency Is Comfort
Consistency is one of the OG UI design principles.Same colors for the same actions, same icon styles, same placement of elements. It creates familiarity, and familiarity breeds trust. (Not contempt. That’s only in breakups.)
Pro tip: Make a design system. Even if it’s you designing, treat it like your own visual Bible.
3. Feedback: Make the UI Talk Back
Imagine tapping a button, and… nothing happens. You wait. Tap again. Still nothing.
You start questioning your existence.
This is where feedback comes in. Micro-interactions like a color change, vibration, animation, or progress bar which tell users: “Hey, I heard you.” It’s a small thing, but it makes your design feel alive.
This principle of UI design is emotional. People want to know if their input meant something.
4. Affordance: Don’t Make Them Guess
If a button looks like text, no one will click it. If a slider looks like a static image, no one will drag it. That’s bad affordance.
Affordance means users intuitively understand what something does just by looking at it. A raised button says “click me.” A toggle says “switch me.”
If your UI components are playing dress-up as something else then you’re confusing people. Not impressing them.
Think of it like a Kinderjoy toy. If it needs a manual, the design fails.
5. Visual Hierarchy: Make It Obvious What Matters
Everything can’t be important. But on bad UIs? It all looks equally important. And users don’t know where to start.
Visual hierarchy is about using contrast, color, spacing, and size to say:
“This is the main CTA.”
“This is secondary info.”
“This is just filler. Calm down.”
It’s the reason headlines are bold and huge, and T&Cs are… well, practically invisible.
And if you’re learning about Gestalt principles in UI design, this is where they really shine. Proximity, similarity, and alignment guide the eye naturally without yelling.
6. Simplicity Isn't Boring. It's Brave.
There’s always that one person in a group project who adds ten features no one asked for. Don’t be that person.
Good design trims the fat. It keeps only what’s necessary.
UI design principles are not about adding things .They’re about subtracting the unnecessary.
That dropdown with 18 options? Kill it. That five-step signup form? “Obliterate” it.
Do more with less. Minimalist design is smart. And if you ever take a good UI design course, they’ll drill this into your head (with love!!).
7. Accessibility Is Not Optional
Design is not for the “average user.” It’s for everyone. That includes people with color blindness, mobility issues, or visual impairments.
One of the most important UI UX design principles is and honestly, human decency , to make sure your interface is accessible.
Use proper color contrast
Add alt text for visuals
Make clickable elements big enough
Enable keyboard navigation
You shouldn’t need a badge to design ethically. You need empathy.
8. Context Is Queen
A mobile app used in sunlight. A dashboard used on a factory floor. A quiz form opened in the last 5 minutes of an exam.
Context changes everything.
Designing a good UI means knowing where, how, and why someone is using your product. The principles stay the same but the priorities shift.
You don’t need 4K icons for a farming app in rural areas. You do need large touch targets and offline functionality.
Contextual design isn’t extra, it’s essential.
Thinking About Studying This Stuff?
If any of this made you go, “Whoa, this is kinda my thing,” then maybe you’re not app-curious but you’re design-bound.
Consider a UI design degree as part of a BDesign or Bachelor of Design program. A good UI design bachelor course won’t teach you Photoshop shortcuts.It’ll teach you how to think, solve problems, and design for humans.
Look for courses that:
Let you work on real-world briefs
Help you build a design portfolio from Day 1
Introduce you to UI UX design principles and Gestalt principles in UI design
Encourage internships, client projects, and team critiques
Mix psychology, tech, business, and creativity
Spoiler: Our university’s B.Design program does all that and then some. From day one, you’re treated like a junior creator, not a passive student. You pitch. You present. You build. You mess up. You build again. It’s intense, but that’s what makes it fun (and worth it).
