UX design principles are the working rules that help visitors find what they came for and finish a task without having to think about the interface. A site can look polished and still break most of them.
The six principles below apply to nearly any website. Each comes with an example of how it goes wrong and what to change.
6 UX Design Principles That Make a Website Easier to Use
Each of these UX design best practices is grounded in usability research and easy to check yourself.
1. Make the Main Action Obvious
Every page has one job. A pricing page exists to get someone to pick a plan. A blog post exists to get read.
Visual hierarchy should point to that job first:
- Give the primary button the strongest color on the page, and use that color sparingly elsewhere.
- Move secondary items like social icons and partner logos further down.
A quick check: show the page to a colleague for five seconds, then ask what it’s for. If they hesitate, the hierarchy needs work.
2. Keep Navigation Predictable
Jakob’s Law sums it up: users spend most of their time on other sites, so they expect yours to work the same way.
Put the logo top left and link it to the homepage. Use plain menu labels. “Pricing” beats “Plans & Possibilities” every time.
Consistency is one of the oldest web design principles, and redesigns break it more often than you’d think.
3. Cut Down the Number of Decisions
Hick’s Law, one of the more practical web design principles, says decision time grows with the number of choices. A menu with 14 top-level items slows people down. So does a signup form with 20 fields.
- Group menu items into a few clear categories.
- Ask only for form fields you actually use.
- Put advanced settings behind a “More options” link.
4. Show Feedback for Every Action
When someone clicks a button and nothing visibly happens, they click again. Then they end up with a duplicate order, or they give up. Visibility of system status is the first of Nielsen Norman Group’s 10 usability heuristics.
- Show a loading state on a button right after it’s clicked.
- Put error messages next to the field, with a plain fix such as “Use a 5-digit ZIP code.”
After a form goes through, say what happens next. “Thanks, we’ll reply within one business day” beats a blank page.
5. Design for Accessibility From the Start
Accessible design is good user experience design for everyone, including people on screen readers and anyone squinting at a phone in bright sun. The WCAG guidelines set the baseline. US businesses also have a legal reason to care: the Department of Justice has published guidance on web accessibility under the ADA.
- Keep normal-size text at a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
- Make every action reachable by keyboard, with a visible focus state.
- Write alt text for images that carry meaning.
- Keep form labels visible, since placeholder text vanishes as people type.
6. Build for Phones and Slow Connections
On a phone, the thumb does the work. WCAG 2.2 sets a minimum target size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels, and Apple recommends 44 by 44 points for iOS apps.
Speed belongs here too, though teams often leave it until last. A page that takes several seconds to show its main content feels broken, however good the layout is. Google’s Core Web Vitals set a clear target: Largest Contentful Paint at 2.5 seconds or less.
Test on a real mid-range Android phone. A new iPhone on office Wi-Fi hides a lot.
How to Check Your Site Against These UX Design Principles
Spotting problems on your own site is harder than reading a checklist, because you already know where everything is.
- Watch a few real people try one task each, like finding pricing or sending a contact form. Nielsen Norman Group’s research suggests testing with five users uncovers most website usability problems in a single round.
- Look at analytics for steps where people drop off, such as checkout or signup.
Automated checkers such as WAVE or Lighthouse catch contrast and missing-label issues fast. They miss the confusing stuff only a person notices.
For a structured review, run a UX audit on the pages that bring in leads or sales and see where they fall short of UX design best practices.
Conclusion
You don’t need to rework the whole site at once. Pick the page that matters most, such as pricing or checkout, and run it against these six principles. Fix whatever blocks the main task before touching colors or imagery.
Small fixes on a key page often do more for website usability than a full visual refresh.
Want an outside view of where your site falls short? Talk to the UX Audit Tool team.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which UX design principles matter most?
Clear hierarchy and predictable navigation tend to have the biggest effect. Visitors who can’t find their way never get to the rest of your design.
What’s the difference between UX design best practices and UI design?
UI covers how the interface looks, such as color and type. UX covers whether the site works for the person using it, including flow, content, speed, and accessibility. Good user experience design often drives UI choices, like a larger button or a clearer label.
How often should you review website usability?
Review it after any redesign or new feature launch. Between those, many teams revisit their key journeys every few months.
Can a small business follow UX design principles without a designer?
Yes, much of it is editing work: shorter forms, plainer labels, higher contrast, and bigger buttons. The UX Audit Tool can help point out where to start. A navigation overhaul is where a designer really earns their fee.
