The Gestalt Principles of Design are guidelines that assist in creating user-centered design. They were first proposed after studying human perception and behavior. These principles can apply to all elements of design, including interaction and interface design. 

Gestalt Principles of Design

Often called UI, user interface design is the design of screens that connect a user to machines and software and allow the user to manipulate them. UI focuses on maximizing usability and developing a user experience that is intuitive for humans. The goal of user interface design is to keep interactions between the interface and the user as simple and efficient as possible while still supporting enough capability for users to accomplish their goals. Graphic design plays a key role in creating an interface that affords its uses and functions. Because of this, the interface design process requires a balance between technical functionality and visual elements so the system not only operate properly, but also makes sense to the user.

User Interface Design

User-centered design is an iterative process that focuses on an understanding of the users and their context in all stages of design and development.

User centered design process

The aim of the process is to capture and address the whole user experience. Therefore, your design team should include professionals from across multiple disciplines (e.g., ethnographers, psychologists, software and hardware engineers), as well as domain experts, stakeholders and the users themselves. Experts may carry out evaluations of the produced designs, using design guidelines and criteria.

Teams for User-Centered Design

"User experience design (UXD, UED, or XD) is the process of supporting user behavior[1] through usability, usefulness, and desirability provided in the interaction with a product. User experience design encompasses traditional human–computer interaction (HCI) design and extends it by addressing all aspects of a product or service as perceived by users. Experience design (XD) is the practice of designing products, processes, services, events, omnichannel journeys, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions. Experience design is not driven by a single design discipline. Instead, it requires a cross-discipline perspective that considers multiple aspects of the brand/ business/ environment/ experience from product, packaging, and retail environment to the clothing and attitude of employees."

Elements of "user experience design" include:
- Research
- Visual Design
- Information Architecture
- Interaction Design
- Usability
- Accessibility
- Human-computer Interaction

User Experience (UX) Design

Psychology plays a big part in a user's experience with an application. Understanding how our designs are perceived, we can make adjustments so that the apps we create are more effective in achieving the goals of the user.

- Isolation effect
- Latency and Regency Effect
- Cognitive Load
- Hick’s Law
- Gestalt Laws of Proximity

Psychology Principles for UI/UX Design

In user-centered design, the user knows best and acts as the guide to the designer; the designer's role is to translate the users' needs and goals into an effective design solution.

University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

New York University

Arizona State University

- Information ethics
- Human-computer interaction
- User-centered design
- User experience

Concepts in Information Science

Designs can affect a wide range of people, so it's important to follow principles of ethical design:

-Usability

-Accessibility

-Privacy

-Transparency & Persuasion

-User Involvement

-Focus

-Sustainability

Ethical Design

Saffer, D. (2010) Designing for Interaction: Creating Smart Applications and Clever Devices (2nd edn). New Riders Press, Indianapolis, IN.

Sharp, Helen. Interaction Design (p. 610). Wiley. Kindle Edition. 

Designing for Interaction by Dan Saffer

Helen Sharp, Yvonne Rogers, and Jenny Preece. Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction 5th ed. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley, 2019.

Interaction Design: Beyond-Human Computer Interaction

Covers the design and use of computer technology. It focuses on the interfaces between people and computers and observes how people interact with them. Contributing disciplines include computer science, behavioral sciences, design, and media studies.

Human Computer Interaction (HCI)

User-Centered Design

User experience is the overall experience an end-user has while interacting with a product such as a computer application or website. It especially measures a user’s experience in terms of how easy or pleasing the product was to use.

User Experience

Usability is a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use. The word "usability" also refers to methods for improving ease-of-use during the design process.

Definition of Utility = whether it provides the features you need.
Definition of Usability = how easy & pleasant these features are to use.
Definition of Useful = usability + utility.

Usability

In terms of transparency, the best design practice is to make things clear to the users so that they can make informed choices.  In terms of persuasion, the way you design can pressure users into making choices that aren't in their best interest.

Transparency & Persuasion

Some apps are intentionally designed to "exploit human behavior using a 'social-validation feedback loop'" through constant notifications and the like.  Best practice is for designs to be there when the user needs them and out of the way when they don't.

Focus

Ensuring that all people have the ability to utilize a product, facility, or service, regardless of any disability they may have. Accessibility may include the modification of existing infrastructure, products, or services or designing them with disabled users in mind.

Accessibility

Transparency is the visibility of procedures that make up a system to users of the system. This helps to demonstrate the good working of an institution.

Transparency

Privacy is an individual's fundamental right to determine what personal information about themselves is shared with others. In psychological research, respecting participants' privacy is an essential element of honoring their rights and dignity. Researchers are obligated to protect this right, which they typically accomplish by maintaining strict confidentiality of the data or by ensuring complete anonymity.

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