1. Creating Experience Principles
for
UX Systems
Dustin Wagner | dustinwagner.com | hi@dustinwagner.com

2. It’s not a new idea…

9. …but it’s a timeless idea.

11. “I very frequently get the question:
‘What’s going to change in the next 10
years?’ …I almost never get the question:
‘What’s not going to change in the next
10 years?’ And I submit to you that that
second question is actually the more
important of the two.”

12. So let’s talk about what’s not
going to change.

14. What are Experience Principles?

15. Experience Principles outline the core
values of a product or a service. They
answer the question“How can we assure
the product’s purpose is expressed
through design?”
Experience Principles

16. Here’s an example.

17. Spotify’s Experience Principles

18. Who helps define them?

19. Sources Of Input
Brand
Strategy
Documents
Main
Stakeholder
Product
Marketing
Global
Marketing
UX
Strategy
Documents
“Client” Other Influences

20. How do you generate
experience principles?

21. Workshops

22. Unpack Your Brand
Empowering

23. Lateral Attribution Activity
Write the existing 3-5 core brand attributes on the whiteboard.
As a group, spend at least 30 minutes creating a word cloud from the initial 3-5
words. Use the Thesaurus when stuck. Feel free to annotate words with sentences
to give more definition.
When the group is finished, ask individuals to explain there thinking and
rationale to the group.
Document the whiteboard as an input to generate experience principles.
1
2
3
5
Time Frame
60-90Min
Group Size
2-10+
Facilitation Level
Beginner
Client Comfort Zone
Safe
Materials
Whiteboard, Marker, Thesaurus

24. How do you define success?

25. Experience Principles
They’re Specific
They’re Actionable.
They’re Impressionable.
They Have A Point Of View.
They’re Living.
1
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3
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5
Reference: Design Systems. A Practical Guide To Creating Design Languages For Digital Products. Written By Alla Kholmatova.

26. They’re Specific
Examples
Bad (Generic): “Simple. Enjoyable. Useful.”
Good (Specific): “Lagom. Content First. Do Less. ”
Experience Principles

27. They’re Actionable.
Examples
Bad (Vague): “Make It Clear.”
Good (Practical): “Only One Number 1 Priority.”
Experience Principles

28. They’re Impressionable.
Tips
• Between 3-5 words
• Acronyms help
• Display them in team rooms and
design critiques
Experience Principles

29. They Have A Point Of View.
Tips
Think about tension points and don’t
simply put a positive against a negative.
For example, “Beautiful over Ugly” is not
a useful principle. “Appropriate over
Consistent” is a stronger principle.
Experience Principles

30. They’re Living
They’re not static and can evolve based on new
discovery, tension points, etc.
Experience Principles

31. Let’s get tactical

32. An underlying system that defines a
unified experience. The artifact of this
thinking typically defines interaction
patterns, behaviors, reusable
components, color, typography, etc.
Design Language System

33. Kickoff Completion
Design Program
The Path To Maturity

34. • Sketch (To Create)
• Craft (To Sync)
• UXPin (To Prototype)
Useful Tools*
*Not an exhaustive list by any means but a popular set of tools from which to begin.

35. • Be Consistent
• Remove Redundancy
• Design For Team Inputs, Syncing, And Distribution
• Design For “At First Glance” Understanding
• Make The Team Smarter
DLS Rules Of Thumb

36. The Robots Are Coming

38. Thanks!
Dustin Wagner | dustinwagner.com | hi@dustinwagner.com