Consistency, Don’t Get Bored With It

UX ScotlandAndrew Purnell | @andpurnell wearesnook.com
Consistency...don’t get
bored with it
Andrew Purnell
@andpurnell

UX ScotlandAndrew Purnell | @andpurnell wearesnook.comUX ScotlandAndrew Purnell | @andpurnell wearesnook.com
consistency
kənˈsist(ə)nsi/
noun
1. consistent behaviour or treatment
"the consistency of measurement techniques"
Synonyms: evenness, steadiness, stability,
constancy, regularity, uniformity, equilibrium, unity,
orderliness, lack of change.

consistency
A consistent app implements familiar
standards and paradigms by using
system-provided interface elements,
well-known icons, standard text
styles, and uniform terminology. The
app incorporates features and
behaviors in ways people expect.

MAKE
CONSISTENCY
GREAT AGAIN

from a user's perspective...
why is consistency important?
● it reduces the learning curve for users
● reduces confusion
● creates a feeling of familiarity
● provides reassurance
● it builds trust

from a designer’s perspective...
why is consistency important?
● free yourself from trivial design decisions
● save yourself time
● work effectively across teams
● embed UX culture

great!
so, what is “design consistency”?

well...
design consistency isn’t
● just a brand book
● creating a static artifact
● about restricting creativity
● making everything look the same

design consistency is...
a systematic approach
to designing a user's
experience

ok...
what makes design consistency?
● functional consistency
● visual consistency
● internal consistency
● external consistency

a usability heuristics for user interface design
consistency and standards
“Users should not have to wonder whether different
words, situations, or actions mean the same thing”
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/

A tool for achieving
design consistency...

DESIGN SYSTEMS!

what is a design system?
everything that makes up your
product or service

“A unified design system is essential to building better
and faster; better because a cohesive experience is
more easily understood by our users, and faster
because it gives us a common language to work with”
Karri Saarinen - Airbnb
https://airbnb.design/building-a-visual-language/

https://standardsmanual.com/products/nasa-graphics-standards-manual

1970 New York City Transit Authority Graphic Standards Manual

https://britishrailmanual.com

http://getbootstrap.com

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gel

https://developer.apple.com/ios/human-interface-guidelines/overview/design-principles/

https://material.io

http://carbondesignsystem.com

https://atlassian.design

https://polaris.shopify.com/

http://bradfrost.github.io/style-guide-guide

how to make a start...
start small and build
● create an inventory
● define design principles
● ...

https://www.gov.uk/design-principles#ninth

https://articles.uie.com/creating-design-principles/

how to make a start...
start small and build
● create an inventory
● define design principles
● get buy-in
● let it grow

Thank you!
Andrew Purnell
@andpurnell

Consistency, Don’t Get Bored With It

Consistency, Don’t Get Bored With It

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Snook

More from Snook(20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded(20)

Consistency, Don’t Get Bored With It