Design Principle

Design principles are widely applicable laws, guidelines, biases and design considerations which designers apply with discretion

Why it matters

A principle earns its keep only when it can lose an argument: “simple over complete” decides something; “we value simplicity” decides nothing. Good principles are trade-offs stated in advance, before the argument starts.

Related terms

Go deeper in Learn UX

Ask your assistant

Define "Design Principle" using uxspot.

Works in Claude, Cursor or any MCP client — connect the uxspot MCP.

Think it stuck? A 20-second round of Spot Check will tell you.