Hierarchy
A visual design principle that orders elements on a page and classifies them by their level of importance
Why it matters
Each size and weight is a claim about importance. Past four or five levels the claims stop being distinguishable, and the reader has to work out the ranking themselves — the job the screen was supposed to do for them.
See it
Four sizes, four jobs — title, section, body, caption. The ranking reads before the words do.
The numbers
- 4 — text sizes per screen is a good ceiling
- Title, section, body, caption — the four roles that cover most screens
Measured by the Figma plugin
Screens carrying more than four distinct text sizes are flagged — counted per screen, not per page.
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On the checklists
Ask your assistant
Define "Hierarchy" 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.