UI/UX Design Principles That Actually Matter

Users don't come to your website to admire your design—they come to accomplish something. Prioritize clarity: - Make navigation obvious, not clever - Use familiar patterns instead of reinventing interactions - Clear labels beat mysterious icons - Say what you mean in plain language When users have to guess what something does, you've already lost. Familiar and boring beats novel and confusing every time.

Not everything on a page is equally important. Visual hierarchy directs users to what matters most. Create hierarchy through: - Size: Bigger elements draw more attention - Color: High contrast draws the eye - Spacing: White space creates separation - Position: Top-left matters most in Western layouts Your most important content and actions should be visually prominent. If everything screams for attention, nothing gets it.

Every time users encounter inconsistency, they have to think: - Use the same button styles throughout - Consistent spacing and typography - Similar elements should look similar - Place repeated elements in the same spots Consistency lets users build mental models of how your interface works. They learn once and can apply that knowledge everywhere.

Users should always know what's happening: - Loading states for async operations - Disabled states for unavailable actions - Success/error messages for completed actions - Hover states to show interactivity The absence of feedback creates anxiety. Did my click work? Is it loading? Did it save? Immediate, clear feedback keeps users confident and in control.

Every extra click, form field, or decision point loses users: - Remove unnecessary steps - Pre-fill what you can - Provide sensible defaults - Make easy actions easy, hard actions possible Analyze your user flows. Could you eliminate a page? Combine two steps? Auto-save instead of requiring a save button? The best interface is the one that gets out of the user's way.

Users will: - Make mistakes - Enter unexpected data - Use your site in ways you didn't anticipate - Experience connection issues Good design handles these gracefully: - Clear, helpful error messages - Easy recovery from mistakes - Validation that guides rather than blocks - Offline states and retry mechanisms Don't just design the happy path. Design for when things go wrong.

Accessibility isn't a checkbox—it's a fundamental design principle. In Quebec, it's also a legal requirement. SGQRI 008 (Quebec Government Standard): - Government and parapublic sites must be WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliant - Full keyboard navigation - Sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 minimum for text) - Alternative text for all images - Logical heading structure (H1, H2, H3) - Forms with proper labels Beyond legal compliance: - 15-20% of the population has some form of disability - Accessibility improves UX for everyone (video captions, keyboard navigation) - Accessible sites have better SEO performance Accessibility priorities for Montreal/Quebec: 1. Color contrast: Test with tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker 2. Keyboard navigation: Tab, Enter, Space should enable everything 3. Screen readers: Use ARIA labels, test with NVDA or JAWS 4. Text size: Minimum 16px, allow zoom up to 200% 5. Descriptive text: "Learn more" → "Learn more about our services" Common mistake: Icons without alternative text. A screen reader user hears "button" instead of "search button". Best practice: Test your site with a screen reader. If you can't navigate easily, your users can't either. Resource: Quebec Government Web Accessibility Standards (SGQRI 008)

In Quebec, 65-70% of web traffic comes from mobile. Mobile-first design isn't optional. Mobile-first principles: Touch elements: - Buttons minimum 44x44 pixels (Apple/Google recommendation) - Sufficient spacing between clickable elements - Large touch zones to avoid accidental clicks Mobile readability: - Minimum font size 16px (prevents auto-zoom on iOS) - Text lines 50-75 characters maximum - High contrast (screens in sunlight) Mobile navigation: - Hamburger menu accepted (users know it) - Important actions visible without scrolling - Simplified forms (fewer fields) - Auto-complete and real-time validation Mobile performance: - Load time < 3 seconds (4G in Montreal) - Optimized and responsive images - Lazy loading for below-the-fold content Quebec-specific context: - Variable cell service in regions (design for slow connections) - Bilingualism: Language selector easily accessible on mobile - Forms adapted to mobile keyboards (type="tel" for phone, type="email" for email) Real testing: Test on real devices, not just dev tools. An iPhone 13 and Samsung Galaxy A53 behave differently. Common error: Navigation menu that works on desktop but impossible to use on mobile (text too small, inadequate touch zones).

Let's learn from concrete examples: BAD: Generic contact form - 10 required fields including "Company", "Position", "How did you find us?" - No real-time validation - Error message: "Invalid form" (without specifying what) - "Submit" button disabled until everything is perfect - Result: 70% abandonment GOOD: Optimized contact form - 3 fields: Name, Email, Message (only essentials) - Validation as you go ("Invalid email" in real-time) - Specific, helpful error messages - Button always active, shows errors on click if necessary - Result: 40% more submissions BAD: E-commerce without context - Prices in USD only - Shipping fees revealed only at checkout - Checkout requires account creation - "In stock" or "Out of stock" without details - Result: 80%+ cart abandonment GOOD: Transparent e-commerce - Prices in CAD with GST/QST clearly indicated - Shipping fee estimate before cart - Guest checkout option (account optional) - "In stock - Delivery 2-3 days to Montreal" - Result: Cart abandonment reduced by 30% BAD: Bilingual site navigation - Language selector hidden in footer - Language change resets navigation (back to home) - Untranslated URLs (mysite.com/services for both French and English) - Partially translated content GOOD: Optimized bilingual navigation - FR/EN selector always visible top right - Language change preserves current page - Clean URLs (mysite.com/fr/services and mysite.com/en/services) - Complete professional translation BAD: Weak call-to-action - Generic button "Click here" - Same appearance as surrounding text - Hidden at bottom of page - No incentive GOOD: Effective call-to-action - Specific text "Get your free quote" - High visual contrast (accent color) - Strategic position (visible without scrolling) - Creates urgency: "Free consultation - Limited spots" Quebec lesson: A Montreal restaurant increased online reservations by 45% simply by adding "View full menu" next to "Reserve" - people wanted to check the menu before committing.

Designing for a bilingual audience presents unique UX challenges: Space management: - French text often 15-20% longer than English - Design with flexibility ("Buy Now" vs "Acheter Maintenant") - Test layouts in both languages - Avoid fixed widths that break in French Language switching experience: - Selector always visible (header or main menu) - Clear indicator of active language - Context preservation when switching - Automatic detection based on browser (with option to change) Bill 96 legal considerations: - French must be as visible as English (or more) - Commercial content in Quebec must be available in French - French version cannot be of inferior quality Bilingual best practices: 1. Smart detection: - Use browser language as default - Geolocate for Quebec → French default - Remember user preference (localStorage) 2. Consistent navigation: - Identical menu structure between languages - Universal icons and images (no embedded text) - Buttons in same locations 3. Bilingual SEO: - Hreflang tags to indicate language versions to Google - Clean URLs (/fr/ and /en/) - Translated meta descriptions 4. Adapted forms: - Labels and placeholders in selected language - Translated error messages - Adapted date format (DD/MM/YYYY for French) Common mistake: Google automatic translation visible to users. Invest in professional translation - Quebecers instantly spot poor translation. Crucial test: Have your site tested by native French speakers AND native English speakers. Each group finds different UX issues.

Essential tools for creating better UI/UX designs: Design tools: - Figma: Collaborative design, prototyping, free for beginners - Adobe XD: Figma alternative, Adobe integration - Sketch: Mac only, popular but less collaborative Accessibility tools: - WAVE: Chrome extension for accessibility testing - axe DevTools: Built-in accessibility audit - Contrast Checker (WebAIM): Verify color contrast - ColorOracle: Color blindness simulator Prototyping and testing tools: - Hotjar: Heatmaps and session recordings - Maze: User testing on Figma prototypes - UserTesting: User testing with real users - Optimal Workshop: Card sorting, tree testing Mobile performance tools: - Google Lighthouse: Performance and accessibility audit - BrowserStack: Testing on real devices - PageSpeed Insights: Speed analysis Quebec resources: - SGQRI 008: Government web accessibility standard - Office québécois de la langue française: Terminology guide - Montreal UX Community: Meetups and events Training and inspiration: - Nielsen Norman Group: Reference UX research - Laws of UX: Psychological design principles - Dribbble / Behance: Design inspiration - UX Collective (Medium): Articles and case studies French resources: - Designer.eco: Eco-design - UX Republic (France): UX articles in French - Montreal UX Meetups: Local designer network Essential tool for Quebec: Professional translation service (not Google Translate) - Agencies like Traductions ABC in Montreal specialize in web content.