What are Design Principles?

Design principles are clear statements that help teams make consistent decisions and trade-offs when designing products, services, or systems. They articulate what matters most and provide a shared foundation for decision-making.

Why use them?

Applying design principles fosters a cohesive problem-solving approach, promoting efficiency, consistency and user-centricity.

Who uses them?

Organisations, individuals, design system and product teams have benefited from writing and following their principles.
Here are a few examples:

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What makes effective design principles?

  • Clear and actionable
  • Crafted for decision-making
  • Context-specific
  • Easy to remember
  • Designed to evolve over time