Principles for Design Principles
Creating useful design principles is challenging. This methodology emerged from leading the creation of design principles for Citizens Advice, focusing on how principles can effectively guide decisions when trade-offs aren't clear.
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Be purposeful
Define how and why design principles will be used before creating them. Consider what decisions they need to influence and what “good” looks like for your specific context.
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Be yourself
Ground principles in your own organisation’s knowledge, users, and business context rather than copying others. Avoid reviewing competitors’ principles to maintain originality.
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Be actionable
Focus on how the experience should feel rather than outcomes. Ensure principles can guide concrete decisions and identify examples that do and don’t demonstrate each principle.
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Be considered
Iterate and test principles with careful attention to language. Allow time for refinement and consider different ways of articulating each principle’s message.
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Be maintained
Establish an owner responsible for making decisions, communicating value, and keeping principles as a living reference that teams actually use in practice.
Know of a set of design principles that should be here? Contribute an example