{"id":1197,"date":"2026-04-01T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/?p=1197"},"modified":"2026-04-06T11:12:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:12:18","slug":"a-practical-guide-to-design-principles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/2026\/04\/01\/a-practical-guide-to-design-principles\/","title":{"rendered":"A Practical Guide To Design Principles"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>              <title>A Practical Guide To Design Principles<\/title><\/p>\n<article>\n<header>\n<h1>A Practical Guide To Design Principles<\/h1>\n<address>Vitaly Friedman<\/address>\n<p>                  2026-04-01T10:00:00+00:00<br \/>\n                  2026-04-06T10:32:33+00:00<br \/>\n                <\/header>\n<p>We often see design principles as rigid guidelines that dictate design decisions. But actually, they are an incredible tool to <strong>rally the team around a shared purpose<\/strong> and document the values and beliefs that an organization embodies.<\/p>\n<p>They align teams and inform decision-making. They also keep us afloat amidst all the hype, big assumptions, desire for faster delivery, and AI workslop. But how do we choose the right ones, and how do we get started? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"real-world-design-principles\">Real-World Design Principles<\/h2>\n<p>In times when we can generate any passable design and code within minutes, we need to decide better <strong>what\u2019s worth designing and building<\/strong> &mdash; and what values we want our products to embody.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s similar to voice and tone. You might not design it intentionally, but then end users will define it for you. And so, without principles, many company initiatives are <strong>random, sporadic, ad-hoc<\/strong> &mdash; and feel vague, inconsistent, or simply dull to the outside world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Design principles<\/strong> are guidelines and design considerations that <a href=\"https:\/\/ixdf.org\/literature\/topics\/design-principles\">designers apply with discretion<\/a> &mdash; by default, without debating or discussing what has already been agreed upon.<\/p>\n<p>One fantastic resource that I keep coming back to after all these years is Ben Brignell\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/principles.design\">Principles.design<\/a>. It has <strong>230 pointers for design principles and methods<\/strong>, searchable and tagged, covering everything from language and infrastructure to hardware and organizations.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"10-principles-of-good-design\">10 Principles Of Good Design<\/h2>\n<p>There is no shortage of principles out there. But the good ones are more than just being <em>visionary<\/em> &mdash; they <strong>have a point of view<\/strong>, and they explain what we <em>don\u2019t do<\/em> as much as what we do. They also explain what <strong>we stand for<\/strong> in the world &mdash; beyond profits, stock prices, and all the hype and noise around us.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n  \n    break-out article__image\n  \n  \n  \"><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitsoe.com\/gb\/about\/good-design#good-design-is-innovative\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"559\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"10 legendary principles for good design\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/indysigner\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_80\/w_400\/https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/1-principles-good-design.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/a><figcaption class=\"op-vertical-bottom\">\n      10 legendary principles for good design, by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitsoe.com\/gb\/about\/good-design#good-design-is-innovative\">Dieter Rams<\/a>. Still relevant, after all these years. (<a href=\"https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/1-principles-good-design.jpg\">Large preview<\/a>)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Many years ago, I encountered <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vitsoe.com\/gb\/about\/good-design#good-design-is-innovative\">Dieter Rams\u2019 10 principles of good design<\/a> (see above), a very <strong>humble, practical and tangible<\/strong> overview of principles that were informing, shaping, and guarding his design work at Braun.<\/p>\n<p>There are <strong>no visionary claims<\/strong>, and no big bold statements: just a clear overview of what we do, and where our ambition and care lie for the products we are designing. It\u2019s honest, sincere, and in many ways beautifully <strong>humane<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"examples-of-design-principles\">Examples Of Design Principles<\/h3>\n<p>There are plenty of <strong>wonderful examples<\/strong> that I keep close:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.anthropic.com\/constitution\">Anthropic\u2019s Constitution<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/principles.design\/examples\/principles-of-product-design\">Principles of Product Design<\/a>, by Joshua Porter<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/principles.design\/examples\/20-guiding-principles-for-experience-design\">Guiding Principles for Experience Design<\/a>, by Whitney Hess, PCC<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/Heydon\/principles-of-web-accessibility\">Principles of Web Accessibility<\/a>, by Heydon Pickering<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/humanebydesign.com\">Humane by Design<\/a>, by Jon Yablonski<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/principles.design\/examples\/designing-for-voice-interfaces\">Designing Voice UX Principles<\/a>, by Brian Colcord<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/linear.app\/developers\/aig\">Agentic Design Principles<\/a>, by Linear<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.intercom.com\/blog\/principles-bot-design\/\">AI Chatbot Design Principles<\/a>, by Emmet Connolly<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/voiceprinciples.com\">Voice UX Principles<\/a>, by Ben Sauer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 id=\"design-principles-in-design-systems\">Design Principles In Design Systems<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/guides.18f.org\/\">18F<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/styleguide.audi.com\/document\/2440#\/-\/experience-principles\">Audi<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ibm.com\/design\/language\/philosophy\/principles\/\">Carbon (IBM)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/acorn.firefox.com\/latest\/get-started\/firefox-design-principles-5ezPvNdo\">Firefox<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/government-design-principles\">Gov.uk<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/contentdesign.intuit.com\/style-and-usage\/our-principles\/\">Intuit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/service-manual.nhs.uk\/design-system\/design-principles\">NHS<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/nordhealth.design\/principles\/\">Nordhealth<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/base.uber.com\/6d2425e9f\/p\/434f39-principles\">Uber<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"how-to-establish-design-principles\">How To Establish Design Principles<\/h2>\n<p>Design principles can be personal, but usually they are committed to and shaped by the <strong>entire product team<\/strong>. Design principles <strong>aren\u2019t just for designers<\/strong>. User\u2019s experience is <em>everything<\/em> from performance to support to customer service, and ideally, participants would cover these areas as well.<\/p>\n<p>In practice, though, establishing principles might feel incredibly challenging. They are abstract and fluffy and often ambiguous, and often very difficult to agree upon.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"\n  \n    break-out article__image\n  \n  \n  \"><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.figma.com\/community\/file\/1051212964426062558\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"461\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Workshop kit for a design principles workshop\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/indysigner\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_80\/w_400\/https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/2-design-principles-workshop.png\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/a><figcaption class=\"op-vertical-bottom\">\n      <a href=\"https:\/\/www.figma.com\/community\/file\/1051212964426062558\">One of many workshop kits<\/a> for a design principles workshop. (<a href=\"https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/2-design-principles-workshop.png\">Large preview<\/a>)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>You can get started with a <strong>simple 8-step workshop<\/strong> (inspired by <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@marcintreder\/design-system-sprint-4-design-principles-8efb22d8a208\">Marcin Treder<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/design-bootcamp\/design-principles-workshop-a-template-15c7c90458f2\">Maria Meireles<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better.care\/blog-en\/establishing-design-principles-for-a-design-system-and-what-it-taught-us\/\">Better<\/a>):<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Pre-session Research<\/strong><br \/>\nStudy how users speak about the products, what they appreciate, and the words they use.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Get Into Principles Mode<\/strong><br \/>\nInvite 6\u20138 participants, ask them to choose their favorite object, and describe it in 3 words.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Product Analogies<\/strong><br \/>\nCompare product to tangible items (e.g., \u2018A Porsche 911\u2019 or \u2018a Braun audio system\u2019).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Extract Attributes<\/strong><br \/>\nIndividually, in silence, everyone writes 3\u20135 initial principles, which are then grouped by theme for review.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link Attributes To Research<\/strong><br \/>\nLink attributes to actual user pain points or desires, to make sure they are grounded in reality.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Value Statements<\/strong><br \/>\nWe write <em>\u2018We want X because of Y\u2019<\/em> sentences that express the rationale behind our thinking.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Move to Principles<\/strong><br \/>\nRemove analogies to create enduring rules that will guide our design process.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reality Check<\/strong><br \/>\nSearch for both positive and negative examples in our products to see where principles are being met or ignored.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure class=\"\n  \n    break-out article__image\n  \n  \n  \"><\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better.care\/blog-en\/establishing-design-principles-for-a-design-system-and-what-it-taught-us\/\"><\/p>\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"492\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Variants of sentences for establishing design principles\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/indysigner\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_80\/w_400\/https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/3-design-principles.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>    <\/a><figcaption class=\"op-vertical-bottom\">\n      Voting for the most relevant sentences in keyword groups. From <a href=\"https:\/\/www.better.care\/blog-en\/establishing-design-principles-for-a-design-system-and-what-it-taught-us\/\">Better<\/a>. (<a href=\"https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/stop-endless-debates-design-principles\/3-design-principles.jpg\">Large preview<\/a>)<br \/>\n    <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3 id=\"useful-starter-kits-for-principles-workshops\">Useful Starter Kits For Principles Workshops<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/design-bootcamp\/design-principles-workshop-a-template-15c7c90458f2\">Design Principles Workshop (Figma Template)<\/a>, by Maria Meireles<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.figma.com\/community\/file\/1051212964426062558\">Design Principles Workshop (FigJam Template)<\/a>, by Richard Picot<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/miro.com\/templates\/design-principles-workshop\/\">How to Create Design Principles (Miro Workshop Template)<\/a>, by NanoGiants<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"wrapping-up\">Wrapping Up<\/h2>\n<p>Creating principles is only a small portion of the work; most work is about <strong>effectively sharing and embedding them<\/strong>. It\u2019s difficult to get anywhere without finding ways to <strong>make design principles a default<\/strong> &mdash; by revisiting settings, templates, naming conventions, and output.<\/p>\n<p>Principles help <strong>avoid endless discussions<\/strong> that often stem from personal preferences or taste. But design should not be a matter of taste; it must be guided by our goals and values. Design principles can help with just that.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"meet-design-patterns-for-ai-interfaces\">Meet \u201cDesign Patterns For AI Interfaces\u201d<\/h2>\n<p>Meet <a href=\"https:\/\/ai-design-patterns.com\/\"><strong>Design Patterns For AI Interfaces<\/strong><\/a>, Vitaly\u2019s new <strong>video course<\/strong> with 100s of real-life examples and UX guidelines to design AI features that people actually use &mdash; with a <a href=\"https:\/\/smashingconf.com\/online-workshops\/workshops\/ai-interfaces-vitaly-friedman\/\">live UX training<\/a> later this year. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=jhZ3el3n-u0\">Jump to a free preview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><figure class=\"article__image\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/ai-design-patterns.com\/\"><img style=\"border-radius:11px\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"800\" height=\"414\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Design Patterns For AI Interfaces promo picture\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/res.cloudinary.com\/indysigner\/image\/fetch\/f_auto,q_80\/w_400\/https:\/\/files.smashing.media\/articles\/product-designer-career-paths\/design-patterns-ai-interfaces.png\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"op-vertical-bottom\">Meet <a href=\"https:\/\/ai-design-patterns.com\/\">Design Patterns For AI Interfaces<\/a>, Vitaly\u2019s video course on interface design &amp; UX.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"book-cta__inverted\">\n<div class=\"book-cta\" data-handler=\"ContentTabs\" data-mq=\"(max-width: 480px)\">\n<nav class=\"content-tabs content-tabs--books\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"content-tab\"><a href=\"#\"><button class=\"btn btn--small btn--white btn--white--bordered\"><br \/>\nVideo + UX Training<\/button><\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"content-tab\"><a href=\"#\"><button class=\"btn btn--small btn--white btn--white--bordered\">Video only<\/button><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<div class=\"book-cta__col book-cta__hardcover content-tab--content\">\n<h3 class=\"book-cta__title\"><span>Video + UX Training<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"book-cta__price\"><span><span class=\"\"><span class=\"currency-sign\">$<\/span>&nbsp;<span>450<sup class=\"sup\">.00<\/sup><\/span><\/span> <span class=\"book-cta__price--old\"><span class=\"currency-sign\">$<\/span>&nbsp;<span>799<sup class=\"sup\">.00<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/smart-interface-design-patterns.thinkific.com\/enroll\/3476562?price_id=4401578\" class=\"btn btn--full btn--medium btn--text-shadow\"><br \/>\nGet Video + UX Training<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"book-cta__desc\">30 video lessons (10h) + <a href=\"https:\/\/smashingconf.com\/online-workshops\/workshops\/ai-interfaces-vitaly-friedman\/\">Live UX Training<\/a>.<br \/>100 days money-back-guarantee.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"book-cta__col book-cta__ebook content-tab--content\">\n<h3 class=\"book-cta__title\"><span>Video only<\/span><\/h3>\n<div data-audience=\"anonymous free supporter\" data-remove=\"true\"><span class=\"book-cta__price\" data-handler=\"PriceTag\"><span><span class=\"\"><span class=\"currency-sign\">$<\/span>&nbsp;<span>275<sup class=\"sup\">.00<\/sup><\/span><\/span><span class=\"book-cta__price--old\"><span class=\"currency-sign\">$<\/span>&nbsp;<span>395<sup class=\"sup\">.00<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/smart-interface-design-patterns.thinkific.com\/enroll\/3476562?price_id=4397456\" class=\"btn btn--full btn--medium btn--text-shadow\"><br \/>\nGet the video course<\/p>\n<div><\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"book-cta__desc\" data-audience=\"anonymous free supporter\" data-remove=\"true\">30 video lessons (10h). Updated yearly.<br \/>Also available as a <a href=\"https:\/\/smart-interface-design-patterns.thinkific.com\/enroll\/3570306?price_id=4503439\">UX Bundle with 3 video courses.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 id=\"useful-resources\">Useful Resources<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/principles.design\">Design Principles Collection<\/a>, by Ben Brignell<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/@marcintreder\/design-system-sprint-4-design-principles-8efb22d8a208\">How To Establish Design Principles<\/a>\u201d, by Marcin Treder<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.better.care\/blog-en\/establishing-design-principles-for-a-design-system-and-what-it-taught-us\/\">Establishing Design Principles for a Design System and What It Taught Us<\/a>\u201d, by Better Design Team<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/principles.adactio.com\">Design Principles<\/a>, by Jeremy Keith<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.designprinciplesftw.com\">Design Principles Collection<\/a>, by Gabriel Svennerberg<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/design-bootcamp\/design-principles-workshop-a-template-15c7c90458f2\">Design Principles Workshop (Figma Template)<\/a>, by Maria Meireles<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.figma.com\/community\/file\/1051212964426062558\">Design Principles Workshop (FigJam Template)<\/a>, by Richard Picot<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/miro.com\/templates\/design-principles-workshop\/\">How to Create Design Principles (Miro Workshop Template)<\/a>, by NanoGiants<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/designsystems.surf\/components\/modal\">Modals in Design Systems<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"signature\">\n  <img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" alt=\"Smashing Editorial\" width=\"35\" height=\"46\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.smashingmagazine.com\/images\/logo\/logo--red.png\"><br \/>\n  <span>(yk)<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A Practical Guide To Design Principles A Practical Guide To Design Principles Vitaly Friedman 2026-04-01T10:00:00+00:00 2026-04-06T10:32:33+00:00 We often see design principles as rigid guidelines that dictate design decisions. But actually, they are an incredible tool to rally the team around a shared purpose and document the values and beliefs that an organization embodies. They align&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1197"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1198,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1197\/revisions\/1198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computercoursesonline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}