Universal Principles of Design, Revised and Updated: 125 Ways to Enhance Usability, Influence Perception, Increase Appeal, Make Better Design Decisions, and Teach through Design

Anthropomorphic Form A tendency to find forms that appear humanoid or exhibit humanlike characteristics appealing.

alignment should be considered the general rule.

aligning elements along diagonals, for example, the relative angles between the invisible alignment paths should be 30 degrees or greater; separation of less than 30 degrees is too subtle and difficult to detect.

Justified text provides more alignment cues than unjustified text, and should be used in complex compositions with many elements.

Center-aligned text blocks, conversely, provide more visually ambiguous alignment cues, and can be difficult to connect with other elements.

Elements in a design should be aligned with one or more other elements. This creates a sense of unity and cohesion, which contributes to the design’s overall aesthetic and perceived stability.

Note that the term affordance refers to the properties of a physical object or environment only. When images of physical objects or environments are used (e.g., image of a button), the images, themselves, do not afford anything. The knowledge of button affordances exists in the mind of the perceiver based on experience with physical buttons—it is n

When the affordance of an object or environment corresponds with its intended function, the design will perform more efficiently and will be easier to use.

Aesthetic designs are more effective at fostering positive attitudes than unaesthetic designs, and make people more tolerant of design problems.