Vital Design Lessons from Real Products

Break rules intentionally

Snapchat’s UX design intentionally breaks traditional rules:

• Hidden functionalities and confusing icons motivate younger users to explore and learn the app because their peers are already using it.

• Nonconforming UX keeps adults away, creating a space targeted specifically at a younger demographic.

This approach shows how breaking conventions can serve a unique purpose when applied thoughtfully, offering vital design lessons in targeted UX strategies.

Mimic real-life experiences

Netflix leverages familiar mental models to create pleasant, intuitive experiences:

• Cinema-inspired branding evokes the feeling of a movie theater.

• Trailer experiences mimic real-life previews, offering users a seamless way to engage with content.

This lesson highlights how mimicking real-life scenarios can enhance user satisfaction and familiarity, providing vital design lessons in user engagement.

Utilize UX laws

Laws of UX are a collection of best practices designers should consider when building user interfaces. Spotify’s interface demonstrates key UX laws:

• Jakob’s Law

• Law of Proximity

• Miller’s Law

• Fitt’s Law

These principles show how understanding and applying UX laws leads to better usability and provides vital design lessons in creating user-friendly interfaces.

Add gamification

Both Duolingo and Snapchat effectively use gamification. Having a high snap-streak with someone increases odds of continuous daily use. Streaks and achievements motivate users to learn.

Gamification can drive engagement by tapping into users’ desire for rewards and progression, delivering vital design lessons in motivating users.

Match design & purpose

Apple’s ecosystem immerses users into an ecosystem of top-notch products. It brings the best UX to customers through innovative hardware, software, and services.

This strategy demonstrates how aligning design with purpose creates a seamless, loyal user experience and provides vital design lessons in ecosystem building.

Show off your personality

Mailchimp knows that organizing email campaigns isn’t the most exciting task – but that doesn’t mean they can’t make it more fun. They use friendly, uplifting language and a quirky font choice to inject personality into an otherwise dry task. That balances functionality with humor and creativity.

This proves that even mundane tasks can feel delightful when infused with personality, offering vital design lessons in adding character to design.

Conclusion

Vital design lessons from real products like Snapchat, Netflix, Spotify, and Mailchimp show how breaking rules, leveraging mental models, applying UX laws, adding gamification, and embracing personality can create user experiences that stand out. Start integrating these principles to take your designs to the next level.