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Introduction to Product Design

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Universal Design Principles

1:59 with May Kim

There are universal design principles that designers use day to day in our job. We’ll go over some of the universal design principles for Product Design and Design in general. These are basic principles that designers should always keep in mind and practice.

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    [MUSIC] 0:00
    Before we get started on our project, 0:04
    let's talk a little bit about design principles. 0:06
    Design principles reflect a philosophy of design that helps designers 0:10
    find ways to enhance usability and create successful designs. 0:14
    There are many universal design principles that designers use to create effective 0:19
    interfaces whether for the web, mobile devices, wearables, or smart devices. 0:23
    One example of design principles created by Jakob Nielsen, 0:29
    the world's leading expert on web usability, 0:33
    is called 10 Usability Heuristics for User Interface Design. 0:35
    Nielson calls them heuristics because they're more like rules of thumb, 0:40
    rather than specific guidelines. 0:44
    The first principle, Visibility of System Status, 0:47
    states that the system should always keep the user informed 0:51
    about what is going on through appropriate feedback within reasonable time. 0:54
    For example, if we look at a light switch, we can turn it on or off. 0:59
    And we know when it's on due to the light that emits from the lightbulb. 1:03
    If there's no light, then we know that the light switch is off. 1:07
    Always make sure that the user is informed about what's going on by providing 1:10
    feedback. 1:15
    The next principle, User Control and Freedom, 1:16
    states that users often make mistakes. 1:19
    And they will need a clearly marked emergency exit to get back to where 1:22
    they really want to be as fast as possible. 1:26
    For example, if you look at TV and remote set, there's a return or back to 1:29
    previous channel button, which takes you back to where you were in an instant. 1:33
    Always make sure that your system has a simple and 1:38
    efficient emergency exit to fix user error. 1:41
    While we won't be looking at all of the principles together, I encourage you to 1:44
    look at the rest of the design principles that are provided in the teacher's notes. 1:48
    All of these principles will help you develop and 1:53
    refine your craft as you continue on your journey as a designer. 1:55

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