├── LICENSE └── README.md /LICENSE: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | MIT License 2 | 3 | Copyright (c) 2018 Lambda School 4 | 5 | Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy 6 | of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal 7 | in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights 8 | to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell 9 | copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is 10 | furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: 11 | 12 | The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all 13 | copies or substantial portions of the Software. 14 | 15 | THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR 16 | IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, 17 | FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE 18 | AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER 19 | LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, 20 | OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE 21 | SOFTWARE. 22 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # Applied User Experience Guidelines 2 | 3 | These are some simple guidelines to create better looking websites and apps. [Click here for a video walk through of these concepts](https://youtu.be/Ir58R46Owy4). 4 | 5 | ## General Design Ideas 6 | 7 | Don't reinvent the wheel when it comes to building your design. Find examples to use as guides and then add your own content and design. 8 | 9 | * [Awwwards.com](https://www.awwwards.com/websites/) is an awesome place to find inspiration for design. 10 | 11 | * [Dribbble](https://dribbble.com/tags/webdesign) is another great place to find design inspiration 12 | 13 | * [Html5up](https://html5up.net/) provides amazing free templates under a creative commons license that only requires attribution. 14 | 15 | ## Content Layout Guides 16 | 17 | Content is anything your user will consume beyond navigation or headings. Forms, paragraphs, instructions all fall into the content category. 18 | 19 | * For large content areas, do not go over 550px width. Users of your site/app will lose interest quickly. 20 | 21 | * Always provide at least 15px of margin between content elements 22 | 23 | * If you have a border around your content, provide at least 10px padding between the border and the content area 24 | 25 | * Provide `line-height` of at least `1.25` to help your text breathe 26 | 27 | * Avoid center-aligning any text more than 3 to 4 words long 28 | 29 | * Never center-align large portions of text — stick to left-justified alignment. 30 | 31 | * Avoid using drop shadows to frame content or text, if you do use one, make it extremely small 32 | 33 | ## Fonts 34 | 35 | General Rule: Pick 1 font for headings and 1 font for content. Keep it simple so the user can focus on your content. 36 | 37 | ### Sans-serif fonts 38 | 39 | Use a sans-serif font for content elements as it is easier to read on digital devices. 40 | 41 | * [Roboto](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Roboto) 42 | 43 | * [Lato](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Lato) 44 | 45 | ### Serif fonts 46 | 47 | Use serif fonts for headings to add some flare to your site. Avoid using serif fonts for longer blocks of content as they are not as easy to read on digital devices. 48 | 49 | * [Merriweather](https://fonts.google.com/specimen/Merriweather) 50 | 51 | ## Responsive Units 52 | 53 | Responsive units are a lot of fun to use, but some should be avoided unless you have extensive experience using them. 54 | 55 | * Don't use `vw` and `vh` units unless you need some element to go full screen. Example: using vh and vw for a full screen modal pop up would be good, but that's about it. 56 | 57 | * For width values, use a `%` or hard coded pixel in a `flexbox` 58 | 59 | ## CSS Height 60 | 61 | For CSS height values, let the content's box model control your height instead of hard coding anything. Hard coded heights can create nested vertical scroll bars instantly hurting your user experience. 62 | 63 | * Let the browser do the scrolling, don't use `overflow: hidden` to make up for CSS mistakes 64 | 65 | ## Mobile 66 | 67 | Plan for mobile on day one. Set up your media queries to desktop or mobile first as a priority and not a last thought. **You don't need mobile design to think about mobile code structure!** 68 | 69 | * When working with mobile layouts: stack everything vertically 70 | 71 | * Provide at least 15px margin from the edge of your content to the edge of the device. 72 | 73 | ## Color 74 | 75 | Color trends come and go. Currently we are in a flat and simple color trend across the internet. Choose 2-3 colors and stick to them. 76 | 77 | * Pick a color scheme with good contrast, use [http://colorsafe.co](http://colorsafe.co/) 78 | 79 | * Don't use gradients 80 | 81 | * Do use solid / flat background colors 82 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------