In the first part of our Laws of UX series, we highlighted the importance of understanding your users when implementing a user-centered design and development strategy for your business.

This, our second in the three-part series, will focus on why design is such an important piece of the overall user experience practice. There are many facets to a great user experience, but design is one of the most visible, and most critical. EffectiveUI President Anthony Franco discusses what “good design” really means, and why it’s so important to know exactly who you’re designing for.

THE LAWS OF UX — Part Two: Design Purposefully

LAW 4: Value good design.

Good design is more than just how something looks, it’s how it works. Sometimes making a workflow easier or more straightforward is just as important as making it visually appealing.

LAW 5: Do not try to design for everyone.

If you try to design for everyone, you will likely end up with too many features and a confusing end product. It’s important to thoroughly understand your users and what they are trying to do in order to make the design and feature set truly work for them.

Do you have a design story to tell? Has this approach worked for you, or not worked for you? Send us a message on Twitter to share your thoughts, comments or questions.

Stay tuned for the final installment of our Laws of UX series, which focuses on how to approach business problems practically and thoughtfully. We’ll discuss why it’s important to approach user experience with a strategic vision and with flexibility.

If you missed “The Laws of UX – Part One: Get to Know and Understand Your Users,” you can watch the video on EffectiveUI’s YouTube channel.