UX and Design Guidelines

What is UX Design?

Photo by Adobe Stock

UX stands for user experience.

It's the practice of designing digital products so they feel intuitive, accessible, and easy to use, no matter what device someone's on.

It starts with understanding how users think and what they're trying to accomplish, so the end result actually works for them — not just looks good.

Good UX design puts the user first at every step, making sure they can accomplish their goals quickly, clearly, and without frustration.

Before You Publish

At BYU–Hawaii, we translate those UX design ideas into seven practical principles — a shared standard every web page is built on. Whether you're writing copy, choosing an image, or laying out a page, these principles turn 'good UX' from an abstract goal into a clear, repeatable checklist.

Does your page follow all seven? Use this list as your final checklist before you hit publish.

1. Start With The User In Mind

Every page should have one clear primary purpose. Before adding any content, ask: "What is the user trying to do on this page?"

If you can't answer that in one sentence, the page needs to be rethought.

2. Designing For Clarity

Users scan pages — they don't read them.

Good design lets anyone quickly answer two questions: "Where do I start?" and "What's next?"
Keep content focused and consistent so nothing competes for the user's attention.

3. Consistency Builds Trust

When users encounter familiar patterns across pages, they feel confident navigating the site. Keep these four things consistent everywhere:

1. Navigation Patterns - The same menu structure and order on every department page, so users always know where to find "Contact" or "About."
2. Spacing and Imagery - The same hero banner size and photo style across pages, instead of one page using a tall photo and the next using a tiny thumbnail.
3. Calls to Action - Every "Apply Now" or "Learn More" button looks and behaves the same way, no matter which page it's on.
4. Tone of Voice - Writing stays warm and direct everywhere, not formal and academic on one page, then casual and joking on another.

Photo by BYU-Hawaii Photography

4. Accessibility Is UX

Accessibility is a core part of good design. Good accessibility practices benefit every user, not just those using assistive technology.

To put this into practice:

• Use real heading tags, not bold or styled text
• Write descriptive link text
• Provide meaningful alt text for images
• Break up long content into digestible sections
• Ensure sufficient color contrast throughout
  

5. Content First

Users are trying to complete a task, not spend time reading. Lead with what matters most, cut filler and repetition, and write for scanning rather than reading.

A good test: if you deleted this text, would the user still succeed? If yes, delete it.

6. Minimize Friction

Friction is anything that makes a task harder to complete. Always ask: "Where might the user get stuck?"

Common culprits are too many clicks to reach key information, unclear calls to action, long unscannable pages, and important information hidden inside PDFs.

7. Design For Mobile First

If it doesn't work on mobile, it doesn't work. Most users are on their phones — design for the smallest screen first. Keep paragraphs to one or two sentences, avoid tiny tap targets, stack content vertically, and put the most important action at the top.

Photo by BYU-Hawaii Photography

How to Check Your Page on Mobile Before It's Published

You don't need to wait for a page to go live to see how it looks on a phone. Use your browser's built-in device preview to check it while you're still working:

1. Right-click anywhere on the page and select "Inspect."
2. At the top of the panel that opens, next to "Elements," click the icon that looks like two devices, then toggle the device toolbar (or press Ctrl+Shift+M on Windows / Cmd+Shift+M on Mac).
3. In the toolbar that appears at the top of the window, find the device dropdown. It's usually set to "Responsive" by default.
4. Select any device from the list (iPhone 12, iPhone 14 Pro, etc.) to preview the page at that exact screen size.

This lets you catch mobile issues — cramped text, buttons too small to tap, awkward spacing — before anyone else sees them.

Conclusion

You've walked through all seven principles — before you publish, run your page through these final questions:

1. Is it clear? Can a first-time visitor understand the page without help?
2. Is it simple? Have you removed anything that doesn't need to be there?
3. Is it actionable? Does the user know exactly what to do next?
4. Can the user complete their task quickly? Would deleting anything make it faster, without losing what matters?

If you can answer yes to all four, your page is ready to go live.