Intuitive Design

Intuitive design is something that all of us should strive for everyday within our creative workplace. Intuitive design is the direct combination of two terms. (Of which I am sure that we’re all very familiar, but for those that are not…)

intuitive:: capable of being perceived or known by intuition
intuition on dictionary.com
design:: organization or structure of formal elements in a work of art; composition
design on dictionary.com

Simply put, intuitive design is an immediate comprehension, without any reasoning process, of a work of art. This pertains directly to the underlying meaning of the work that all the formal elements should help to substantiate. Universally, and across all forms of media there are a few simple things we can do to help ensure that our design is intuitive.

think simple
Always keep things clear and concise. Think about how you can make something less obfuscated. If possible provide definitions, citations, examples, and other aids to make your case. If you need to ask how, what, or why regarding anything in your design, revise and revamp. In light of code: less code (loops, iterations, etc.) and commented code is understandable code.
think weight
If something is more important than other elements give it more weight. For example: a tagging system on a blog shows tags of all different sizes and weights. The most used tag is the boldest and the least used tag is the lightest.
think white-space
Don’t be afraid of white-space or spacing in general. A paragraph at 150% leading promotes better comprehension/readability than that of a paragraph at 100% leading. Large blocks of white-space can also help to add visual distinction between elements.
think consistency
If an element is used more than once and should convey the same semantic meaning, keep the treatment consistent. In intuitive design consistency is king just as in advertising content is king. For example: a modal window that confirms a user’s intentions should remain consistent throughout an application.

As a creative design aficionado, intuitive design should drive your decisions and will ultimately lead to a better user experience.