How to make your web design more human

Design communicates and solves problems. A design that feels “human” takes it a step further and also relates to the people who are using it. By taking human factors such as emotions and ergonomics into account, you can make something your users really appreciate. (Appreciation may not be a metric most of us can use, but keep in mind it’s a contributor to higher conversion rates, brand loyalty, repeat purchases, and word-of-mouth.) Below are some tips to make your digital design more personable.

Start with words.

Before you design, choose one word to describe the emotion your project should convey. Doing this will create your ultimate litmus test for all your efforts — you can ask yourself, “is this *adjective*?” Choose an emotional word that creates three relationships:

• A relationship among your users
• …one between your users and your product
• …and another between your users and your brand

Be sure to use copy that feels human (not robotic or corporate) as well. Say what you write out loud and see if it feels natural. If you are selling something, try to show the benefits not tell the features of your wares.

Design for comfort.

The quickest way to make a design “feel right” is to make it comfortable to use. Size your text so it is easy to read, and when designing on mobile keep thumb patterns in mind. The more comfortable your design is, the more likely people will use it.

Design for immersion.

Do your best to make your product feel like a friendly helper not a computer. One overlooked way to do this is to style your form elements — think, how would this work if it were magic?

Design every element as if it were to be judged individually. An out-of-place element can ruin the flow of the experience you are designing.

Think, how would this work if it were magic?

Big, clear visuals help too. Consider how much information we gather about someone from body language. The same information is gleaned from visuals.

Think of the interface as your friend.

Go the extra mile to be helpful. The interface should essentially hold a users’ hand through their task.

Introduce options. Variety. Change.

Have you ever played chess against a computer? Sometimes the AI can be too perfect, making the game no fun. Designing to make your design predictable is a noble goal. Go further and make your UI reasonable. Find out how your users think and act when using your product, and design from their perspective.

Options give users ownership of the design. It helps make your design less of a canvas and more an experience.

In music, there are grace notes, notes which are not technically necessary but contribute something special to the overall piece. While they might not be priority, including grace notes in your design is a nice touch that can make your product special.

Pace out your design.

Use whitespace.

It can be tempting to shove everything “above the fold.” This is like listening to a salesperson with pressured speech. Consider instead that your design has one goal and it is its job to lead to that goal. Be a concierge, not a cluttered desk.

The computer you are designing on will naturally lead you to boolean conclusions. As a designer, you need to reserve time, energy, and a little bit of heart towards making your design more human. If you don’t do it, no one else will.

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