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Beyond Aesthetics: The Overlooked Essentials of UX/UI Design best practices

Updated: Feb 3

When I started my journey in UX/UI design over seven years ago, I quickly realized that this field involves much more than just creating beautiful visuals. While it’s easy to be captivated by the latest tools and styles, real success lies in crafting experiences that engage users meaningfully.

Great UX/UI isn’t about making things look good—it’s about making them feel right. It’s about ensuring users intuitively understand what to do, where to go, and why it matters. In this post, I’ll highlight the often-overlooked elements of UX/UI design that can elevate user engagement and create designs that truly resonate.



Design as a Narrative Journey


Think of your design as a story unfolding in chapters—each screen or interaction guiding users seamlessly through a logical and engaging experience. Just like in a well-written novel or a well-designed game, users should feel immersed, guided, and emotionally invested in their journey.


👉 Case Study: In one project for a cooking app for dog-friendly recipes, I mapped out the entire user journey—from searching for recipes to preparing meals. I made sure that each screen transition felt natural, almost like flipping a page in a book. Micro-interactions, such as an animated arrow pointing to the next step, helped users follow along effortlessly. The result? A 30% increase in user retention during the cooking process.


📌 Pro Tip: Jesse Schell, a renowned game designer and author of The Art of Game Design, often emphasizes how good UX borrows from game design principles. Whether designing an interface or a game, clear objectives, smooth flow, and rewarding interactions are key to keeping users engaged.


Notepad with website design sketches, blue pen, keyboard and smartphone in a bright office environment

The Power of Small Details


Microinteractions may seem minor, but they create a sense of responsiveness, engagement, and delight. These subtle touches help users feel in control, reassured, and even emotionally connected to an interface.

For example:

  • A button that slightly expands when clicked makes the action feel more tangible and satisfying.

  • A progress bar that not only tracks user milestones—like completing a checkout—but celebrates these small victories can significantly boost retention.

  • Subtle sound effects (where applicable) reinforce actions and create an immersive experience.


🔍 Studies suggest that user satisfaction can increase by up to 40% with thoughtful microinteractions. Even the smallest design choices can shape a user’s perception and experience.


📌 Pro Tip: Don Norman, author of The Design of Everyday Things, explains that the key to great design lies in how users feel when they interact with a product. If an interface feels intuitive, rewarding, and effortless, users will keep coming back.



Accessibility: A Core Principle, Not an Afterthought


UX/UI design is about inclusivity—ensuring that everyone, regardless of ability, can engage with a product. Accessibility isn’t a “nice-to-have”—it’s fundamental to ethical and effective design.


How I apply accessibility:

  • I frequently test my designs with screen readers to ensure smooth navigation for visually impaired users.

  • I use high-contrast color schemes and readable typography to accommodate users with low vision.

  • I follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to build inclusive and legally compliant designs.


The impact? Some of my projects have seen a 25% increase in engagement simply by making content more accessible and readable for all users.


📌 Pro Tip: Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, has long advocated for an open and accessible internet. His philosophy aligns with the UX principle that the best design serves the widest possible audience.


🌐 Resource: One of the best websites on this topic is Accessibility for Neurodivergent Users. It provides in-depth insights on designing for autism, ADHD, and other cognitive needs, offering real-world examples and solutions.


  • 📖 Book recommendation: Inclusive Design for a Digital World – Reginé Gilbert



Designing with empathy: understanding the user’s mindset


At its core, UX/UI design is human-centered. It’s not just about aesthetics or functionality—it’s about understanding how people think, feel, and behave. The best designs are those that anticipate user needs and create intuitive pathways for them to achieve their goals effortlessly.


The empathy-driven approach in UX isn’t a new concept. Don Norman, one of the pioneers of UX, often emphasizes that design should not frustrate or confuse users, but rather guide them seamlessly. To achieve this, designers need to develop a deep understanding of human behavior, cognitive biases, and emotional triggers.


One of the most effective ways to design with empathy is by conducting user research. User interviews, surveys, and usability testing sessions help designers step into the user’s shoes and uncover pain points that may not be obvious at first glance.


📌 Pro Tip: Jared Spool, a UX expert and founder of User Interface Engineering, explains that the best UX design is invisible—users shouldn’t even have to think about where to click or how to navigate. When users complete their tasks without friction, that’s when UX is truly working.


  • 📖 Book recommendation: A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences by Sarah Horton & Whitney Quesenbery

  • 🌐 Online resource: Nielsen Norman Group - User Research Methods

  • 🎓 Free course: Human-Computer Interaction by Stanford University on Coursera



Iteration: the heart of UX/UI design


No design is perfect from the start. The best UX/UI designers embrace iteration—a cycle of testing, refining, and improving based on real user feedback. Unlike traditional graphic design, where finality is the goal, UX/UI thrives on continuous learning and adaptation.

Iteration is at the heart of agile methodologies, and this concept extends beyond digital products—game designers, for example, have long used iterative design to refine mechanics, balance gameplay, and improve engagement. Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary game designer behind Super Mario and The Legend of Zelda, is known for iterating extensively on game mechanics before finalizing a design. The same philosophy applies to UX/UI: test early, test often, and refine based on data.


💡 My approach: I rely on A/B testing to track user behavior. By testing different versions of a design (such as two different button placements or color schemes), I can determine which option performs better. In one case, changing the color of a call-to-action button increased click-through rates by 15%. Small tweaks can lead to major engagement improvements.


📌 Pro Tip: Steve Krug, author of Don’t Make Me Think, stresses the importance of constant usability testing. His golden rule? “If something requires too much thought, it’s probably not a good UX design.”


  • 📖 Book recommendation: Lean UX: Designing Great Products with Agile Teams by Jeff Gothelf

  • 🌐 Online resource: Microsoft Clarity – Free Heatmaps & Session Recordings

  • 🎮 Game design perspective: The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell (a must-read for both game and UX designers!)



Collaboration: UX design is a team sport


Great UX/UI doesn’t happen in isolation. Unlike traditional design fields where a single designer can execute an entire project solo, UX/UI is inherently collaborative. The best results emerge when designers work alongside developers, product managers, marketers, and researchers to create a cohesive product experience.


Collaboration isn’t just about sharing ideas—it’s about understanding constraints and leveraging expertise from different fields. For example, early involvement with developers can prevent design solutions that are impossible (or too expensive) to implement. Similarly, working with product managers ensures that designs align with business goals, while marketers provide insights into user behavior and engagement strategies.


🔎 Case Study: On a fintech mobile app project, I involved developers early in the process to discuss potential technical limitations. Initially, I designed an animation-heavy onboarding flow, but after consulting with engineers, I realized it would cause performance issues on lower-end devices. Based on their feedback, I refined the animation logic to be lighter, faster, and more efficient—resulting in a smoother launch. Thanks to this proactive collaboration, we released the product two weeks ahead of schedule.


📌 Pro Tip: John Maeda, a design and tech leader with a background in game development, often speaks about the intersection of design, engineering, and business strategy. His book The Laws of Simplicity explores how design can balance functionality, ease of use, and efficiency.


  • 📖 Book recommendation: Design is a Job by Mike Monteiro (a must-read for understanding the reality of working as a UX designer)

  • 🎓 Online course: Collaboration in UX Design on Interaction Design Foundation



Embrace trends ...mindfully


Following design trends blindly can do more harm than good. While it’s important to stay updated with the latest visual styles, interaction patterns, and UX innovations, not every trend suits every project or audience.


Game designers have long understood this principle—what works in one game genre might not work in another. Similarly, UX/UI trends should be assessed based on user needs, not just aesthetics.


📌 Pro Tip: Dieter Rams, an influential designer, always advocated for "less but better". He emphasized that trends should enhance usability, not just visual appeal.


  • 📖 Book recommendation: Universal Principles of Design by William Lidwel.

  • 🎮 Game design perspective: Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers



Closing thoughts


Mastering UX/UI design goes far beyond tools and aesthetics—it’s about creating experiences that genuinely connect with users. From designing seamless narratives to refining microinteractions, every detail matters. Accessibility ensures inclusivity, empathy deepens user engagement, and iteration drives constant improvement. True UX/UI mastery comes from understanding human behavior, working collaboratively, and embracing trends thoughtfully—not just following industry fads.


As designers, we hold the responsibility and privilege of shaping digital experiences that influence how people interact with technology every day. By applying these principles, we move beyond just designing screens—we design meaningful, intuitive, and accessible experiences.


Whether you're just starting your career or refining your expertise, always remember: the best design is the one that solves real problems and empowers users.

🚀 Keep testing, keep learning, and most importantly—keep designing with purpose.


References


📖 Books:

  • Gilbert, R. (2019). Inclusive design for a digital world: Designing with accessibility in mind. Apress.

  • Gothelf, J. (2013). Lean UX: Designing great products with agile teams. O’Reilly Media.

  • Horton, S., & Quesenbery, W. (2014). A web for everyone: Designing accessible user experiences. Rosenfeld Media.

  • Krug, S. (2014). Don’t make me think: A common sense approach to web usability (3rd ed.). New Riders.

  • Lidwell, W. (2010). Universal principles of design. Rockport Publishers.

  • Maeda, J. (2006). The laws of simplicity: Design, technology, business, life. MIT Press.

  • Monteiro, M. (2012). Design is a job. A Book Apart.

  • Norman, D. (2013). The design of everyday things (Revised & Expanded ed.). Basic Books.

  • Rams, D. (2010). Dieter Rams: Ten principles for good design. Phaidon Press.

  • Rogers, S. (2010). Level up! The guide to great video game design. Wiley.

  • Schell, J. (2008). The art of game design: A book of lenses. CRC Press.

🎓 Online resources & courses:

🎮 Game design perspectives:



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