6 principles to follow for brilliant web app design

Use our list of six strategic web app design principles to strike the right balance between usability and aesthetics—to create a product that serves your users and your business.

What are web app design principles?

Web app design principles are strategic, high-level guidelines that teams refer to throughout the design process to create user-centered web apps that result in customer delight.

Following web app design principles streamlines the design process, which can be complex and time consuming. Having clear web app design principles in place keeps teams aligned on what matters: creating a web app that users love.

6 principles of web app design

Apply these six design principles throughout the different stages of your web app design process:

1. Prioritize credibility and trust

It’s essential for both new users and returning users to feel a sense of trust when they land on your web app. Users should:

• Believe you are who you say you are, and get a great first impression

• Trust your product will help them achieve their goals

• Perceive you as an expert within your industry or niche

• See that there are real people behind your app

• Feel confident their data and browsing experience is secure

When you create a web app design that builds trust with your users, you set the stage for them to enjoy your product. Instead of worrying about how you might use their information, they can interact with your app's features.

A credible, secure web app also has stronger performance analytics, like lower bounce rates, higher conversion rates, and more leads, sales, and returning users.

Here are some actions you can take to build your web app’s credibility:

• Improve metrics like page speed

• Ensure your website branding is consistent

• Write an authentic About Us section

• Include partner pages

• Add trust badges

• Feature statistics about your web app where appropriate

• Showcase where your web app has been featured

• Integrate authentic user reviews and testimonials

• Publish high-quality content that resonates with your audience

• Make it easy for people to contact you

• Keep your website security certificates up to date

2. Be mindful of empty states

An 'empty state' is the error or blank page that appears when your app doesn’t have any data or information to show a user. For example, an empty shopping cart, or an empty in-app storage space. 

The importance of empty state design is often underestimated or even overlooked. After all, why does it matter what your app displays when there’s no important information to display in the first place?

But if your users run into blank or uninspiring empty states over and over again, they may get lost as they navigate, and could miss out on using key elements because they don’t understand how they work.

To avoid this pitfall, create empty states that are memorable, convey empathy, provide succinct information, and ultimately guide users through their journey on your web app.

Dropbox is a web app design example with a great empty state—look what they’ve done with their File Request page. It contains:

• A unique and eye-catching image

• Empathetic and informative copy

• Clear guidance on file requests and next steps

3. Don’t reinvent the wheel

While you should aim to include novel elements in your web app design, remember that not everything has to be new or unique. In fact, if you go overboard with novelties, your users might find everything to be too unfamiliar, and could miss important navigation cues.

Integrate tried-and-tested web app design patterns where appropriate. Here are a few recognizable design patterns that work well for most web apps:

• Form design patterns like sign-up, registration, checkout, and search criteria

• Search and filtering design patterns like explicit search, auto-complete, dynamic search, and saved/recent search

• Navigation design patterns like label navigation, integrated navigation, and carousel navigation

 And keep these common design rules in mind: 

• Include a healthy amount of negative space

• Keep your corners clear

• Use the color red for errors

• Use the color blue for hyperlinks (or at least make them distinct from your other text)

• Make your buttons raised or shadowed

• Integrate responsive design (users should know where their cursor is hovering)

4. Intuitive navigation

One of the most important aspects of excellent web app design is easy and intuitive navigation.

Use product experience insights tools (like Hotjar!) to look for user behavior patterns—like rage clicks or high exit and bounce rates—that show people getting confused, frustrated, or lost while interacting with your web app to identify design mistakes that need to be fixed.

Implement the principle of intuitive navigation through these design tips:

• Avoid including too many distracting elements, like busy graphics and pop-ups on your homepage

• Design a top menu that’s visible, clear, easy to read, and separate from the rest of your content

• Only include menu tabs that are useful to users, and group related tabs together so it’s easy for people to find the information they need

• Dedicate buttons to calls-to-action (CTAs)

• Make it easy for users to return to a previous screen or to the homepage

• Create a search function that actually works

• Use recognizable icons and label them for optimal accessibility

• Offer breadcrumbs to help people navigate across pages

 Canva is a good example of intuitive web app design: they present users with clear information in their top menu, but make it easy to navigate through grouping and drop-downs.

5. Accessibility and inclusivity

Following accessible design best practices ensures that users can easily navigate and interact with your app.

There are many ways to make your web app design more inclusive and widely accessible, but these are some of our top pointers:

• Include descriptive alt text

• Use the principles of visual hierarchy to give your content structure

• Choose clear, easy-to-read, web safe fonts like Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman

• Avoid jargon and overly complex written content

• Select high-contrast (but not clashing) colors so your written content stands out

• Always label icons, images, and graphics

• Don’t include media with rapidly flashing lights that could lead to stress or negative physical reactions

When in doubt, use tools to test your web app’s accessibility, like WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool), Dynomapper, or Color Contrast Analyzer.

 6. Continual testing

Usability testing and user research are a successful web app’s best friend.

Your design’s main objective should be to provide a fantastic experience for your users, and the best way to determine whether you’re achieving that goal is to test your product regularly.

Integrate testing throughout every stage of your web app’s lifecycle, whether you’re working on pre-launch designs or optimizing an existing product. Continual testing is the best way to put yourself in your users’ shoes and ensure they’re having the best possible experience with your app.

Use qualitative and quantitative testing methods to get a good balance of hard data and experience-based insights to get a more accurate, multifaceted picture of your customers’ needs and pain points.

Hotjar Product Design Lead Marco d’Emilia knows all about the importance of qualitative and quantitative user research:

Use Hotjar's Observe and Ask products to conduct user research, dive deep into their experiences, collect quantitative and qualitative insights, and maintain a high-quality, user-centered web app.

Keep strategic design principles in mind to create a fantastic web app

Following strategic web app design principles can help you prioritize brilliantly and delight your users.

Remember, the best web apps empower users through a seamless product experience.