Patterns
The recurring problems — navigation, forms, search, feedback, notifications, tables, copy, privacy — and their evidence-backed solutions.
Navigation Patterns
Navigation answers three questions at all times (foundational IA principle): Where am I? What's here? Where can I go? If any is unclear, navigation has failed regardless of…
Forms & Input
Forms are where products win or lose money. Baymard Institute's running average across studies puts cart abandonment at ~70%; in its periodically updated US survey of reasons…
Search & Filtering
Search is navigation for people who know what they want. For the IA-level view (search systems, query-log mining, scent) see Information Architecture; this file covers the…
Onboarding, First-Run & Empty States
The first session decides retention more than any other. Goal: shortest credible path to the user's first success ("aha moment"), not the most thorough tour.
Feedback, Loading, Errors & Recovery
Heuristic 1 (visibility of system status) in practice. Every user action gets an immediate, proportionate response; every wait is managed; every failure has a path out.
Notifications & Communication
Every notification spends user trust. Phones already deliver on the order of dozens of notifications a day (Pielot et al., MobileHCI 2014, logged an average of ~63/day back…
Data Tables, Data Visualization & Dashboards
Data-heavy UI succeeds when structure carries the cognitive load: users compare, scan, and decide — they don't decode. Tables are for looking up and comparing exact values;…
UX Writing & Microcopy
Words are interface. Every label, button, and empty state is a design decision, written alongside the layout, not poured in after. This file covers the writing craft; for…
Privacy & Security UX
Security that users route around is not security; consent users don't understand is not consent. Read when designing login, sign-up, consent flows, permissions, or any…
Microinteractions & Motion
Motion is information: it explains where things came from, where they went, and what relates to what. Decoration is its side hustle, not its job.