As long as your app presents good design to the user, screen after screen, their psychology stays calm. Bad design has the exact opposite effect, often frustrating users to the point of abandoning your product entirely. That’s the essence of investing in user interface design.

This series focuses on the fundamental elements of UI design like clarity and visual hierarchy. The app screens available on UILand showcase these design principles in action.

Of course, the aesthetics of your application are important. But you want users to get a dopamine high that keeps them coming back for yet another experience of your product. It’s what determines whether they love it or scramble to hit “Uninstall” to avoid more frustration.

Design principles act as guardrails that designers pay attention to in order to create products that are equally useful and delightful for users. Digital designers essentially help users navigate to relevant content and features, empowering them to accomplish the specific thing they want to do.

Why Hierarchy Matters in UI Design

There are a few UI design principles to keep in mind that help capture the essence and aesthetics of your final product. However, hierarchy appears to sit pretty at the top of the pile.

Observing hierarchy in design enables users to recognize key information and distinguish it from less important details — ideally at a glance.

This becomes easier to understand if we compare designing a digital product or website to designing a book. Each page of the book offers navigational cues that remind the reader of the title, chapter, and content section. Why does this matter? It helps the user stay on track.

Digital designers act like book graphic designers, using visual cues to guide users to different elements within a user interface.

How Designers Establish Hierarchy

Here are some ways designers apply visual hierarchy within UI:

• Font size and weight: Large and bold fonts are easy to distinguish. They naturally draw attention and help identify important information and primary buttons.
• Contrast: The ability to use contrasting colors can help users find key elements with ease. High contrast directs the eye to what matters most.
• Spacing: Using generous, yet thoughtful, spacing between elements helps create visual interest and balance. More importantly, it allows users to easily see the relationship between various UI elements.

It’s advisable to be intentional about what the user sees on your app’s screens — especially the elements they see first and those they must scroll to find. When prioritizing information, your user interface content hierarchy should reflect what matters most to the user, not just what’s easiest to build.

Conclusion

Successful user interfaces, as you’ll find on UILand, exhibit strong visual hierarchy. They arrange visual elements in a way that highlights the importance of each element, guiding users to take the desired action.

When hierarchy is done well, users feel oriented, confident, and in control — and that’s the kind of experience that keeps them coming back.