UX Design Patterns: Solutions For Common Usability Problems

A pleasant and relevant user experience is the foundation for successful designs. However, getting it right is easier said than done. You’ve to invest significant time and effort in the UX design process: researching, interviewing, analysing, finding problems, and designing solutions that address them. That’s where UX design patterns come in providing proven solutions for usability issues. In this article, we’ll explain what are UX design patterns, why using them in your designs matters, some common examples and how to apply them to your designs.

What are UX Design Patterns?

UX design patterns are the approaches applied to address common design problems. These patterns have successfully worked in solving usability problems and creating a pleasing user experience.  An example of such a pattern is the pull-to-refresh gesture on touch devices; you just pull down anywhere on the screen, and the content on the screen gets refreshed.

This pattern improves usability through familiarity and ease. The gesture is a standard way to refresh content, so it meets the user’s expectations. It is also an easier way of retrieving new content without the need to find and touch the refresh button. Thus, using such UX design patterns in your design makes the tasks easier and the interaction pleasant.