2023-06-24 Szymon Klimek

What is The 60–30–10 Rule in UX?

The 60-30-10 rule is primarily associated with interior design and color schemes. However, its underlying principle of achieving visual balance and hierarchy can also be applied in various design fields, including user experience (UX) design.

In UX design, the goal is to create intuitive and visually pleasing user interfaces. While the specific percentages may not directly translate, the concept of balancing elements and creating a hierarchy of importance can be applied. Here’s how it can be adapted for UX design:

  1. 60% Dominant Element: This refers to the primary element or content that occupies the majority of the screen or interface. It should be the most important and visually prominent element, capturing the user’s attention and conveying the main message or purpose.
  2. 30% Secondary Element: This element supports the dominant element and provides additional information or functionality. It is visually distinct but not as prominent as the dominant element. It helps guide the user’s attention and provides a logical progression within the interface.
  3. 10% Accent Element: The accent element is used sparingly to draw attention to specific areas or actions. It serves as a focal point or highlight, emphasizing key features or interactive elements. It adds visual interest and can guide the user’s actions or decisions.

Adapting the 60-30-10 rule to UX design helps create a visual hierarchy that guides users through the interface, emphasizes important elements, and ensures a balanced and cohesive user experience. However, it’s important to consider other UX principles and best practices alongside this rule to create effective and user-centric designs.

What about the website design?

The 60-30-10 rule can be applied to website design as well, particularly in the context of color usage and visual hierarchy. Here’s how it can be adapted for website design:

  1. 60% Dominant Color: The dominant color scheme is used for the main background elements of the website, such as the background color or images, and the primary content areas. It sets the overall tone and establishes the brand’s identity. This color should be used consistently throughout the website to create a cohesive look and feel.
  2. 30% Secondary Color: The secondary color scheme complements the dominant color and is used for subheadings, navigation menus, buttons, and other key design elements. It helps create visual contrast, guides the user’s attention, and adds depth to the overall design. This color should be visually distinct from the dominant color but still harmonize well.
  3. 10% Accent Color: The accent color is used sparingly to create focal points and draw attention to specific elements. It can be used for call-to-action buttons, important links, interactive elements, or other elements that require emphasis. This color should provide a noticeable contrast to the dominant and secondary colors to make it stand out.

Beyond color usage, the 60-30-10 rule can also be applied to the layout and placement of elements on a web page. The dominant element (60%) could be the main content area or hero section, the secondary element (30%) could be sidebar content or secondary sections, and the accent element (10%) could be eye-catching elements like banners, testimonials, or featured products.

Remember, the 60-30-10 rule is a guideline and can be adjusted based on the specific design requirements and preferences. It serves as a helpful framework to achieve visual balance and hierarchy in website design.

Szymon Klimek

Graduate Middlesex University of London, UK in Computer Science, specialised in advanced web-development and AWS Cloud. Experienced cloud and software engineer through research & development.

SZYMON KLIMEK

Graduate Middlesex University of London, UK in Computer Science, specialised in advanced web-development and AWS Cloud. Experienced cloud and software engineer through research & development.

Poland

Katowice, Poland

[email protected]

United Kingdom

London, United Kingdom

[email protected]

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