design-philosophies

name	design-philosophies
description	Use when running a heuristic evaluation, structuring a design critique, selecting which design framework to apply for a given project context, or auditing a UI against Gestalt/Nielsen/Rams principles.
metadata	{"references":["references/apple-hig.md","references/design-thinking.md","references/dieter-rams-principles.md","references/emotional-design.md","references/gestalt-principles.md","references/material-design.md","references/nielsen-heuristics.md"]}

Design Philosophies

Philosophy Selection Framework

Context	Primary	Supporting
New product, unclear users	Design Thinking	JTBD, HCD
Complex information display	Gestalt	Nielsen
Premium/luxury	Emotional Design + Rams	Apple HIG
Enterprise SaaS	Nielsen	Material, Inclusive
Consumer mobile	Apple HIG / Material	Gestalt, Emotional
Accessibility-first	Inclusive	WCAG 2.2, Nielsen
Developer tool	Rams ("less but better")	Nielsen, Gestalt
Content platform	Gestalt + Emotional	Apple HIG
E-commerce	Nielsen	Emotional, Gestalt
Design system	Rams + Gestalt	Material, Inclusive

Decision rule: pick one primary as backbone; use supporting frameworks only to fill gaps the primary leaves unaddressed.

Heuristic Evaluation Template (Nielsen)

# Heuristic Evaluation: <product/flow>
Evaluator: <name>  Date: <YYYY-MM-DD>  Scope: <screens or task>

## Findings
| # | Heuristic | Severity (0-4) | Location | Issue | Recommendation |
|---|-----------|----------------|----------|-------|----------------|
| 1 | H1 Visibility of system status | 3 | Checkout step 2 | No spinner during 4s payment call | Show inline progress + disable submit |
| 2 | H5 Error prevention            | 4 | Account delete | One-click, irreversible | Add typed-confirmation modal |
...

## Severity scale
0=not a problem · 1=cosmetic · 2=minor · 3=major · 4=catastrophic

## Summary
- Total findings: N
- Severity ≥3: M  (must fix before ship)
- Top 3 systemic patterns: ...

Rule: every finding cites a specific heuristic number; recommendations reference the same principle.

Design Critique Output Format

# Critique: <artifact>
Philosophy applied: <primary>  Supporting: <list>

## Strengths (3-5)
- [Principle name] What works and why, tied to principle

## Issues (ranked by severity)
1. [Principle name] Specific issue → concrete fix
2. ...

## Open questions
- ...

## Validation
- [ ] Every recommendation cites which principle it derives from
- [ ] No recommendation contradicts the chosen primary philosophy
- [ ] Severity rated; top item is a must-fix

Gestalt Layout Checklist

Run against any composed screen:

• Proximity: related elements grouped via spacing (no orphan labels)
• Similarity: like things look alike (consistent button family, icon stroke)
• Common region: cards/fieldsets bound related content
• Continuation: alignment creates reading lines (left edge, baseline grid)
• Figure-ground: foreground vs background clear (modal dim, card elevation)
• Closure: incomplete shapes work (skeleton/progress) — none accidental
• Symmetry/order: intentional balance, not arbitrary

Worked Example (input → output)

Input UI (ASCII):

[Logo]  Home  Products  About                       [Sign in] [Sign up]
─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
                Welcome!
   [search...........................]            <- centered, isolated
   New arrivals                                    <- left
   [img] $19   [img] $24   [img] $29
   [img] $39   [img] $44   [img] $49
   Save 20% on first order!                        <- floating banner top-right red

Philosophy Selection: e-commerce → Primary: Nielsen · Supporting: Emotional Design, Gestalt.

Critique:

#	Principle	Sev	Issue → Recommendation
1	Nielsen H1	3	"Save 20%" floats untethered → anchor to grid, add countdown (Emotional/visceral)
2	Gestalt Proximity	3	Centered search, left-aligned products imply unrelated → left-align OR add label
3	Nielsen H4	2	Sign in/Sign up both gray → promote Sign up to primary intent
4	Gestalt Similarity	2	Inconsistent price formatting → enforce $XX.00
5	Rams #4	1	"Welcome!" carries no info → value-prop subtitle

Each row cites principle; severity drives ship/no-ship.

Decision Rules & Pitfalls

• Don't mix Material + Apple HIG in one product — pick one metaphor.
• Rams "less, but better" ≠ minimalism-as-style; it is reduction to essentials.
• Design Thinking is for ambiguous problems; if well-defined, skip to Prototype.
• Emotional/visceral cannot compensate for a broken behavioral layer.
• Inclusive Design ≠ WCAG (floor); inclusive treats diversity as resource.

Validation Step

Before sign-off:

1. Every recommendation cites a principle from the chosen primary or a named supporting framework.
2. No recommendation violates a Rams principle (especially #6 honest, #2 useful).
3. Heuristic severities ≥3 are tracked as blockers.
4. If a recommendation derives from a supporting philosophy that contradicts the primary, flag for explicit decision.

References

• Nielsen Heuristics
• Gestalt Principles
• Emotional Design — Norman's three levels in depth
• Dieter Rams Principles
• Design Thinking — Stanford 5-phase, Double Diamond, facilitation
• Material Design · Apple HIG

Next Steps

• Design Case Studies: Study how real products apply these philosophies
• Usability Evaluation: Use Nielsen's heuristics as the foundation for systematic usability review
• Visual Design: Apply emotional design and Gestalt principles to create distinctive interfaces
• Accessibility Audit: Implement inclusive design through thorough accessibility evaluation