Communication & Design Principles

Accountable

Everything should have an identified purpose and fulfill that purpose in a way that inspires trust.

  • Does it fulfill its purpose?
  • Can everything be justified?
  • Are sources identifiable?

Clear

Empower the user to act with confidence by providing them with accurate, orderly data. Focus on one thing at a time.

  • Is it free of unrelated or unnecessary elements?
  • Does it perform as expected?
  • Is everything consistent?

Efficient

Eliminate redundancy and apply the same solution to the same problem. Make flexible solutions that can be applied to related problems.

  • Is it effortless?
  • Is the next step obvious?
  • Could this be done in fewer steps or said in fewer words?

Democratic

Educate and empower the community by addressing a wide audience. Make terms, concepts, and interface elements accessible for everyone.

  • Is it understandable and accessible for a wide audience?
  • Does the system support/articulate multiple “mental models” for how a user can interact with the data?
  • Is navigating between these mental models easy?