UI Design Best Practices for Developers

Achieve more with less. These are my thoughts about my journey learning to design better websites.

Fonts

You can’t create a good-looking UI if you’re using too many font sizes or different font families. A good rule of thumb is to keep it simple— stick to around 4 - 5 font sizes and ideally just one or two fonts (that’s kinda debatable).

👉 Tip
Don’t go overboard with font weights. Keep it consistent across headings, subheadings, and paragraphs in your whole website.

Spacing

Avoid using random spacing values. You should standardize your spacing, and there’s a helpful rule called the 8pt grid system. Any spacing value you use should be divisible by 8 (or at least by 4).

👉 Tip
Take a moment to study the 8pt grid system—it’ll level up your designs.

Copywriting (Important)

Don’t use unnecessary words or labels that don’t make sense. Keep your text simple, clear, and informative. Avoid redundant labels.

Small details make a big difference.

Colors

Randomly mixing colors never works—and relying too heavily on just one color can backfire too. Keep your UI clean and minimal, and make sure every color has a purpose.

Visuals

Use visuals that actually communicate something. Don’t just throw in images to fill empty space—and don’t overdo it either. Every visual should serve a purpose and match the overall look and feel of your app (in both color and shape).

I’ve noticed that it really matters when visuals convey meaning, data, or context.