The interfaces should be easy to understand, learn, and efficient over time.

The ideal humane interface reduces the interface component of a user's work to pure habituation.

A well-designed human interface should not be split into beginner and expert modes. Instead, think of the interface as a beginner-to-expert journey.

The learning phase of working with any professional interface requires conscious attention. Simplicity, clarity of function, and the visibility of a user interface helps beginners learn.

The expert phase is characterized by fast unconscious use.

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According to Jef Raskin, qualities like suitedness to the task and modelessness lead the way for UI to be habitual.

Users shouldn’t have to get lost among multiple elements. There should be only one way to perform a task. Jef Raskin wrote, the more ‘monotonous’ an interface, the more quickly it becomes habitual.

Avoid alternate modes that can shift the user's attention. And if you have them, make sure they are distinctly marked.

Let’s look at the round buttons at the bottom of the screen. When the Pages Menu is open, tapping the button switches on the Settings Menu. When the Settings Menu is open, tapping the same button will open the Pages Menu again. Users didn’t notice the buttons’ switch, and weren't sure how to open the Settings panel. We made a mistake trying to save space on the page.

Non-split interfaces are more consistent for users, and easier to maintain for designers and developers.

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Reliability is often thought of as purely technical. But a fairly reliable interface can still be designed on top of a system that isn’t 100% reliable.

The system should never lose any work a user has done or any information they have entered.

All actions must be auto-saved.

It should be possible to restore large chunks of content, like pages or projects.

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Design has always been about invention. On the way to something new, designers are constantly experimenting. Even a simple design task requires figuring out how to build a coherent message out of raw content.

Design software should provide an enjoyable environment for creative work.

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A beautiful, well-crafted interface earns the trust of its users. It reassures them that the product is reliable and could be in use for a long time.

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All elements of the Readymag UI fall strictly into the 8 px grid. Thus, the UI gains an invisible consistency and clear aesthetics. The design process is determined by necessary order and restrictions.

To support problem solving, a design tool should also encourage designers to explore and venture into the unknown. In such an explorative process, a user might end up in a place where no one else has been before. The creation of something outstanding becomes possible.

A design tool should inspire its users to create. Otherwise, it is not a design tool.

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As a product grows, new features are always being added. The interface tends to get messier. As a result, users need to apply more effort to use the interface.

Complexity harms everyone.

For developers, it leads to incidents and bugs. The service delivery system becomes less reliable.

For users, it becomes time-consuming to learn and work with. The creative process slows down.

So: keep things simple. Though simplicity is one of the most important principles behind good design, it’s still one of the most neglected.

Don’t hesitate to trade off other values for simplicity. No matter how complex the overall system is, there is no excuse for complicating simple tasks.

Features are very easy to add, but almost impossible to remove.

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Simplicity doesn’t happen by itself. Simplicity has to be designed.

Simplicity comes from a thorough understanding. The point here is to know the ins and outs of the process. If you do not, the result of your efforts will be ‘simplistic’ rather than simple.

While designing a feature, constantly ask yourself: which elements convey information, which elements serve as decorations, and what will happen if you remove the element.

Get rid of anything that is not essential.

Add multiple functions to a single element.

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In Readymag you can't nest groups inside other groups. Untill it becomes an absolute nesessity for users' needs, we'll keep this feature as simple as it is.

A red dot indicates the current page. A red lock icon means that the page is private.

Design isn't always crafting a beautiful button with breathtaking animation. Sometimes it means getting rid of the button altogether.

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