Universal Principles & Design Techniques — Master Scorecard

Every principle from Universal Principles of Design (200) and every rule from Refactoring UI (50), scored on the Human vs AI Capability Lens: two independent 1–5 axes — H (human ownership) and AI (machine executability) — plus two relevance columns, B (Build = Tsumugu) and L (Learning = your growth), with a derived Zone.

This page · profile of the catalog itself.

Zones (derived from H × AI): Own — yours to make, agents can’t. Augment — both high; the agent drafts, you judge and own. Delegate — hand to the agent. Low-leverage — neither pulls hard.

Grades are dated judgment calls (last-audited), graded against the current frontier; the AI column drifts up as models improve. Detail on the axes and facets: Human vs AI Capability Lens; the source extraction: Design Two-Track Extraction.

Own it — the human moat

High human ownership, agents can’t carry it. Sorted by Human, then Learning.

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Ackoff’s Law	5	1	2	5	Own	It is better to do the right things wrong than the wrong things right
Box’s Law	5	2	2	5	Own	All models are wrong, but some are useful
Causal Reductionism	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to fixate on one cause when solving problems, ignoring the reality of multiple
Chesterton’s Fence	5	2	3	5	Own	Seek to understand why things exist the way they do before changing or removing them
Confirmation Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to favor information that confirms pre-existing views
Creator Blindness	5	2	3	5	Own	The inability of a creator to see fundamental flaws in their creation
Dunning-Kruger Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency for unskilled people to overestimate their competence and performance
First Principles	5	2	3	5	Own	Things we know for certain to be true and that are not derived from anything else
Gall’s Law	5	2	4	5	Own	All successful complex things begin as simple things and become complex through iteration
Knowing-Doing Gap	5	1	3	5	Own	The divide that exists between knowing how to do something and actually doing it
Leverage Point	5	2	3	5	Own	A place within a system where small changes produce big effects
Maslow’s Hammer	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to approach problems based on the tools and expertise at hand
Nirvana Fallacy	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to disregard good solutions because they fall short of perfection
Ockham’s Razor	5	2	4	5	Own	Given a choice between functionally equivalent designs, the simplest design should be sele
Perverse Incentive	5	2	2	5	Own	An incentive that unintentionally worsens the problem it seeks to solve
Process Eats Goal	5	2	3	5	Own	A situation in which people follow a process that undermines the greater goal
Satisficing	5	2	4	5	Own	A problem-solving strategy that seeks a satisfactory versus optimal solution
Selection Bias	5	3	2	5	Own	A bias in the way evidence is collected that distorts analysis and conclusions
Status Quo Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A preference for things as they are, even when a change would improve things
Streetlight Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A bias to search for things where it is easiest
Sunk Cost Effect	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to keep investing in an endeavor because of past investments in that endeavor
Survivorship Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	The tendency to overemphasize things that survive a selection process
Back of the Dresser	5	2	4	4	Own	All parts of a design, visible and nonvisible, should be held to the same standard of qual
Paradox of Great Ideas	5	1	2	4	Own	Great ideas are indistinguishable from crazy ideas when first introduced
User-Centered vs. User-Driven Design	5	2	4	4	Own	A focus on understanding and meeting user needs versus simply implementing user requests

Augment — the collaboration sweet spot

Both axes high: the agent drafts and scales, you judge and own.

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Storytelling	5	4	4	5	Augment	Evoking imagery, emotions, and understanding through the presentation of events
Framing	5	4	3	5	Augment	A method of presenting choices in specific ways to influence decision-making and judgment
Mental Model	4	4	5	4	Augment	A mental simulation of how things work
Desire Line	4	4	4	4	Augment	Traces of use or wear that indicate preferred methods of interaction
Error, Design	4	4	4	4	Augment	A design-caused action or inaction that yields an unintended or undesirable result
Error, Human	4	4	4	4	Augment	An action, or omission of action, that leads to an unintended result
Five Hat Racks	4	4	4	4	Augment	A metaphor representing the five ways information can be organized
Iteration	4	4	4	4	Augment	Designing things in phases, each phase building on the last, until a desired result is ach
Minimum-Viable Product	4	4	4	4	Augment	A version of a product with just enough features to evaluate customer demand
Nudge	4	4	4	4	Augment	A method of influencing behavior without restricting options or changing incentives
Prototyping	4	4	4	4	Augment	Building low-fidelity models to explore ideas and deeply understand problems
Rosetta Stone	4	4	4	4	Augment	A strategy for communicating novel information using elements of common understanding
Anchoring	4	4	3	4	Augment	The subconscious influence of reference points on decision-making and judgment
Cost-Benefit	4	4	3	5	Augment	Value is a function of the costs of acquisition and use versus the benefits provided
Feedback Loop	4	4	3	4	Augment	A cycle in which output feeds back into a system as input, changing subsequent output
Kano Model	4	4	3	3	Augment	A model for understanding customer needs and then prioritizing design features accordingly
Pareto Principle	4	4	3	5	Augment	A small percentage of variables in any large system is responsible for most of its behavio
Priming	4	4	3	4	Augment	Activating specific concepts in memory to influence subsequent thoughts and behaviors
Root Cause	4	4	3	5	Augment	The key initiating cause in a sequence of events that leads to an event of interest
Stickiness	4	4	3	4	Augment	Properties of information that increase recognition, recall, and voluntary sharing

Delegate — hand to the agent

High AI, low human ownership. Sorted by Build relevance.

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Alignment	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The arrangement of elements along a common axis based on their edges, centers, or areas
Constraint	3	5	5	3	Delegate	Limiting the actions that can be performed to simplify use and prevent error
Feedback	3	5	5	3	Delegate	Information about status or performance used for confirmation, decision-making, and improv
Proximity	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements that are close together are related
Similarity	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements that look alike are related
Spacing & sizing scale (base 16, =>25% jumps)	2	5	5	2	Delegate	Non-linear scale; no two values closer than ~25%.
px/rem, never em, for the type scale	2	5	5	1	Delegate	em compounds on nesting and drops off the scale.
Type scale, hand-picked & non-linear	2	5	5	2	Delegate	Constrained set; round any modular fractions.
Line length 45-75 characters	2	5	5	2	Delegate	~20-35em for readable measure.
Weight floor 400; two weights	2	5	5	2	Delegate	400/500 body, 600/700 emphasis.
Contrast minimums (WCAG 4.5:1 / 3:1)	2	5	5	3	Delegate	Flip contrast when white-on-color goes too dark.
Accessibility	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Things should be designed to be usable, without modification, by as many people as possibl
Affordance	3	4	5	3	Delegate	The physical characteristics of a thing that influence its function and use
Color Theory	3	4	5	2	Delegate	A body of practical knowledge regarding the application and mixing of colors
Consistency	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Usability and learnability improve when similar things have similar meanings and functions
Forgiveness	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Designs should help people avoid errors and protect them from harm when they do occur
Legibility	3	4	5	2	Delegate	The visual clarity of text, generally based on size, typeface, contrast, line length, and
Mapping	3	4	5	3	Delegate	A correspondence in layout and movement between controls and the things they control
Performance Load	3	4	5	3	Delegate	The greater the effort required to complete a task, the less likely the task will be compl
Progressive Disclosure	3	4	5	3	Delegate	A method of managing complexity in which only necessary or requested information is displa
Readability	3	4	5	4	Delegate	The ease with which text can be understood, based on the complexity of words and sentences
Recognition over Recall	3	4	5	4	Delegate	Memory for recognizing things is better than memory for recalling things
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	3	4	5	4	Delegate	The ratio of relevant to irrelevant information
Visibility	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Locate important controls, information, and items to be clearly visible
Define value systems; choose by elimination	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Pick from fixed sets; guess then compare neighbours.

Pure human moat (Human 5)

The standouts — candidates for their own page.

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Gall’s Law	5	2	4	5	Own	All successful complex things begin as simple things and become complex through iteration
Ockham’s Razor	5	2	4	5	Own	Given a choice between functionally equivalent designs, the simplest design should be sele
Satisficing	5	2	4	5	Own	A problem-solving strategy that seeks a satisfactory versus optimal solution
Storytelling	5	4	4	5	Augment	Evoking imagery, emotions, and understanding through the presentation of events
Chesterton’s Fence	5	2	3	5	Own	Seek to understand why things exist the way they do before changing or removing them
Creator Blindness	5	2	3	5	Own	The inability of a creator to see fundamental flaws in their creation
First Principles	5	2	3	5	Own	Things we know for certain to be true and that are not derived from anything else
Framing	5	4	3	5	Augment	A method of presenting choices in specific ways to influence decision-making and judgment
Knowing-Doing Gap	5	1	3	5	Own	The divide that exists between knowing how to do something and actually doing it
Leverage Point	5	2	3	5	Own	A place within a system where small changes produce big effects
Maslow’s Hammer	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to approach problems based on the tools and expertise at hand
Nirvana Fallacy	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to disregard good solutions because they fall short of perfection
Process Eats Goal	5	2	3	5	Own	A situation in which people follow a process that undermines the greater goal
Sunk Cost Effect	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to keep investing in an endeavor because of past investments in that endeavor
Ackoff’s Law	5	1	2	5	Own	It is better to do the right things wrong than the wrong things right
Box’s Law	5	2	2	5	Own	All models are wrong, but some are useful
Causal Reductionism	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to fixate on one cause when solving problems, ignoring the reality of multiple
Confirmation Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to favor information that confirms pre-existing views
Dunning-Kruger Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency for unskilled people to overestimate their competence and performance
Perverse Incentive	5	2	2	5	Own	An incentive that unintentionally worsens the problem it seeks to solve
Selection Bias	5	3	2	5	Own	A bias in the way evidence is collected that distorts analysis and conclusions
Status Quo Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A preference for things as they are, even when a change would improve things
Streetlight Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A bias to search for things where it is easiest
Survivorship Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	The tendency to overemphasize things that survive a selection process
Back of the Dresser	5	2	4	4	Own	All parts of a design, visible and nonvisible, should be held to the same standard of qual
User-Centered vs. User-Driven Design	5	2	4	4	Own	A focus on understanding and meeting user needs versus simply implementing user requests
Rebuild interfaces from scratch (eye training)	5	1	4	4	Own	Matching the original surfaces the invisible tricks.
Look for decisions you wouldn’t have made	5	1	4	4	Own	Collect the unintuitive moves on designs you like.
Paradox of Great Ideas	5	1	2	4	Own	Great ideas are indistinguishable from crazy ideas when first introduced
Choose a personality	5	2	4	3	Own	Font, color, radius, tone cohere to one character.
Wabi-Sabi	5	1	3	3	Own	An aesthetic style that emphasizes naturalness, simplicity, and subtle imperfection

Universal Principles — by category

Interaction & UI (48)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Desire Line	4	4	4	4	Augment	Traces of use or wear that indicate preferred methods of interaction
Error, Design	4	4	4	4	Augment	A design-caused action or inaction that yields an unintended or undesirable result
Error, Human	4	4	4	4	Augment	An action, or omission of action, that leads to an unintended result
Five Hat Racks	4	4	4	4	Augment	A metaphor representing the five ways information can be organized
Mental Model	4	4	5	4	Augment	A mental simulation of how things work
Control	4	3	4	3	Own	The level of user control should be related to the proficiency and experience of the user
Constraint	3	5	5	3	Delegate	Limiting the actions that can be performed to simplify use and prevent error
Feedback	3	5	5	3	Delegate	Information about status or performance used for confirmation, decision-making, and improv
Rule of Thirds	3	5	4	2	Delegate	A technique of composition in which a medium is divided into thirds
Accessibility	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Things should be designed to be usable, without modification, by as many people as possibl
Affordance	3	4	5	3	Delegate	The physical characteristics of a thing that influence its function and use
Closure	3	4	4	2	Delegate	The brain automatically completes recognizable forms when they are interrupted or incomple
Color Theory	3	4	5	2	Delegate	A body of practical knowledge regarding the application and mixing of colors
Comparison	3	4	4	3	Delegate	A method of highlighting relationships by depicting information in controlled ways
Consistency	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Usability and learnability improve when similar things have similar meanings and functions
Figure-Ground	3	4	4	2	Delegate	The brain automatically makes elements objects of focus or background
Forgiveness	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Designs should help people avoid errors and protect them from harm when they do occur
Iconic Representation	3	4	4	2	Delegate	The use of pictorial images to improve recognition and recall
Legibility	3	4	5	2	Delegate	The visual clarity of text, generally based on size, typeface, contrast, line length, and
Mapping	3	4	5	3	Delegate	A correspondence in layout and movement between controls and the things they control
Performance Load	3	4	5	3	Delegate	The greater the effort required to complete a task, the less likely the task will be compl
Poka-Yoke	3	4	4	3	Delegate	A thing designed to prevent defects and errors
Progressive Disclosure	3	4	5	3	Delegate	A method of managing complexity in which only necessary or requested information is displa
Readability	3	4	5	4	Delegate	The ease with which text can be understood, based on the complexity of words and sentences
Recognition over Recall	3	4	5	4	Delegate	Memory for recognizing things is better than memory for recalling things
Signal-to-Noise Ratio	3	4	5	4	Delegate	The ratio of relevant to irrelevant information
Symmetry	3	4	4	2	Delegate	A property of similar or exact correspondence between the configuration of elements
Visibility	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Locate important controls, information, and items to be clearly visible
Entry Point	3	3	4	2	Low-lev	A point of physical or attentional entry that sets the emotional tone for subsequent inter
Five Tenets of Queuing	3	3	2	2	Low-lev	Five principles for improving the experience of waiting in lines
Learnability	3	3	4	4	Low-lev	The ease with which a new thing can be understood and productively used
Wayfinding	3	3	4	3	Low-lev	The process of using spatial and environmental information to navigate to a destination
Alignment	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The arrangement of elements along a common axis based on their edges, centers, or areas
Confirmation	2	5	4	2	Delegate	A technique for preventing errors by requiring verification before actions are performed
Highlighting	2	5	4	2	Delegate	A technique for focusing attention on an area of text or image
Proximity	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements that are close together are related
Similarity	2	5	5	2	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements that look alike are related
Top-Down Lighting Bias	2	5	4	1	Delegate	A tendency to interpret objects as being lit from a single light source from above
Apparent Motion	2	4	3	1	Delegate	The illusion of motion created when images are displayed in rapid succession
Common Fate	2	4	3	1	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements moving in similar ways are related
Fitts’ Law	2	4	4	2	Delegate	The time required to touch a target is a function of the target size and the distance to t
Good Continuation	2	4	3	1	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements in motion continue in their established direction
Gutenberg Diagram	2	4	4	1	Delegate	A diagram that describes the pattern followed by the eyes when looking at a page of inform
Hick’s Law	2	4	4	2	Delegate	Time to make a decision increases as the number of decision options increases
Orientation Sensitivity	2	4	3	1	Delegate	Certain line orientations are more quickly and easily processed and discriminated than oth
Perspective Cues	2	4	3	1	Delegate	Visual properties that create the perception of depth and three-dimensionality
Uniform Connectedness	2	4	4	1	Delegate	The brain automatically assumes elements connected by lines or boxes are related
WYSIWYG	2	4	4	2	Delegate	What a person sees in a design context should be what they get in a delivery context

Aesthetics & Form (26)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Wabi-Sabi	5	1	3	3	Own	An aesthetic style that emphasizes naturalness, simplicity, and subtle imperfection
Aesthetic-Usability Effect	4	2	4	3	Own	Aesthetic things are perceived to be easier to use than ugly things
Archetypes, Psychological	4	2	2	3	Own	Patterns that elicit a reflexive attentional or emotional response in humans
Progressive Subtraction	4	2	4	4	Own	Reducing the number of perceptible elements in a design over time
Propositional Density	4	2	4	3	Own	The number of independent meanings conveyed by a design
Horror Vacui	3	4	4	3	Delegate	A tendency to fill blank spaces with things rather than leaving spaces empty
Self-Similarity	3	4	3	2	Delegate	A property in which a thing is composed of similar patterns at multiple levels of scale
Anthropomorphism	3	3	2	2	Low-lev	The attribution of humanlike characteristics to nonhuman things
Color Effects	3	3	3	2	Low-lev	The cognitive and behavioral effects triggered by exposure to colors
Contour Bias	3	3	3	2	Low-lev	A tendency to favor things with contoured features over angular or rectilinear features
Gloss Bias	3	3	3	2	Low-lev	A preference for glossy versus dull objects People find glossy objects more interesting an
MAFA Effect	3	3	1	1	Low-lev	The average face of a local population is more attractive than any individual face
Mimicry	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	Copying properties from familiar things in order to realize benefits of those properties
Uncanny Valley	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	Abstract and realistic depictions of human faces are appealing but faces in between are no
Baby-Face Bias	3	2	1	2	Low-lev	A tendency to see things with baby-faced features as having the characteristics of babies
Biophilia Effect	3	2	2	3	Low-lev	A state of reduced stress and improved concentration resulting from nature views
Phonetic Symbolism	3	2	3	2	Low-lev	The meaning conveyed by the sounds of words
Prospect-Refuge	3	2	2	2	Low-lev	A preference for environments where people can see without being seen
Savanna Preference	3	2	1	2	Low-lev	A preference for savanna-like environments over other types of environments
Fibonacci Sequence	2	5	3	2	Delegate	A sequence of numbers that forms patterns commonly found in nature
Golden Ratio	2	5	3	2	Delegate	A ratio within the elements of a form, such as height to width, approximating 0
Aposematism	2	3	2	1	Low-lev	The use of conspicuous markings to grab attention and signal danger
Magic Triangle	2	3	2	1	Low-lev	A triangular relationship between facial features that creates the illusion of sentience
Visuospatial Resonance	2	3	1	1	Low-lev	A phenomenon in which different images are visible at different distances
Defensible Space	2	2	1	1	Low-lev	An environment designed to signal ownership and deter crime
Waist-to-Hip Ratio	2	2	1	1	Low-lev	A preference for a particular ratio of waist size to hip size in men and women

Cognition & Perception (23)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Framing	5	4	3	5	Augment	A method of presenting choices in specific ways to influence decision-making and judgment
Causal Reductionism	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to fixate on one cause when solving problems, ignoring the reality of multiple
Confirmation Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency to favor information that confirms pre-existing views
Dunning-Kruger Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A tendency for unskilled people to overestimate their competence and performance
Status Quo Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	A preference for things as they are, even when a change would improve things
Anchoring	4	4	3	4	Augment	The subconscious influence of reference points on decision-making and judgment
Priming	4	4	3	4	Augment	Activating specific concepts in memory to influence subsequent thoughts and behaviors
Cognitive Dissonance	4	2	2	4	Own	A state of mental discomfort due to incompatible attitudes, thoughts, and beliefs
Expectation Effects	4	2	3	4	Own	Changes in perception or behavior resulting from personal expectations or expectations of
Habituation	4	2	3	4	Own	Repeated exposure to a stimulus reduces the response to that stimulus
Inattentional Blindness	4	2	3	4	Own	A failure to perceive an unexpected stimulus presented in clear view
Peak-End Rule	4	2	4	4	Own	People remember and judge an experience based on its most intense moment and its end
Zeigarnik Effect	4	2	3	4	Own	Incomplete or interrupted tasks are more likely to hold attention and be remembered
Appeal to Nature	4	1	1	4	Own	The tendency to believe natural things are inherently better than human-created things
Normal Distribution	3	4	2	4	Delegate	A bell-shaped curve formed by plotting the frequency of a variable within a population
von Restorff Effect	3	4	4	3	Delegate	The most distinctive or isolated item in a set is the most remembered
Interference Effects	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	Things that trigger conflicting thought processes, reducing reaction and thinking efficien
Threat Detection	3	3	2	2	Low-lev	Threatening things are detected more efficiently than nonthreatening things
Freeze-Flight-Fight-Forfeit	3	1	1	3	Low-lev	The ordered, instinctive response to acute stress
Miller’s Law	2	4	4	3	Delegate	The number of objects an average person can hold in working memory is 7± 2
Face Detection	2	3	2	1	Low-lev	The tendency to find or see human faces in objects and patterns
Number-Space Associations	2	3	3	2	Low-lev	The intuition that serial information is spatially organized by magnitude along an axis
Cathedral Effect	2	2	1	2	Low-lev	High ceilings promote abstract thinking

Learning & Communication (9)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Storytelling	5	4	4	5	Augment	Evoking imagery, emotions, and understanding through the presentation of events
Rosetta Stone	4	4	4	4	Augment	A strategy for communicating novel information using elements of common understanding
Stickiness	4	4	3	4	Augment	Properties of information that increase recognition, recall, and voluntary sharing
Depth of Processing	4	2	2	5	Own	Thinking hard about a thing improves the likelihood that it can be recalled
Flow	4	2	3	5	Own	A state of immersion so intense that awareness of the real world is lost
Inverted Pyramid	3	4	4	4	Delegate	The presentation of information from most important to least important
Serial Position Effects	3	4	4	4	Delegate	Things at the beginnings and ends of sequences are more memorable than things in the middl
Mnemonic Device	3	3	2	5	Low-lev	Techniques for making things more meaningful and memorable
Picture Superiority Effect	3	3	3	4	Low-lev	Pictures are remembered better than words

Strategy & Decision (40)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Selection Bias	5	3	2	5	Own	A bias in the way evidence is collected that distorts analysis and conclusions
Box’s Law	5	2	2	5	Own	All models are wrong, but some are useful
Chesterton’s Fence	5	2	3	5	Own	Seek to understand why things exist the way they do before changing or removing them
Creator Blindness	5	2	3	5	Own	The inability of a creator to see fundamental flaws in their creation
First Principles	5	2	3	5	Own	Things we know for certain to be true and that are not derived from anything else
Maslow’s Hammer	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to approach problems based on the tools and expertise at hand
Nirvana Fallacy	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to disregard good solutions because they fall short of perfection
Ockham’s Razor	5	2	4	5	Own	Given a choice between functionally equivalent designs, the simplest design should be sele
Process Eats Goal	5	2	3	5	Own	A situation in which people follow a process that undermines the greater goal
Satisficing	5	2	4	5	Own	A problem-solving strategy that seeks a satisfactory versus optimal solution
Streetlight Effect	5	2	2	5	Own	A bias to search for things where it is easiest
Sunk Cost Effect	5	2	3	5	Own	The tendency to keep investing in an endeavor because of past investments in that endeavor
Survivorship Bias	5	2	2	5	Own	The tendency to overemphasize things that survive a selection process
User-Centered vs. User-Driven Design	5	2	4	4	Own	A focus on understanding and meeting user needs versus simply implementing user requests
Ackoff’s Law	5	1	2	5	Own	It is better to do the right things wrong than the wrong things right
Knowing-Doing Gap	5	1	3	5	Own	The divide that exists between knowing how to do something and actually doing it
Paradox of Great Ideas	5	1	2	4	Own	Great ideas are indistinguishable from crazy ideas when first introduced
Cost-Benefit	4	4	3	5	Augment	Value is a function of the costs of acquisition and use versus the benefits provided
Kano Model	4	4	3	3	Augment	A model for understanding customer needs and then prioritizing design features accordingly
Minimum-Viable Product	4	4	4	4	Augment	A version of a product with just enough features to evaluate customer demand
Pareto Principle	4	4	3	5	Augment	A small percentage of variables in any large system is responsible for most of its behavio
Gates’ Rule of Automation	4	3	3	5	Own	Automation applied to an operation will magnify both its efficiencies and deficiencies
KISS	4	3	4	5	Own	Simple designs work better and are more reliable than complex designs
Feature Creep	4	2	4	4	Own	A continuous expansion or addition of new product features beyond the original scope
Form Follows Function	4	2	4	4	Own	Aesthetic considerations should be secondary to functional considerations
Hanlon’s Razor	4	2	1	4	Own	Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by incompetence
Icarus Matrix	4	2	1	3	Own	A 2 × 2 matrix representing the possible success- failure outcomes of a design iteration
Iron Triangle	4	2	3	4	Own	A model that proposes three constraints for all projects: time, cost, and scope
Levels of Invention	4	2	1	3	Own	A model that classifies inventions based on complexity, nonobviousness, and impact
MAYA	4	2	4	4	Own	A strategy for determining the most commercially viable aesthetic for a design
Not Invented Here	4	2	3	4	Own	A tendency to oppose ideas and innovations that originate outside of your social group
Paradox of Unanimity	4	2	1	4	Own	Extreme agreement in a diverse population is more likely the result of error than of conse
Performance vs. Preference	4	2	3	4	Own	Increasing performance does not necessarily increase desirability
Scaling Fallacy	4	2	3	4	Own	The assumption that designs that work at one scale will work at smaller or larger scales
Uncertainty Principle	4	2	2	4	Own	Measuring things can change them, often making the results invalid
Clarke’s Laws	4	1	1	3	Own	Three maxims that offer insights into the nature of innovation
Design by Committee	4	1	2	3	Own	A design process based on consensus building, group decision-making, and extensive iterati
Faith Follows Function	4	1	2	3	Own	Ideological and spiritual considerations should be secondary to functional considerations
Hierarchy of Needs	3	3	4	3	Low-lev	A hierarchy of user-centered goals that a design must satisfy to achieve optimal success
Product Life Cycle	3	2	2	3	Low-lev	The common stages of life for products

Process & Systems (30)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Back of the Dresser	5	2	4	4	Own	All parts of a design, visible and nonvisible, should be held to the same standard of qual
Gall’s Law	5	2	4	5	Own	All successful complex things begin as simple things and become complex through iteration
Leverage Point	5	2	3	5	Own	A place within a system where small changes produce big effects
Feedback Loop	4	4	3	4	Augment	A cycle in which output feeds back into a system as input, changing subsequent output
Iteration	4	4	4	4	Augment	Designing things in phases, each phase building on the last, until a desired result is ach
Prototyping	4	4	4	4	Augment	Building low-fidelity models to explore ideas and deeply understand problems
Root Cause	4	4	3	5	Augment	The key initiating cause in a sequence of events that leads to an event of interest
Brown M&M’s	4	3	2	4	Own	The use of covert, embedded tests to verify that quality standards have been met
Reverse Salient	4	3	3	4	Own	An element that limits the overall performance of the system of which it is part
Archetypes, System	4	2	2	4	Own	Universal structures and resulting patterns of behavior found across system types
Brooks’ Law	4	2	2	4	Own	For certain types of projects, adding people to speed things up inadvertently slows them d
Conway’s Law	4	2	3	4	Own	The structure of an organization is expressed in the design of the things it produces
Don’t Eat the Daisies	4	2	3	4	Own	The fallacy that exhaustive requirements and specification documents lead to better design
Flexibility Tradeoffs	4	2	3	4	Own	As the flexibility of a design increases, the performance of the design decreases
Premature Optimization	4	2	4	4	Own	Making elements of a design efficient before they are recognized as important or even need
Garbage In – Garbage Out	3	4	3	4	Delegate	The quality of output depends on the quality of input
Modularity	3	4	4	4	Delegate	Managing system complexity by dividing large systems into smaller, self-contained systems
Bus Factor	3	3	2	3	Low-lev	The number of team members who, if lost, would put a project in jeopardy
Factor of Safety	3	3	2	3	Low-lev	The design of a system beyond expected loads to offset unknowns and prevent failure
Maintainability	3	3	4	3	Low-lev	The ease with which a thing can be accessed, inspected, repaired, and serviced
No Single Point of Failure	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	The design of systems to be able to continue operating even when components fail
Redundancy	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	Using backup or fail-safe elements to maintain system performance in the event of failure
Swiss Cheese Model	3	3	3	4	Low-lev	A model describing how risks combine to cause accidents and other bad outcomes
Weakest Link	3	3	2	3	Low-lev	An element designed to fail in order to protect more important elements from harm
Convergence	3	2	1	3	Low-lev	A tendency for similar characteristics to evolve independently in similar environments
Testing Pyramid	2	4	4	2	Delegate	A multilayered framework to systematize testing and reduce defects
Abbe Principle	2	3	1	1	Low-lev	Measure things so that the measuring scale is aligned with the distance being measured
Development Cycle	2	3	3	2	Low-lev	The stages of product creation: requirements, design, development, and testing
Saint-Venant’s Principle	2	3	1	1	Low-lev	Local effects of loads on structures have negligible global effects
Structural Forms	2	3	1	2	Low-lev	There are three ways to create rigid things: solids, frames, and shells

Persuasion & Social (24)

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Perverse Incentive	5	2	2	5	Own	An incentive that unintentionally worsens the problem it seeks to solve
Nudge	4	4	4	4	Augment	A method of influencing behavior without restricting options or changing incentives
Exposure Effect	4	3	3	3	Own	The more people are exposed to a thing, the more they like and trust it
Scarcity	4	3	2	3	Own	Things become more desirable when they are in short supply or occur infrequently
Social Proof	4	3	3	3	Own	When people don’t know how to act, think, or feel, they tend to copy others
Attractiveness Bias	4	2	1	3	Own	A tendency to view attractive people as intelligent, competent, moral, and sociable
Death Spiral	4	2	1	3	Own	A phenomenon in which a social organization persists in behaviors that lead to self-destru
Diffusion of Innovations	4	2	2	3	Own	A theory describing how new things gain acceptance in a population over time
Groupthink	4	2	1	4	Own	A decision-making phenomenon that occurs when group harmony is overprioritized
IKEA Effect	4	2	2	4	Own	The act of creating a thing increases the perceived value of that thing to the creator
Identifiable Victim Effect	4	2	1	3	Own	A single, identifiable victim elicits more helping behaviors than a group of anonymous vic
Reciprocity	4	2	2	4	Own	The tendency for people to give back to those who have given to them
Social Trap	4	2	1	4	Own	A tendency to pursue short-term gains that create long-term losses for the greater group
Supernormal Stimulus	4	2	2	3	Own	An exaggerated feature that elicits a stronger response than the real feature
Veblen Effect	4	2	1	3	Own	A tendency to find a product more desirable because it has a high price
Classical Conditioning	3	3	2	2	Low-lev	A method of influencing how a person viscerally responds to a thing
Crowd Intelligence	3	3	1	3	Low-lev	An emergent intelligence arising from the unwitting collaboration of many people
Face-ism Ratio	3	3	2	1	Low-lev	The ratio of face to body in an image that influences how the person is perceived
Gamification	3	3	3	3	Low-lev	Using gaming strategies in nongame contexts to enhance experience and modify behavior
Operant Conditioning	3	3	2	3	Low-lev	Using rewards and punishments to change the frequency and durability of a behavior
Shaping	3	3	2	3	Low-lev	Training a target behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of that behavior
Dunbar’s Number	3	2	1	3	Low-lev	The maximum number of relationships a person can comfortably maintain
Play Preferences	3	2	1	2	Low-lev	A tendency for male children and female children to like different kinds of play
Left-Digit Effect	2	4	2	2	Delegate	People give more weight to the left-most digits of prices in buying decisions

Refactoring UI — executable rules (50)

Mostly Interaction & UI; the production half of the design work.

Principle	H	AI	B	L	Zone	Gloss
Contrast minimums (WCAG 4.5:1 / 3:1)	2	5	5	3	Delegate	Flip contrast when white-on-color goes too dark.
Line length 45-75 characters	2	5	5	2	Delegate	~20-35em for readable measure.
Spacing & sizing scale (base 16, =>25% jumps)	2	5	5	2	Delegate	Non-linear scale; no two values closer than ~25%.
Type scale, hand-picked & non-linear	2	5	5	2	Delegate	Constrained set; round any modular fractions.
Weight floor 400; two weights	2	5	5	2	Delegate	400/500 body, 600/700 emphasis.
px/rem, never em, for the type scale	2	5	5	1	Delegate	em compounds on nesting and drops off the scale.
Author color in HSL	2	5	4	2	Delegate	Browsers take HSL, not HSB.
Baseline-align mixed font sizes	2	5	4	1	Delegate	Align on the baseline, never center.
Text alignment for readability	2	5	4	2	Delegate	Left for LTR; right-align numerals; hyphenate justified.
Tame user-uploaded images	2	5	3	2	Delegate	Fixed container, cover; inner shadow for bleed.
Avoid ambiguous spacing	3	4	5	2	Delegate	More space around a group than within it.
Button hierarchy; destructive treatment	3	4	5	2	Delegate	Primary solid, secondary outline, tertiary link.
Define shades up front (100-900)	3	4	5	2	Delegate	Fill from the edges; no runtime lighten/darken.
Define value systems; choose by elimination	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Pick from fixed sets; guess then compare neighbours.
Hierarchy via weight + color, not size alone	3	4	5	2	Delegate	2-3 text colors, 2 weights.
Line-height is proportional	3	4	5	2	Delegate	Taller for small/narrow text, ~1 for headlines.
Never encode meaning in color alone	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Pair with icon/text; distinguish by contrast.
~100ms feedback; guard double-fire	3	4	5	3	Delegate	Optimistic UI; debounce; disable-on-submit.
Don’t fill the screen; use max-width	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Give elements only the space they need.
Elevation shadow system (~5 steps)	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Tight=raised, large/blurred=closer.
Fixed vs fluid widths	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Fixed when it shouldn’t scale; flex the rest.
Keep saturation up at the extremes	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Raise saturation as lightness leaves 50%.
Letter-spacing: tighten headlines, widen caps	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Otherwise leave the designer’s default.
Light comes from above (raised/inset)	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Lighter top edge + dark bottom shadow.
No grey text on colored backgrounds	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Hand-pick a same-hue color; never white+opacity.
Not every link needs a color	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Weight/darker color in link-dense UI.
Palette size (~10 colors x 5-10 shades)	2	4	4	2	Delegate	Greys 8-10; primaries & accents 5-10 each.
Separate visual from document hierarchy	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Pick the tag for meaning; style independently.
Shadow as interaction cue	3	4	4	2	Delegate	Press shrinks, drag adds shadow.
Everything has an intended size (images)	3	4	3	2	Delegate	Don’t scale icons up or screenshots down.
Flat depth via color or solid shadow	3	4	3	2	Delegate	Lighter=raised, darker=inset.
Text-on-image contrast	3	4	3	2	Delegate	Overlay, lower contrast, colorize, or text-shadow glow.
Two-part shadows	3	4	3	1	Delegate	Large soft (direct) + tight dark (ambient).
Emphasize by de-emphasizing	4	3	5	3	Own	Soften competitors instead of pushing the focal harder.
Balance weight against contrast	4	3	4	2	Own	Heavy elements get lower contrast.
Empty states as first impressions	4	3	4	3	Own	Illustration + emphasized CTA; hide idle controls.
Font-picking heuristics	4	3	4	3	Own	Neutral sans / system stack; filter to 10+ styles.
Labels are a last resort	4	3	4	2	Own	Drop or fold into the value when format implies it.
Shift brightness by rotating hue (=<30 deg)	4	3	4	2	Own	Toward 60/180/300 to lighten.
Supercharge the defaults	4	3	4	2	Own	Icon bullets, accent borders, custom controls.
Use fewer borders	4	3	4	2	Own	Prefer shadow, second bg color, or spacing.
Greys carry temperature	4	3	3	2	Own	Tint warm or cool, consistently across shades.
Overlap elements to build layers	4	3	3	2	Own	Invisible border to stop image clash.
Choose a personality	5	2	4	3	Own	Font, color, radius, tone cohere to one character.
Design in grayscale first	4	2	4	2	Own	Force spacing/contrast/size to carry hierarchy.
Design the smallest shippable version	4	2	4	4	Own	Work in cycles; don’t imply unbuilt functionality.
Start with a feature, not a layout	4	2	4	4	Own	Frame the real problem before the shell.
Start with too much whitespace	4	2	4	2	Own	Default generous, then subtract.
Look for decisions you wouldn’t have made	5	1	4	4	Own	Collect the unintuitive moves on designs you like.
Rebuild interfaces from scratch (eye training)	5	1	4	4	Own	Matching the original surfaces the invisible tricks.

Sources

• Lidwell, W., Holden, K. & Butler, J. Universal Principles of Design, 3rd ed. (2023) — raw/sources/design/Universal Principles of Design.pdf.
• Wathan, A. & Schoger, S. Refactoring UI — raw/sources/design/Refactoring UI.pdf.

Related

• Human vs AI Capability Lens — the scoring model.
• Design Two-Track Extraction — the agent/human split.
• Agent Track · Human Track
• Design Expansion — Reading & Resources