Design Principles

1. Put user needs first
2. Prioritise accessibility
3. Embrace iteration
4. Make things simple
5. Design with real content
6. Design for mobile first

Put user needs first 

At Energy Saving Trust we take the user-first approach, in order to bring balance to the natural power imbalance between the needs of the user and the business.  

When designing a new product or service we will naturally gravitate towards pleasing the people with decision making power (the client) over the end user. To bring balance, we must make a conscious effort to prioritise the needs of people who are not the decision makers.  

We are continually testing our assumptions by getting feedback from the people who will be using what we are creating (the user). We do this by talking to them directly, regularly reviewing feedback they provide, and speaking with colleagues who interact with them regularly.  

Prioritise accessibility

At Energy Saving Trust, we always consider how our design will work for people with diverse needs and situations. We do this firstly because it is the right thing to do and secondly because it is a legal requirement for government provided services to be WCAG compliant. 

Even when it increases the time or complexity of a project. 

Embrace iteration 

We explore where we can push past limitations believed to be unchangeable. We do this by testing out multiple solutions before committing to a specific path. We do not commit to a specific set of features, but always weigh our work against the desired outcome, not the specific requirements.   

Iteration reduces risk. It makes big failures unlikely and turns small failures into lessons.

We embrace a spirit of experimentation and exploration to provide the best experience possible.  

Make things simple 

We are always striving to make things simpler. This means removing pages, content, apps wherever possible. Sometimes this means more work and effort on our part to consolidate and condense something lengthy or complicated into something that appears very basic. 

It is hard to make something simple, and easy to make something complicated.  

Always design with real content 

Design starts with content. What do we want to say? What information do we want to convey? What action do we want someone to take based on that? The design then grows from there. The content needs to be designed alongside the functionality, user interface, and other interactive elements of the service.  

Design for mobile first

We always design for the most constraints first. Typically this means a mobile-first approach or designing for less space, time, lower comprehension. This is because it is easier to scale up then scale down a design.