Little UX Tips for Non-Designers

Non-designers can make their web graphics, slides and social posts easier to read by focusing on three areas: white space, typography and colour. This guide covers practical rules for each, including line length, minimum font size and WCAG AA contrast ratios, and ends with a six-point check to run before sharing. The guiding question throughout is simple: what does the reader need to see first?

Good design isn't about looking pretty. It's about helping someone find what they need, fast.

More people are making their own graphics, slides and social posts in tools like Canva, etc... That's great. But most DIY design goes wrong in the same three places: white space, typography and color. Get those right and you're ahead of most people.

One question to keep in your head the whole time: what does the reader need to see first?

White space isn't empty space. It's what tells the eye where to go.

The classic rookie move is filling every corner. More stuff means more for the brain to sort through, which means people skim, get lost, or leave. In UX we call that cognitive load. Less on the page, less work for the reader.

• Group related things. Keep items that belong together close, and push unrelated items apart. Spacing does the job a border or box usually tries to do.

• Keep lines short. Aim for about 50–75 characters per line. Long lines are tiring to read and easy to lose your place in.

• Leave breathing room. Give margins and padding room on every side, especially on mobile.

• Cut before you add. Before you call it done, ask: what can I remove and still get the message across?

Type has one job: get the message across. Style comes second.

People don't read on screens, they scan. Clear type and a clear order of headings let them find what matters in seconds.

• Build a hierarchy. One big heading, smaller subheadings, then body text. Size and weight should show what's most important at a glance.

• Pick readable fonts. Save decorative fonts for big headlines, if at all. Body text should be a plain, simple font.

• Two fonts max. One for headings, one for body. More than that looks messy.

• Size matters. Keep body text at 16px or larger on screen. Small text is the first thing people skip.

• Give lines room. Line spacing around 1.5 times the font size makes paragraphs easier to follow.

• Skip ALL CAPS and centered paragraphs. Both slow people down. Left-align body text.

Color isn't decoration. It points people to what matters and tells them what to do.

"It looks cool" isn't a reason. Every color should have a job: brand, action, warning, success.

• Contrast first. Text needs to stand out from its background. The accessibility standard (WCAG AA) asks for a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for body text and 3:1 for large text. Free checkers like WebAIM's contrast checker test this in seconds.

• One accent color for actions. Use it for buttons and links only, so people learn what's clickable.

• Don't rely on color alone. Around 1 in 12 men have some form of color blindness. Pair color with a label, icon or underline.

• Keep the palette small. A main color, an accent, and neutrals is plenty.

• Need ideas? Palette sites like Coolors or Color Hunt are a good start. Just run your picks through a contrast checker before using them.

Final check on white space, typography and color:

• Can someone tell what this is about in 5 seconds?

• Is there one clear thing to look at first?

• Did I remove everything that isn't pulling its weight?

• Is the body text 16px or bigger, in a plain font?

• Does the text pass a contrast check?

• Would it still make sense in black and white?

Think like the person on the other side of the screen. That's the whole trick.