Principles are only useful when they change a decision
Advice such as “keep it simple” or “make it clear” is easy to agree with and hard to apply. A principle becomes useful when it tells you what to do with a particular screen. The examples below are hypothetical scenarios, meant to show the reasoning rather than report real results. Each takes a familiar principle and follows it to a concrete choice.
Hierarchy: deciding what is seen first
Principle. Visitors should see the most important thing first, then the next, in an order the design controls.
Scenario. A screen about a historic ship model shows a title, a long paragraph, six thumbnails, a timeline and a share button, all at the same size and weight. Visitors do not know where to look.
Decisions. Make one large image the clear focus. Reduce the title to one short line beneath it. Move the paragraph into a short caption of two or three sentences. Turn the six thumbnails into a smaller row at the bottom and drop the share button entirely. The screen now has one main thing, one support and one way to go deeper. Size, position and contrast do the ordering; none of it requires extra features.
Consistency: one action, one pattern
Principle. The same thing should look and work the same way everywhere.
Scenario. On one screen a back arrow sits at the top left. On another, “Return” appears at the bottom right. A third has no back option.
Decisions. Pick one location and one label for going back and use it on every screen. Pick one gesture for moving between images. Write a short list of these decisions and give it to anyone adding content later, so the pattern survives changes of staff.
Simplicity: removing, not adding
Principle. Every element should earn its place.
Scenario. A map exhibit offers filters for date, region, theme, material and creator.
Decisions. Ask which filter visitors would actually use. Watching a few people might show that most want to start with a place or a theme. Keep two filters up front and place the rest behind a clearly labeled “More options” control, or remove them. The exhibit becomes easier to understand, and the missing features can be tested later if staff hear requests for them.
Feedback and affordance: showing what is possible
Principle. Controls should look usable, and the system should respond to use.
Scenario. Tappable photos on a screen look identical to non-tappable ones, and nothing changes when touched until a half-second delay.
Decisions. Add a thin outline or a small zoom icon to the photos that open, and give each a brief highlight when touched. If loading really takes time, show a short progress cue. The decisions are small, but visitors then know what to press and trust that the system noticed.
Legibility: designing for the real viewing conditions
Principle. Text and images must be readable where they are used.
Scenario. A caption in light gray on white, set in a small size, looks elegant on a designer’s monitor. In the gallery, with overhead lights and a viewer standing an arm’s length away, it is hard to read.
Decisions. Increase the type size and weight, raise the contrast between text and background, and shorten the line length. Check the screen at the actual location and time of day. Consider color contrast ratios published in accessibility guidance. A screen that glares because of nearby windows may need hardware adjustment, such as repositioning or a matte finish, and not only a design change.
Inclusion: building in a choice
Principle. Different people need different ways to take in the same content.
Scenario. A video about a local craft has narration only.
Decisions. Add captions, offer a transcript, and consider a description of key visuals for blind visitors. Allow volume control and a way to pause. If the audience is multilingual, plan for language switching rather than hard-coding one language into the video. Each decision adds some work early, but it is much harder to add them after production.
Balance: where principles conflict
Principles sometimes pull against one another. Simplicity argues for fewer options, while inclusion argues for more ways to access content. A bold look may reduce legibility. When this happens, return to the goal of the exhibit and the needs of its main audience. Say which principle wins in this case, and why, in a line in the project notes. This habit makes later changes easier to judge.
Turning principles into a checklist
A short checklist for each screen tends to work better than a long list of principles. Ask: what is the single most important thing here? Does everything else support it? Can a first-time visitor tell what to touch? Does every touch produce a visible response? Can it be read from where people stand? Test the answers with a few real visitors, and be ready to change them.