LSUX Basics: Complete Guide for Designers in 2026

Year 2026. We live in a time of neural interfaces, augmented reality (AR), and artificial intelligence that writes code faster than a junior developer. But why can a taxi app still make users angry in this high-tech world? And why does a “smart home” sometimes seem stupider than a regular light bulb? The answer is simple: in the rush to innovate, many creators have neglected the UX Basics. No matter how advanced the technology, if the core principles of human interaction are ignored, the product will fail to connect with the person behind the screen.

The answer is not in the code, but in psychology. Technologies change quickly, but human nature stays the same. Donald Norman wrote: “The design principles in this book will not change… because the principles of openness, feedback, and the principles of possibilities and meanings… will always be important. Technologies can change, but the basic principles of interaction stay the same.”

In this guide, we will look at UX Basics — the strong foundation that every successful product needs, whether it’s a website from the 2000s or a VR world in 2026.

Introduction: What is UX Basics in 2026?

Many people still think that a designer is someone who “makes things look nice.” However, Victor Papanek warned in his important work: “If you want to be a designer, you must choose: either make smart decisions or make money.” In 2026, UX (User Experience) is not about drawing buttons. It’s about designing meanings and how systems behave.

Human-Centered Design is a philosophy that puts human needs, abilities, and behavior first. It’s a process that makes sure a product will be easy to understand and will bring joy.

Why is this important now? Because technology has become very complex. Alan Cooper said: “If we design and build a product so that people using it can reach their goals, these people will be productive, happy, and satisfied.” In a world of algorithms and AI, the UX designer speaks for humans when dealing with machines. If we don’t control how we create technology, we will get products that “make users feel stupid.”

1. Basic Principles (UX Basics)

Classic UX Basics are based on how our brain sees and understands information. It doesn’t matter if you’re designing for eyes or for a voice assistant — the laws of perception work the same way.

Law #1: Don’t Make Me Think (Mental Load)

Steve Krug created the “First Law of Usability”: “Don’t make me think!” This means that a web page (or AR glasses screen) should be as simple and clear as possible.

In 2026, when we have too much information everywhere, this principle is very important. Krug says: “One click that makes the user think equals three easy clicks that don’t need thinking.” If a user spends even a moment wondering “Where should I click?”, you lose their trust.

How does this work with new technologies? If an AI assistant asks an open question (“How can I help you?”), it makes people think. If it gives options (“Order a taxi home or to work?”), it makes things easier. Alan Cooper writes: “Don’t ask questions – give choices.”

Law #2: Visibility and Feedback

Donald Norman talks about two important qualities of good design: visibility and understanding.

Visibility: Users must see what actions they can do. In 2026 interfaces with no physical buttons, this is hard. Norman uses the word signifier — a hint that shows exactly where to do an action (like a shadow under a button or a highlighted object in VR). Without signifiers, possibilities are useless.
Feedback: The system must tell users that it received their request. “Have you seen how people in an elevator press the ‘up’ button again and again?… They need one thing — feedback.” In voice interfaces, silence after a command is very bad for UX.

Law #3: Mental Models

Users build a picture in their head of how a device works. Problems happen when the designer’s idea doesn’t match the user’s idea. Alan Cooper says: “The user interface must follow the user’s mental model, not the technical model.”

Example: A user thinks that deleting a file is like throwing paper in the trash (you can take it back). If an engineer made it delete instantly from the disk (technical model), the user will lose data and be upset.

Law #4: Empathy and Emotional Design

UX is not just about functions. Aaron Walter reminds us about the pyramid of needs: when a product works well and is reliable, the next step is to make it enjoyable. “Beautiful things make people feel good, and this makes them think more creatively… and it becomes easier for people to solve problems.” Empathy helps a designer feel what other people feel and create products that act like a kind person, not a machine without feelings.

2. Design for Everyone: Equity-focused design and NBU

In 2026, the users of digital products are from all over the world. The UX Basics idea means we can’t design for an “average user” because that person doesn’t exist.

No More “Average User”

Alan Cooper strongly criticizes the “plastic user” — a fake image that changes to fit what developers want. Instead, we must use Personas — models of real people with real goals.

Donald Norman warns: “There is no such thing as an ‘ordinary person’… If a design works for 99 percent of people, it still leaves three million people out (in the USA).”

Next Billion Users (NBU)

Victor Papanek in the 1970s criticized design that only worked for rich countries. He asked for design for “people who need help,” who are most of the world’s population. Today, this idea became the NBU concept. These are users from developing countries who use the internet on mobile phones first, often never using computers.

Luke Wroblewski in his book “Mobile First” says: “Where there is no big demand today, tomorrow there might be a rush. And then… you’ll need to spend time and money building… your own mobile audience.”
Thinking about context (slow internet, old devices, using while moving) is not optional — it’s basic.

Inclusion Drives Innovation

Norman says: “Special features for people with special needs often help many other people too.” This is called the curb-cut effect.

Subtitles help deaf people, but everyone uses them when watching videos without sound on the subway.
Voice control helps people with movement problems, but it also powers smart speakers for everyone. Papanek called this social responsibility: a designer should not make things only for healthy and rich people, ignoring real problems.

3. The Designer’s Role Today: Researcher vs UI Designer

By 2026, the difference between “pretty picture” and “working system” is gone.

Designer as Researcher

Jaime Levy in the book “UX Strategy” says that strategy and design are not just about making mockups. “UX strategy is a process that must start first, even before design begins… It’s an image of a solution that you must test on real potential users.”

You can’t just sit down and draw an interface.

Research is necessary: Steve Krug says that usability testing (watching users) is the best thing you can do for a product. “One test participant is 100% better than zero participants.”
Empathy through fieldwork: Alan Cooper tells designers to do research themselves: “Direct and long contact with users… puts designers into the users’ world.”
Testing ideas: Levy talks about the importance of MVP (Minimum Viable Product) to test value. “Don’t build the UX of your product… until you have strong proof that people actually need the product!”

UI Designer: Making Functions Visible

Visual design is not decoration. Alan Cooper defines it as “visual interface design,” which must show how the program works and how information is organized.

Grouping and hierarchy: Good design uses visual features (color, size, space) to create clear order.
Reducing noise: Steve Krug writes, “Get rid of extra stuff.” Visual noise stops users from reading the page easily.

In 2026, the designer’s role is to be a synthesist (Papanek’s word), who brings together engineering, anthropology, business, and art into one thing.

4. UX Basics and Future Technologies (AI, VR/AR)

How do classic principles help us work with 2026 technologies?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the “Black Box”

The main problem with AI is that we can’t see inside it. Users don’t understand why an algorithm made a decision.

Solution (Norman’s way): Create a good mental model. The designer must explain to users how the AI “thinks,” even if it’s simplified.
Solution (Cooper’s way): The principle “Let users control, don’t force them to talk.” AI should give options, not just do things without asking or ask too many questions.
Planning ahead: Susan Weinschenk describes an idea where the system guesses what the user will choose. In 2026, AI should remove choices people don’t need, making things easier.

VR/AR and Natural User Interfaces (NUI)

Luke Wroblewski wrote about moving to NUI (Natural User Interface), where content becomes the interface. In VR, there’s no mouse or keyboard.

Affordances and Gestures: For a user to understand that they can pick up a virtual object, it must look like something they can pick up (Cooper and Norman agree). If an object looks like a handle, your hand wants to grab it.
Body physics: Weinschenk reminds us: “People move all the time, and these movements are part of how they make decisions.” An AR interface must think about tired arms and what people can see (center vs sides).

Being Flexible and “Mobile First”

The Mobile First principle that Wroblewski described has changed to “Context First” in 2026.

We must design not just for a small screen, but for when the user has “one eye and one finger” busy with other things.
This needs strong content priority: “Put content before navigation.”

Conclusion: Why UX Basics Last Forever

Starting in UX doesn’t mean learning a tool (Figma or its 2026 version) first. It means changing how you think.

Start by watching. Like Papanek says, look at the real world and find problems in it.
Test early and often. Following Krug’s advice, don’t wait for the perfect prototype. Test on napkins.
Think about goals, not tasks. As Cooper teaches, a goal is “to be home for dinner,” and a task is “call a taxi.” Good design solves the goal, maybe removing the task completely.

In 2026, tools have become stronger, but people stayed the same. We still have limited short-term memory, we still don’t like reading instructions, and we still want technology to solve our problems, not create new ones.

UX Basics is the anchor that keeps your product from sinking in the ocean of technology noise. Study the classics, watch people, and take responsibility for what you create. Because, as Mike Monteiro said: “You are responsible for the work you put into the world.”

Related Resources

Learn more about UX basics and related topics:

External References

For deeper understanding of UX basics, explore these authoritative sources:

Nielsen Norman Group – Leading UX research and consulting firm
Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” – Classic book on design principles
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – Official accessibility standards

UX Basics: Complete Guide for Designers in 2026