UI/UX Best Practices Frontend Design

Comprehensive UI/UX and frontend design best practices guide. Contains 42 rules across 8 categories, prioritized by impact to guide accessible, performant, and user-friendly interface development.

When to Apply

Reference these guidelines when:

• Structuring HTML for accessibility and semantics
• Writing CSS for responsive layouts and visual hierarchy
• Optimizing images and fonts for Core Web Vitals
• Designing forms with proper validation and error handling
• Adding animations and interactive elements

Rule Categories by Priority

Quick Reference

1. Accessibility & WCAG Compliance (CRITICAL)

• access-semantic-html - Use semantic HTML elements for screen readers
• access-keyboard-navigation - Ensure full keyboard navigation
• access-focus-indicators - Provide visible focus indicators
• access-alt-text - Provide meaningful alt text for images
• access-aria-labels - Use ARIA labels for icon-only controls
• access-target-size - Ensure minimum touch target size (24×24px)
• access-heading-hierarchy - Maintain logical heading hierarchy

2. Core Web Vitals Optimization (CRITICAL)

• cwv-optimize-lcp - Optimize Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5s
• cwv-minimize-cls - Minimize Cumulative Layout Shift under 0.1
• cwv-improve-inp - Improve Interaction to Next Paint under 200ms
• cwv-responsive-images - Serve responsive images with srcset
• cwv-lazy-load-offscreen - Lazy load offscreen images and iframes
• cwv-critical-css - Inline critical CSS and defer the rest

3. Visual Hierarchy & Layout (HIGH)

• layout-visual-hierarchy - Establish clear visual hierarchy
• layout-whitespace - Use whitespace to improve readability
• layout-f-pattern - Design for F-pattern reading behavior
• layout-grid-system - Use a consistent grid system
• layout-single-cta - Establish a clear primary action per task context
• layout-proximity-grouping - Group related elements with proximity

4. Responsive & Mobile-First Design (HIGH)

• resp-mobile-first - Design mobile-first with min-width queries
• resp-fluid-typography - Use fluid typography with clamp()
• resp-container-queries - Use container queries for components
• resp-touch-targets - Size touch targets for mobile (44×44px)
• resp-viewport-meta - Configure viewport meta tag correctly

5. Typography & Font Loading (MEDIUM-HIGH)

• typo-font-display - Use font-display to control loading behavior
• typo-preload-fonts - Preload critical web fonts
• typo-readable-line-length - Constrain line length (45-75ch)
• typo-line-height - Set appropriate line height (1.5-1.7)
• typo-system-font-stack - Use system font stack for UI elements

6. Color & Contrast (MEDIUM)

• color-contrast-ratio - Meet WCAG contrast ratio requirements (4.5:1)
• color-not-only-indicator - Never use color alone to convey information
• color-dark-mode - Support dark mode with prefers-color-scheme
• color-semantic-palette - Use semantic color names in design tokens

7. Forms & Validation UX (MEDIUM)

• form-inline-validation - Use inline validation after field blur
• form-error-messages - Write actionable error messages
• form-labels-above - Place labels above input fields
• form-input-types - Use correct HTML input types for mobile
• form-autocomplete - Enable browser autocomplete with correct attributes

8. Animation & Performance (LOW-MEDIUM)

• anim-gpu-properties - Animate only GPU-accelerated properties
• anim-will-change - Use will-change sparingly for animation hints
• anim-reduced-motion - Respect user motion preferences
• anim-duration-easing - Use appropriate animation duration and easing

How to Use

Read references/<rule-id>.md for each rule above that matches the task: why it matters, then incorrect vs. correct code.