Consistency

Consistency
A term used to describe the uniformity or coherence of a concept or object. It is a maintained balance that can be identified through various similar and/or reoccurring patterns or signs. In design, consistency plays a significant role as it aids in providing a visual distinction to a certain piece of work. For instance, a well designed brochure will use similar design elements and principles throughout each page so that when viewed as a whole it will easily flow and result in a unified, comprehensible piece of work. The reader will instantly know that each page belong to the same brochure and thus, experience a smooth reading process, allowing them to feel right at home. In other words, consistency helps improve usability, creating design conventions that allows users to focus on the task and not the medium. This can also be seen in the consistent design of everyday common objects and devices such as light switches, shovels, books, and doors, where users approach these devices with an understanding of how they work, and can apply this understanding to all like devices. [|[1]] They don't have to stop and think about it.

Consistency is very important in various design fields like corporate identity, system design, and marketing. Recently, consistency plays a major role in web design, as shown in this example, [|the MoMA site].



The MoMA site applies a consistent design to all its Web pages—navigation links in the left column, the search field in the upper right corner, and the section heading at the top of the page. Design consistency allows users to quickly form a model of the workings of a site and successfully apply it throughout the site. The consistent application of design conventions is of particular benefit to nonvisual users. Nonvisual access to Web pages is in large part a linear process, which makes the type of overview required for mental modeling difficult to accomplish. The more these users can apply what they know about Web pages in general, the less they need to learn in order to use a specific Web page. Nonvisual users benefit when functional areas—content, navigation, search—are in consistent and therefore predictable locations. [|[2]]

Many major companies publicize manuals outlining the appropriate use of their logos and trademarks. The colors of a logo, its correct placement and size are all standardized to provide a consistent "look." A good example of this is York Universities logo. Follow the link below to view York's 29 page document entailing the appropriate use of their logo.

[|York University Graphic Standards [3]]

However, consistency in design is not always the right approach. This is because when one thinks in terms of consistency, their thoughts focus purely on the design and the user can get lost. “Is what I’m designing consistent with other things we’ve designed (or others have designed)?” is the wrong question to ask. Instead, the right question is, “Will the user’s current knowledge help them understand how to use what I’m designing?” Current knowledge is the knowledge the user has when they approach the design. It’s the sum of all their previous experiences with relevant products and designs. It is "context".[|[4]]

An example of a context or "user-based" design can be seen with the new iPhone design.

Here, the "iTunes" icon isn't where consistency would to put it. That would be on the left side. Instead, the icon is located on the right side, above the iPod icon, thus making the connection between the two processes. Even the iTune icon’s arrow points right down to the iPod icon. In some cases, consistency is the easy choice, but context is the thinking choice. [|[5]]


 * References:**

[1] [2] Universal Usability. __Access by Design__. "Apply a consistent design." 2006. October 9, 2007. 

[3] York Graphic Standards: Identity. February 2006. October 9, 2007. 

[4] Spool, Jared. User Interface Engineering. "Consistency in Design is the Wrong Approach." Septemeber 15, 2005. October 9, 2007. 

[5] Jason of 37 Signals. Signal vs. Noise. "iPhone: Context over consistency." October 1, 2007. October 9,2007. 

Hoekstra, Gerban. Weballey. "Web design- consistency." October 9, 2007. 

"Good Sites: Design Consistency." April 23, 1998. October 9, 2007. 