If you’ve ever wondered where professional designers actually learn good UX, not the fluffy quotes you see on Instagram, but the real, evidence-based principles, this post breaks it down.

Good UX isn’t guesswork. Designers rely on proven research, established guidelines, and real user behaviour. Here are the most important places where UX best practices come from.

1. Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) — The UX Gold Standard

Nielsen Norman Group is the most respected UX research organisation in the world.
Their recommendations are based on decades of user testing, real-world studies, and behavioural research.

Their “10 Usability Heuristics” form the backbone of modern UX design.

Why designers rely on it:

• Research-based insights

• Practical, tested guidelines

• Clear explanations of UX principles

If you follow only one UX source, make it this one.

2. Google Material Design

Originally built for Android, Material Design has become a blueprint for structured, modern, user-friendly design.

It covers:

• Spacing

• Colour

• Typography

• Layout patterns

• Motion

• Accessibility

These principles apply perfectly to websites, not just apps.

Why it matters:
Material Design gives you a complete system for consistency and clarity, two key ingredients of good UX.

3. Apple Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)

Apple’s Human Interface Guidelines focus on clarity, precision, and simplicity.
Their philosophy is: “If it doesn’t add value, remove it.”

It includes guidance on:

• Navigation

• Gestures

• Layout

• Readability

• Feedback and interaction

Even if you never design an iOS app, Apple’s UX principles translate beautifully to web design.

4. Baymard Institute (Especially for E-commerce)

If you’re building online stores, this is the best source of UX guidance on the planet.

Baymard conducts large-scale usability studies covering:

• Product pages

• Checkout flows

• Navigation

• Filters and search

• Cart behaviour

Their recommendations are data-driven and incredibly actionable.

Why designers use it:
It removes guesswork from e-commerce design and shows what actually improves conversions.

5. Smashing Magazine

Smashing Magazine is a long-standing resource full of practical UX advice from working designers and developers.

Expect articles about:

• UI patterns

• Accessibility

• Web performance

• Design systems

• User testing

It’s less formal than NN/g but full of valuable insights.

6. UX Collective

UX Collective is a collection of articles from designers all over the world.
Quality varies, but the top pieces are excellent for:

• Trends and patterns

• Case studies

• Common mistakes

• Practical examples

It’s a great resource for ongoing learning and inspiration.

7. The Most Important Source: Real Users

All the resources above matter, but nothing beats watching people use your website.

Real UX learning comes from:

• Heatmaps (e.g., Hotjar)

• Session recordings

• Google Analytics

• A/B testing

• Direct user feedback

You quickly see what works, what confuses people, and what needs improvement.
Even testing with 3-5 real users can uncover the majority of usability issues.

Final Thoughts

UX best practices don’t come from random opinions—they come from trusted research, established design systems, and real user behaviour. By following sources like NN/g, Google Material Design, Apple HIG, and Baymard, and backing everything up with actual user testing, you’ll build websites that are clearer, faster, and easier to use.

At SwiftSites, these are the standards we follow to make sure every website isn’t just attractive, but truly user-friendly.