There is a harmful myth that pervades design decision-making. It’s an assumption that, on the surface, seems so sensible that few people ever question it. This can cause real harm when applied carelessly.

Building better sites through consistency

Disconnect the rigid idea of consistency to gain a breakthrough usability.

Useable and what it means

Consistency is a good thing if it makes a design more usable. However, without any consistency between the different design elements, such as buttons or headings, the end result can be confusing for users.

The dangers of thinking consistency is more important than usability

You don’t have to pursue consistency, it can often be a sign of indecision. Many stakeholders find pursuing consistency too much work and so they may settle for work-around solutions that lead to a less than optimal user experience.

Jared Spool wrote:

Designers typically try to be consistent in their design. You don’t have to know anything about your users while doing this. However, the cost of this consistency can come in conflict with usability.

Focus on design, not consistency