---
title: "Design principles"
source: 18F Guides
source_url: https://github.com/18F/guides
licence: CC0-1.0
domain: engineering
subdomain: 18f-guides
date_added: 2026-04-25
---

## How to do it{#how-design-principals}

1. Using internal documents and kickoff activities, gather terms or concepts that seem significant to project goals and organizational culture.
1. Using existing research, list terms or concepts that seem particularly important to customers or user groups.
1. Cluster similar terms and concepts together on a whiteboard or other writing space open to everyone in the project. Name the clusters.
1. Ask the team and stakeholders if they would like to add, change, or edit any concepts or groups.
1. From the groups on the board, create three to five final principles. Using evidence from partner or user research, write one to two sentences in support of each principle.
1. Share the principles in a place accessible to the team throughout the project, and refer to them often while making decisions.

<section class="method--section method--section--18f-example" markdown="1" >

## Examples{#ex-design-principals}
- 18F Design Principles Guide — [Create](https://github.com/18F/design-principles-guide/blob/18f-pages/pages/create.md), [Define](https://github.com/18F/design-principles-guide/blob/18f-pages/pages/define.md), [Usage](https://github.com/18F/design-principles-guide/blob/18f-pages/pages/usage.md)
- [Making more consistent decisions with design principles: A new 18F guide — 18F Blog](https://18f.gsa.gov/2016/04/08/making-more-consistent-decisions-with-design-principles-a-new-18f-guide/){.usa-link .usa-link--external}

</section>

<section class="method--section method--section--government-considerations" markdown="1" >

## Government considerations{#con-design-principals}

No PRA implications. Generally, no information is collected from members of the public. Even when stakeholders are members of the public, the PRA explicitly exempts direct observation and non-standardized conversation (e.g., not a survey), 5 CFR 1320.3(h)3. See the methods for
[Recruiting]({{ "/methods/fundamentals/recruiting/" | url }}) and [Privacy]({{ "/methods/fundamentals/privacy/" | url }}) for more tips on taking input from the public.
</section>
