Principles

Global principles to guide decisions across Gravity’s design, behaviour and implementation.

Of course we’d like everything we make to be beautiful and engaging and usable and accessible and performant and, and, and… While we should always strive for perfection, the reality is of course that everything exists in a balance. Often enhancing one aspect of a user interface may be detrimental to another. When push comes to shove and a prioritisation choice needs to be made, that’s when Gravity’s principles should be there to help you. These are the things we value above all else, so choose the option that best aligns with these principles.

Inclusive

Everything about Gravity, from the UI designs and components it provides to the way in which it is run and maintained should strive to be inclusive. That means removing barriers to entry for using or contributing to Gravity itself. That also means enabling products to be accessible to the broadest possible audience.

Robust

There is a lot we cannot control when it comes to digital products. Much of it we should not seek to control or restrict either. We can’t decide what device, operating system, browser or settings people use when interacting with our products. Neither can we predict what the future might hold. And yet, the products we build need to embrace that uncertainty and handle all the diverse use-cases gracefully and reliably. Robustness is therefore an important principle for us to consider in everything we do for Gravity.

Considered

Everything about Gravity - be it design, tech or process - should exist for a reason. We should always be able to explain why something is the way it is. Wherever possible we should use data and research to drive our decisions. Failing that we should tap the experience and know-how of relevant experts. Finally, if something does boil down to a subjective decision, then we should note that and be prepared to revise it later if new information allows us to make a more informed decision.

Lean

Less is often more. Whether it’s reducing waste while working on projects, writing terse code, designing focussed UIs or just avoiding fluffy language when communicating, leanness is something we value at Buildit. Gravity should therefore embody and support that as much as possible.

Progressive

Gravity is an opportunity for us to constantly try new things. New design directions. New technologies. New approaches towards designing and building user interfaces. We should take full advantage of this and strive to be a leader rather than a follower on all fronts.