Welcome to the UX Codex, your guide to the do’s and don’ts of ethical user experience design. This is more than a glossary — it’s a living system of best practices, NOGOs, and ethical design principles shaped by the UX community and backed by research.
From inclusive design and accessibility to AI-driven interface decisions and dark pattern prevention, the Codex offers you a clear path to designing experiences that are helpful, humane, and honest.
Whether you’re just starting out in UX or leading a product team, this Codex helps you design with clarity, avoid common pitfalls, and create with integrity.
What Makes the UX Codex Different?
Many design glossaries define UX terms — but few help you understand which patterns uplift users and which cross ethical lines. The Codex goes further by highlighting what to use, what to avoid, and why it matters in the context of real-world UX work.
- Best Practice Focused – We emphasize what works in ethical, user-centered design
- NOGOs Included – We openly document anti-patterns and deceptive practices to avoid
- AI-Aware – Entries reflect current trends in AI-enhanced UX
- Inclusive by Design – Neurodiversity, accessibility, and global usability are part of every definition
- Open Contribution – Anyone can suggest terms, alternatives, or corrections
Explore Categories Inside the Codex
- Interaction & Interface Design – Proven patterns, UI elements, and layout guidance
- Inclusive Design & Accessibility – Principles aligned with WCAG, inclusive UX thinking, and assistive strategies
- Ethics & Dark Patterns – Exposes deceptive UX practices and explains ethical alternatives
- AI & UX Automation – Definitions and implications of using AI in design, from chatbots to behavior prediction
- UX Research & Testing – Terms related to heuristics, usability studies, segmentation, and evidence-based design
Each category is continuously updated to reflect shifts in digital behavior, technological advances, and user expectations.
Sample Entries
Here’s a taste of what the Codex includes — not just definitions, but ethical framing and AI-awareness for each term:
- Affordance – A visual or tactile cue that suggests how an element should be used
- Cognitive Load – The mental effort required to complete a task or navigate an interface
- Microinteraction – A small, purposeful UI response that communicates system status or supports interaction
- Dark Pattern – A manipulative interface technique designed to deceive or trap users
- AI-Augmented UX – The practice of enhancing user experience using artificial intelligence while respecting ethical guidelines
Each entry includes:
- Plain-language definitions
- Ethical implications and context
- AI relevance (where applicable)
- Related UX terms and patterns
Who Is the Codex For?
The UX Codex is designed for anyone who shapes digital experiences and wants to do so responsibly:
- UX & UI Designers seeking ethical clarity and terminology support
- Product Teams needing a shared UX language and documentation resource
- UX Researchers wanting evidence-based definitions and ethical framing
- Accessibility Experts ensuring inclusive, barrier-free design
- Developers integrating UX into intelligent, user-aware systems
- Design Educators introducing future creators to the do’s and don’ts of UX
Whether you’re building onboarding flows, AI tools, or dark pattern-free e-commerce sites, the Codex empowers you to do it right.
Keep It Living – Contribute & Suggest
The Codex isn’t static — it grows with you.
As digital systems evolve, so should the language and ethics we use to describe them. That’s why the UX Codex invites contributions from our global community. You can:
- 🧠 Propose a new term
- 🔄 Challenge a definition
- 💬 Request examples or patterns
- ✍️ Submit UX NOGOs you’ve encountered
Join the Code to shape the next version of user experience.
Link Knowledge, Prevent Harm
UX design lives in the details — and those details matter. By mapping out both best practices and unethical traps, the Codex helps teams avoid unintended harm while building better, more respectful experiences.
This is where intent meets ethics, and where design becomes more than pixels — it becomes responsibility.
Commandments
Invisible Complexity, Visible Simplicity
The best UX feels effortless.
Respect the User’s Time
No unnecessary clicks, no redundant actions.
AI as a Guide, not a Gatekeeper
Intelligence should empower, not obstruct.
Dark Patterns are Dark Ethics
If a design manipulates, it’s not UX, it’s UXploitation.
The UI is Not the UX
Focus on function, not just form.
Accessibility is Not Optional
If it’s not accessible, it’s broken.
Design for Anonymity
The user owes you nothing but their trust.
Error Messages Should Solve, not Blame
„Invalid Input“ is not a solution.
Onboarding is Not a Tutorial
A product should teach itself.
Performance is UX
If it lags, it fails.
Consistency over Novelty
Innovation should not come at the cost of usability.
Microinteractions Matter
The smallest details shape the greatest experiences.
Empirical, Not Hypothetical
Validate with real users, not assumptions.
Endings Matter
A good UX does not abandon users at „Cancel“ or „Unsubscribe“.
Prohibitions
No Clarity, No Usability
If users don’t understand it, they won’t use it.
No Loading Skeletons
Staring at a blank screen is not UX.
No One Loves Surprise Updates
If it breaks workflow, it breaks trust.
No Endless Modals
Interruptions kill flow.
No CAPTCHA Torture
Users are humans, not spambots.
No Overengineering
Complexity should be behind the curtain, never in front.
No Data without Value
If a form asks for it, it must justify itself.
No Jargon, No Confusion
„Your session has expired“ is an engineering problem, not a user problem.
No UI-Driven Deception
„Try for free“ should not mean „enter your credit card first“.
No Disregard for Edge Cases
The „minority“ of users is still your user.
No Memory Overload
UX should reduce cognitive load, not increase it.
No Fake Urgency
If an offer ends „in 5 minutes“, don’t restart the timer.
No Forgotten Errors
If something goes wrong, give the user a way to fix it.
No One-Size-Fits-All AI
Personalization should adapt, not dictate.
No Design for Metrics Over People
A higher click rate does not mean a better experience.