Keeping elements, wording, and behaviour the same across a design so that the same action always looks and works the same way. Consistency lets people transfer what they learned in one place to another.
Synonyms
- uniformity
- standards
Related terms
- design system
- convention
- learnability
- mental model
In plain words
- when everything works the same way throughout
- buttons that always look and act alike
Usage example
Consistency in the navigation meant the menu behaved identically on every page.
Don't confuse with…
- conventionConsistency is being uniform within your own product; a convention is following a familiar pattern shared across the wider industry.
Categories
- Usability principles