The 4Cs Design Principles Successful cross-platform design means giving users a good experience no matter what platform they use! As a UX designer, it's your job to make sure your designs take into account and take full advantage of the unique features of each platform. When preparing a cross-platform design, it's helpful to keep the 4Cs in mind: Consistency, Continuity, Context, and Complementarity.

Consistency

Most companies have specific design guidelines that must be followed to remain consistent with their brand identity, which refers to a company's visual appearance and voice. When designing a product, it is important to adhere to the company's brand guidelines to maintain consistency across all platforms and increase brand awareness. Maintaining a consistent design helps to improve the user experience and build trust, as users can expect the design to feel familiar across all platforms and products.

Continuity

In order to provide users with a seamless experience as they move between platforms, UX designers must also focus on continuity. Continuity in design means that users can maintain their progress as they move from one platform to the next. The user experience for each platform may be slightly different, but the functionality of the product should still be connected. Without continuity, users can become frustrated if the progress of their experience is not maintained across platforms.

Context

It's also important to consider the context of each platform you are designing for. This means thinking about when and how users prefer to interact with certain features on different platforms.

Complementary

One way to create a great cross-platform user experience is to make sure that the design for each platform offers something new for the user.