Cover image: UI & UX Micro Tips: 8-Bit Edition by Marc Andrew. Black background with white and yellow text, featuring a minimalist 8-bit design style with a yellow accent at the top.

UI & UX micro-tips: 8-bit anniversary edition

A collection of 36 powerful tips to help improve your designs instantly

Published in

UX Collective

9 min readFeb 24, 2025

To celebrate the 5th anniversary of my super-popular UI & UX Micro-Tips, I’ve brought together some of the most timeless tips, and bundled them in an 8-Bit format. Why? Just because :)

When creating efficient, accessible, and beautiful UIs for your SaaS product, sometimes it takes only the smallest of adjustments to significantly boost conversion rates and user satisfaction.

In this super-digestible article, I’ve put together a selection of battle-tested micro-tips that can help SaaS founders and their teams quickly improve both design quality and user experience — without massive design overhauls.

Hope you enjoy the tips!

1. Whitespace is your design friend. Use it to improve your UIs instantly.

Negative space creates visual hierarchy and improves readability. The right amount of breathing room transforms cluttered layouts into polished experiences.

2. Make sure your text contrasts well. Design for accessibility, not just decoration.

Side-by-side blog post cards comparing text treatments, highlighting the importance of adequate contrast for readability.

Poor contrast excludes users and strains everyone’s eyes. Aim for proper contrast ratios to ensure your content remains readable for all.

3. Using just the one typeface in your design is all good.

A minimal white content card showing a title, subtitle, and paragraph with a consistent single typeface treatment.

Typography consistency creates harmony and professionalism. A single well-chosen font with varied weights often looks cleaner than multiple competing typefaces.

4. Choose a base colour, and then simply use tints & shades to add uniformity.

Side-by-side blog cards showing identical layouts with different colour treatments — one using grey and one using yellow for the selected tab and CTA.

Colour harmony comes from thoughtful variation, not random selection. Creating your palette from a single hue results in designs that feel intentional and polished.

5. Reserve one colour for your Call to Action. Be really selfish with those CTAs.

Two product cards with identical layouts, one using yellow for filters and CTA buttons, the other using contrasting colours to show different approaches.

Visual consistency helps users navigate your interface intuitively. Using a specific colour only for clickable elements creates clear visual cues and improves conversion.

6. Don’t have the user second-guessing the next step. Keep them informed at every point in their journey.

Uncertainty creates friction and frustrates users. Adding simple reassurances like ‘Your card won’t be charged yet’ builds trust and keeps people moving through your flow.

7. Give the most important elements on the screen more prominence.

Two product cards showing different layouts — the improved version on the right highlights the price at the top and features a more prominent shopping cart icon.

Visual hierarchy guides users to what matters most. Strategic placement and sizing of key elements like prices and action buttons improves clarity and simplifies decision-making.

8. Present your icons with labels for easier comprehension.

Two rows of navigation icons — the top row shows unlabelled icons while the bottom row shows the same icons with text labels beneath them.

Even ‘obvious’ icons can be confusing without text. Labels remove guesswork and make navigation instantly understandable for all users.

9. Proximity. A key Design Principle. Use it regularly and use it well.

Two blog post layouts showing different spacing approaches, with the right version using better proximity between related elements.

Related elements should live close together. Grouping content spatially helps users understand relationships and improves information processing.

10. Have a content-heavy site? Make that Search a prominent feature.

Two navigation headers showing different search implementations — a minimal icon on the left versus a prominent search bar on the right.

Don’t bury your search functionality. The difference between a small search icon and a full search bar can dramatically improve user experience on content-rich sites.

11. Inform the user on what’s going to happen if they apply a certain action.

Two reset device dialogs side by side — the left showing only buttons, while the right includes explanatory text about data deletion and consequences.

Clarity prevents mistakes and builds trust. Clear consequences help users make confident decisions without fear of unintended outcomes.

12. Assure the user that something is happening when loading up sections of your App.

Two interfaces showing a shopping category page — the right side displaying hourglass loading indicators while content loads.

Loading indicators reduce uncertainty and perceived wait time. Small visual cues reassure users that their request is being processed rather than leaving them guessing.

13. It’s all good to reduce the line-height on your headings.

Two identical headings reading ‘Design like you mean it’ — the bottom version has reduced line height creating a more cohesive appearance.

Tighter line spacing on headlines creates visual cohesion. Headlines need less space between lines than body text to appear as unified elements.

14. To improve the optical balance of your headings, reduce the letter-spacing.

Two identical headings reading ‘Do really amazing things with your day’ with different letter-spacing — the bottom version showing improved optical balance.

Typography benefits from custom spacing adjustments. Slightly tighter letter spacing in headlines often improves readability and visual harmony.

15. All-caps should only be used for short titles, such as Kickers (they sit above your Headlines).

Two blog title layouts — the top using all caps for both the kicker and main title, the bottom correctly using all caps only for the short kicker.

All-caps text reduces reading speed and comprehension. Reserve uppercase for very short elements like kickers, labels, or buttons rather than main headlines.

16. Use weight, size, and colour to indicate hierarchy within your type.

Two blog cards side by side — the right version using bold weight and proper size contrast to create clearer visual hierarchy between title and other elements.

Typographic hierarchy guides users through content in order of importance. Varying these elements helps readers quickly scan and find what matters most.

17. Prompt initial user action with helpful ‘empty states’.

Two ‘no friends’ screens side by side — the left showing a blunt message, the right offering a more supportive message with user silhouettes and a prominent action button.

Empty states are opportunities to guide and educate first-time users. Friendly messaging and clear action buttons turn potentially frustrating moments into helpful onboarding.

18. The smaller the font size, the more generous your line-height should be.

A text layout showing proper line height for body text, with ample spacing between lines making small text easier to read.

Small text requires extra breathing room for readability. Increasing line spacing as font size decreases makes content more accessible and easier to follow.

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19. Keep your messages short and sweet. Cut out the unnecessary words.

Two confirmation messages — the top showing a longer ‘Your order has just been submitted’ message, the bottom displaying the more concise ‘Order placed’.

Concise messaging reduces cognitive load for users. Simple, direct communication is easier to understand and act upon than lengthy explanations.

20. Think of Accessibility, and don’t rely on just colour alone to convey error messages in your forms.

Two form interfaces side by side — the right version adding an icon and clear error text instead of relying solely on colour to indicate an invalid email.

Inclusive design means considering users with colour vision deficiencies. Adding icons and text to error states ensures everyone understands what action is needed.

21. Don’t hide important actions inside of a Dropdown. Keep things front and center people!

Primary actions deserve prime screen real estate. Moving sign-up and login buttons from a dropdown to the main navigation increases discoverability and conversion rates.

22. Improve your user’s onboarding experience. Keep those taps within easy reach. Thumbs still rule!

Two mobile interfaces showing ‘Skip’ button placement — the left with the button in an awkward corner, the right with the button in the thumb-friendly lower right zone with visual indicators.

Mobile interfaces should accommodate how people actually hold their devices. Positioning key actions in the lower right makes them accessible to thumb-users without uncomfortable stretching.

23. Make sure your shadows are coming from one light source. We don’t live in a land of a thousand suns remember.

A mobile interface mockup showing a consistent light source from above, creating realistic shadows on UI elements like cards and buttons.

Consistent shadow direction creates a realistic interface. Unified light direction gives depth to UI elements while maintaining a coherent visual experience.

24. Always make your ‘Call to Action’ the most prominent item on the screen.

Two mobile screens showing a ‘Companions’ interface — the right version featuring a prominent yellow ‘Add Companion’ button that stands out clearly against the dark background.

Primary actions need visual emphasis to guide user behaviour. The right example shows how a prominent, well-positioned button increases clarity and directs user attention.

25. Make Breadcrumbs stand out, and easy to navigate for the user. Show them some love.

Two breadcrumb navigation examples — the top showing low-contrast breadcrumbs, the bottom featuring more prominent styling with the current page clearly highlighted.

Breadcrumbs help users understand location and navigation paths. Enhancing their visibility and clickability improves site orientation and reduces user frustration.

26. Maximise the Signal-to-Noise ratio. Cut out the noise , and make things clearer.

Two contact section examples — the left with verbose copy and excess explanations, the right with concise text and a direct ‘Send us a Message’ call to action.

Content clarity helps users find what matters quickly. The right example removes unnecessary text while maintaining essential information and clear calls to action.

27. When working with snippets of text in all-caps, remember… All-Caps + Increased Letter-Spacing = Better Legibility.

Two examples of all-caps text reading ‘HOME & GARDEN’ — the bottom version with increased letter-spacing showing improved legibility.

All-caps text can be hard to read without proper spacing. Adding letter spacing to uppercase text improves readability by helping distinguish individual characters.

28. When working with long-form content, style that opening paragraph to draw the user in.

Two text layouts side by side — the right version showing improved styling of the opening paragraph through font weight and size contrast compared to the rest of the content.

First impressions matter in written content. A properly styled first paragraph guides readers into the content and establishes hierarchy.

29. Try and create generous tappable areas on Mobile. Fingers come in various sizes so give ’em some room.

Two mobile to-do list interfaces side by side — the right version featuring a larger, more tappable add button that’s easier to press without mistakes.

Mobile interfaces need larger touch targets than desktop interfaces. Bigger buttons reduce missed taps and frustration, especially for users with larger fingers or limited dexterity.

30. When describing a goal, and the action required to achieve it, begin the sentence with the goal.

Two notification messages about adding a song to a playlist — the bottom example starting with the goal ‘Add a Song to your Playlist by’ making the instruction clearer.

Task instructions are easier to understand when structured properly. Leading with the goal before the action helps users understand the purpose first, making instructions more intuitive.

31. Maintain a suitable contrast ratio between light text and images with a simple overlay.

Two interface examples showing navigation on image backgrounds — the right side using a darker overlay to improve text contrast and readability.

Text legibility requires proper contrast with background imagery. Adding a dark overlay to the navigation area ensures text remains readable regardless of the underlying image.

32. Get your spacing right to achieve the perfect Vertical Rhythm between your Headlines and Body text.

Two layouts showing text content — the right version with improved spacing creating better visual rhythm between headings and body text.

Consistent spacing creates visual harmony in typography. Well-balanced vertical spacing between headlines and paragraphs improves readability and information hierarchy.

33. Always make elements in your UIs easily distinguishable from one another.

Visual differentiation prevents confusion and speeds up interface scanning. Distinct button styles, icons, and visual treatments help users quickly identify different interface elements.

34. Lower that text contrast, and avoid pure black when working with Dark themes. Go easy on those eyes.

Side-by-side text examples on dark backgrounds — the right using a softer text colour instead of pure white to reduce eye strain.

Pure black text on dark backgrounds creates eye strain. Reducing text contrast in dark mode interfaces improves comfort during extended viewing sessions.

35. Use shades of Grey to communicate an element’s elevation effectively when working on Dark themes.

A set of product cards showing variable grey shading to create a perception of depth and layering in a dark-themed interface.

Layering helps create depth in dark interfaces. Different shades of grey create a clear sense of dimension, helping users understand spatial relationships between elements.

36. Use complementary border radiuses. Avoid making things look a little ‘off’.

Two navigation bars with icons — both using consistent border radius treatment for a cohesive, polished appearance.

Consistent corner rounding creates visual harmony. Maintaining uniform border radius across related elements helps interfaces feel polished and intentionally designed.

I hope this collection of micro-tips has shown you how seemingly minor design adjustments can produce measurable results for your SaaS product — from improved user engagement to higher conversion rates.

As founders, we’re constantly balancing resources. The beauty of these tips is that they offer high ROI for minimal effort, letting you create more polished experiences without derailing your development roadmap.

Thanks for reading,
Marc.

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