Settings page
A product has multiple settings sections and users need a durable destination to find the right area.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedDedicated page shell and section map for settings destinations
Test in lab 12 documented entries
Personalization And Preference
Settings, preference centers, saved views, defaults, recommendations, and user control.
Browse all problem familiesLearn the family
Which choices should the service remember and place under user control?
Preferences help a recurring task when the saved choice is visible, reversible, and scoped to the right person and device. Defaults should preserve a clear starting point.
Use this method
- Identify a repeated choice that has real task value.
- State its scope and expected effect.
- Show the current setting and a clear way to change it.
- Check how the preference behaves across devices and shared contexts.
Compare the outcome
Strong: A user selects compact table density, sees the change immediately, and finds the same labeled setting on the next visit.
Weak: A service quietly changes a user's dashboard order after one click, then leaves the reason and reset path unclear.
Try it: Choose one saved preference and specify its scope, default, immediate effect, persistence, and reset route.
Read these patterns first
- Preference centerUsers need to revisit and change communication, consent, topic, personalization, privacy, channel, language, or data-sharing choices.
- Custom dashboardUsers have different monitoring priorities and need a persistent personal or role-based dashboard arrangement.
- Adaptive defaultsUsers repeatedly choose similar values and the product can explain a likely starting value from current context or prior behavior.
Complete study route · 12 entries
Work through the family in order
Begin with the core behavior, apply it in different contexts, then review cases that reveal the quality boundary. Open each entry for its decision rule, states, example, and source trail.
0 of 12 studies complete
Start this family →6 entries
Build the foundation
Learn the shared task and the core interaction choices.
Preference center
Users need to revisit and change communication, consent, topic, personalization, privacy, channel, language, or data-sharing choices.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 6
- Trail checked
establishedPersistent hub for communication, consent, topic, privacy, language, and personalization choices
Test in lab Notification preferences
Users receive enough notifications that they need control over type, channel, device, frequency, timing, or source.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 7
- Trail checked
establishedUser-controlled rules for notification type, channel, frequency, timing, privacy, and exceptions
Test in lab Language selector
The product or site offers current content, task flows, or interface text in more than one language.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
establishedVisible control for switching current content or product language among available equivalent translations
Test in lab Custom dashboard
Users have different monitoring priorities and need a persistent personal or role-based dashboard arrangement.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedUser-configurable dashboard canvas with persisted widget composition
Test in lab Adaptive defaults
Users repeatedly choose similar values and the product can explain a likely starting value from current context or prior behavior.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
emergingContext-aware starting values for fields, filters, scopes, layouts, schedules, channels, or workflow options
Test in lab 6 entries
Apply the patterns
Choose a specialized form for the context and follow its complete behavior.
Favorites
Users need to mark preferred or personally important objects for later return.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedUser-marked preferred items gathered into a recognizable return-access list
Test in lab Pinned items
Users need stable quick access to a small set of known high-priority objects.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedDeliberate user or owner-selected items kept in a stable prominent position
Test in lab Recently used
Users repeatedly operate a broad set of tools, files, commands, apps, workspaces, or tasks.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedAutomatic list of targets the current user meaningfully operated or used recently
Test in lab User-controlled layout
Users work with multiple panes or regions around one active task and need different arrangements for comparison, editing, reading, or focus.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 5
- Trail checked
emergingUser-selectable arrangement of panes, regions, or workspace modes around one active task
Test in lab User-controlled density
Users need to switch between scanning many records and reading or editing with more space.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
establishedUser-selectable compactness for rows, lists, cards, tables, grids, or work surfaces
Test in lab Recommended next action
Users are working in a record, case, conversation, or workflow where choosing the next action is costly or error-prone.
- Type
- UI-UX
- Sources
- 4
- Trail checked
emergingContext-sensitive workflow action suggested for the user's current record, case, conversation, or task
Test in lab Try another phrase
Try fewer words, clear the filter, or search across all pattern families.
Search all patterns