Due to its complicated nature and multiple decision parameters including plant dimensionality and operation condition, the design of pressure swing adsorption (PSA) processes is not a trivial task. Most previous studies on PSA design have been made through rigorous modeling and experimental investigation for specific separation tasks. General heuristics for a preliminary design of PSA processes are necessary but not well investigated so far. In this paper, we attempt to develop easy-to-use rules for PSA process design, based on analysis of the inherent properties of adsorbate–adsorbent systems (i.e. equilibrium isotherm, adsorption kinetics, shape of breakthrough curves, etc.) and simulation results. These rules include the selection of adsorbent, particle size, bed size, bed configuration, purge volume, pressure equalization and vacuum swing adsorption. Results of two case studies are presented to verify the rules proposed in this preliminary study.