Laws of UX

December 25, 2024

Jakob’s Law

Users are familiar with how most websites work. They expect your site to behave similarly to others they already know.

While innovation is appealing, sticking to familiar design patterns usually makes your site more user-friendly. A familiar interface feels intuitive and helps users navigate and achieve their goals easily.

• Follow common design patterns: place elements like logos, menus, and buttons where users expect them.
• Use universally recognized icons (e.g., a magnifying glass for “search”).
• Only break conventions if there’s a strong reason, like aligning with a unique brand identity (e.g., Oatly’s horizontal scrolling to emphasize their quirky branding).

Hick’s Law

The more choices users have, and the more complex those choices are, the longer it takes for them to decide.

In UX, more isn’t always better. Too many options can overwhelm users, making a website or app harder to use. Research shows people feel more satisfied when offered fewer, clearer choices (this is called the Choice Paradox).

• Keep designs simple and uncluttered, using negative space to avoid overwhelming users.
• Only offer meaningful choices — focus on what enhances the user experience. For example, a few helpful filters for an online store are better than dozens of unnecessary ones.
• Reduce effort by auto-filling known information for users.
• Break complex tasks into smaller steps to make them more manageable, like splitting long forms into shorter sections.

Refs

https://uxplanet.org/10-laws-of-ux-every-designer-should-know-24daaeb42af9