10 Laws of UX for Better Product Design

Why UX Laws Are Crucial for Product Design?

• Justifying design choices through principles found in psychology.
• The study of psychology helps us understand the blueprint by which humans perceive and process the world.
• By comprehending the human mind, we can build more intuitive, human-centric designs instead of forcing users to adapt to a product’s design.

1. Jakob’s Law

“Users spend most of their time on other sites, and they prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know”

• Users spend a significant amount of time on websites other than yours.
• As people accumulate experiences from various websites, they develop expectations about how designs should work. They then expect a similar experience on your product.
• Violating Jakob’s Law significantly increases the risk of users leaving the product if they struggle to understand how to use it.
• Familiarity reduces the mental energy and time users spend on learning the interface.
• Our end goal is to assist users in achieving their goals using the interface we’ve built, with minimal friction.

2. Fitts’ Law

“The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target”

• Paul Fitts created a modal that describes how people can select a target.
• Closer targets are easier: Targets located closer to the starting point are easier and quicker to click on.
• Larger targets are easier: Larger targets and easier and faster to click on.
• Combining Target Size and Distance: Fitts’ law emphasizes both target size and distance play a major role in the ease and speed of a task. As designers, we should apply this insight to optimize the interface elements for a better user experience.
• It’s similar to planning a road trip where a destination that is closer is easier to reach. In UX, it’s about ensuring that essential elements, such as buttons or links, are easy to click or tap. The bigger and closer they are, the simpler and quicker the interaction is for users.

3. Hick’s Law

“The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number of complexity of choices available.”

• Hick’s law is the fundamental principle of decision-making.
• The time it takes to make a decision increases with the complexity and the number of choices available.
• If users are bombarded with numerous choices, They have to invest time to make a decision, burdening them with unnecessary cognitive load.
• To enhance user experience, it’s important to present information in a way that does not overwhelm users.
• Breaking tasks into simpler steps and reducing cognitive load are effective strategies.
• Consider the scenario of deciding where to eat; when faced with too many options, the process becomes overwhelming, and decision-making takes longer. It’s as simple as this: as designers, we should simplify choices and create more intuitive interfaces.

4. Miller’s Law

“The average person can keep only 7 (±2) items in their working memory”

• Miller’s Law is a simple idea: on average, people can only remember about 7 (give or take 2) things at once. It’s like our brain has a limited capacity for holding information in our short-term memory.
• Our brains like things organized. This is where “chunking” comes in handy. Instead of remembering individual pieces of information, our brains group them into chunks.
• Applying this in design means organizing information into bite-sized chunks. By doing this, we make it easier for users to process and remember. Imagine reading a long paragraph versus reading shorter sentences or bullet points — breaking information down helps users grasp and retain it more effectively.

5. Postel’s Law

“Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others.”

• Users are prone to errors, distractions, and often driven by emotions.
• People generally prefer being in control and can get annoyed if asked to provide more information than necessary.
• Be conservative in what you send: Information provided or generated should be well-formed and easily understandable.
• Be liberal in what you accept: When receiving information, be flexible and tolerant.
• Think of it like receiving emails. If someone sends you an email with a few typos or the formatting slightly off, a liberal system wouldn’t get all upset and reject the email. Instead, it would still proceed to understand the message and do its best to make sense of it. It’s as simple as that.

6. Peak-End Rule

“People judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its peak and at its end, rather than on the total sum or average of every moment of the experience.”

• The Peak-End Rule is a psychological principle that suggests people tend to judge and remember an experience based on its most intense point (peak) and its ending.
• For instance, think of watching a movie. Even if there are some dull scenes, you’ll likely remember it as a good movie overall if it had exciting parts and ended positively.
• In product design, we should emphasize the most important parts of the user’s journey. Make standout features or moments (the peak) during their workflow and ensure a smooth and positive conclusion (the end). This could be a clear success message or a friendly acknowledgment. By doing so, users will remember the experience positively, focusing on the high points and the positive wrap-up. It’s about leaving them with a good feeling throughout their journey with our product.

7. Aesthetic-Usability Effect

“Users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as a design that is more usable.”

• The Aesthetic-Usability Effect is a psychological principle that suggests people tend to view more visually appealing designs as more usable and effective, even if the aesthetics don’t directly impact functionality. In simpler terms, if something looks good, people are more likely to think it works well.
• Think about two websites with the same stuff on them. One is beautifully designed, and the other is basic. According to the Aesthetic-Usability Effect, we’re likely to think the well designed website is easier to use, even if both websites do the same things. This idea shows how important good looks are in how we see if something is easy to use.
• Importantly, it’s not just about making things look pretty for the sake of it. A sleek design can make users believe the product is more usable and effective. This principle reminds us that aesthetics influence how users perceive functionality, and a well-designed interface can enhance the overall user experience by creating a positive impression of usability.

8.von Restorff Effect

“When multiple similar objects are present, the one that differs from the rest is most likely to be remembered.”

• The von Restorff Effect, also known as the isolation effect, is a psychological phenomenon that occurs when an item stands out from its surroundings, making it more memorable. In simpler terms, if something is different or unique, people are more likely to notice and remember it.
• Imagine you’re looking at a list of items, and one of them is a different color or size. According to the von Restorff Effect, you’re more likely to remember the distinct item compared to the others. This principle is often used in design and communication to highlight important information or elements that you want people to remember by making them visually or conceptually distinct from the rest.

9. Tesler’s Law

“Tesler’s law, also known as the law of conservation of complexity, states that for any system there is a certain amount of complexity that cannot be reduced.”

• Tesler’s Law suggests that in design, complexity is always present.
• When you simplify one part of a system for user-friendliness, complexity tends to shift elsewhere in the system.
• This law doesn’t judge whether the complexity is good or bad; it just emphasizes that simplifying one aspect often means dealing with complexity elsewhere.
• Tesler’s Law is crucial for us designers to understand because it addresses a fundamental challenge: managing complexity.
• We need to be aware that simplifying one aspect of a system may lead to complexity in another. Accepting this fact is the first step in effectively managing complexity in design processes.

10. Law of Proximity

“Objects that are near, or proximate to each other, tend to be grouped together.”

• Things that are close together look like they belong together.
• Our brains like things organized. The closeness of elements reduces the brain’s workload. It’s like having a personal organizer for information, making it easier for users to understand without getting a headache.
• Organize information, establish a clear visual order, and enhance the overall experience. By smartly arranging elements close to each other, we can guide users seamlessly through the product interface, making information easy to grasp in a way that is both effective and visually appealing.