As a UX designer, I understand the importance of creating user-centered designs that provide a seamless user experience. However, it can be challenging to know where to begin when designing for optimal usability. That’s where the Laws of UX come in. These laws are a set of principles that guide designers in creating effective, user-friendly designs. In this article, I will discuss the various Laws of UX and show you how they can be applied to your design process.
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Introduction to UX and the Laws of UX
Before diving into the Laws of UX, it’s important to understand what UX is. User Experience, or UX, refers to the overall experience a user has when interacting with your product or service. It encompasses all aspects of the user’s interaction, including visual design, information architecture, content, and functionality.
The Laws of UX are a set of principles that help designers create effective and user-friendly designs. These laws are based on human behavior and psychology and are grounded in research and best practices.
By understanding and applying these laws, you can create designs that are intuitive, easy to use, and provide a positive user experience. So, let’s dive into the Laws of UX and see how they can help you create better designs.
Miller’s Law
The number of objects an average person can hold in working memory is about seven, also known as The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two.
Miller’s Law states that the average person can only hold 7 (plus or minus 2) pieces of information in their working memory at any given time. This means that you should design your interfaces with this in mind, keeping things simple and easy to understand.
To apply Miller’s Law to your design process, consider breaking down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Use clear and concise language, and avoid overwhelming users with too much information at once. By simplifying your interface, you can help users focus on the task at hand and improve their overall experience.
Fitts’s Law: How to design for efficient interaction
The longer the distance and the smaller the target’s size, the longer it takes.
Fitts’s Law states that the time it takes to move to a target is a function of the distance to the target and the size of the target. In other words, the bigger the target, the easier it is to click on.
To apply Fitts’s Law to your design process, consider making clickable elements larger and easier to click on. This can be especially important for mobile interfaces, where users are interacting with smaller screens and may have difficulty clicking on small targets.
Jakob’s Law: Why users expect your website to be like other websites
Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.
Jakob’s Law states that users spend most of their time on other websites, so they expect your website to work in a similar way. This means that you should design interfaces that are familiar and intuitive to users.
To apply Jakob’s Law to your design process, consider using common design patterns and conventions. This can include using standard icons and menus, as well as placing important information in familiar locations (such as the top right corner of the screen). By designing interfaces that are familiar to users, you can improve their overall experience and reduce frustration.
Law of Proximity: How to use visual grouping to improve user comprehension
Things closer to each other appear more related than things farther apart.
The Law of Proximity states that objects that are close together are perceived as related. This means that you can use visual grouping to help users understand the relationships between different elements on your interface.
To apply the Law of Proximity to your design process, consider grouping related elements together and using whitespace to separate unrelated elements. By using visual cues to group information, you can help users understand the relationships between different elements and improve their overall comprehension.
Parkinson’s Law
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” If something must be done in a year, it’ll be done in a year.
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. This means that if you give users too much time to complete a task, they may spend more time than necessary, leading to frustration and decreased productivity.
To apply Parkinson’s Law to your design process, consider setting clear and realistic deadlines for tasks. This can help users stay focused and motivated, leading to increased productivity and a better overall experience.
Von Restorff Effect: How to use visual contrast to make key elements stand out
When multiple similar objects are present, the one that differs from the rest is most easy to remember.
The Von Restorff Effect states that items that stand out from their surroundings are more likely to be remembered. This means that you can use visual contrast to draw attention to important elements on your interface.
To apply the Von Restorff Effect to your design process, consider using color, size, or typography to make important elements stand out. This can include using bright colors for calls to action or using larger font sizes for important headlines. By making key elements stand out, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Zeigarnik Effect: How to use incomplete tasks to keep users engaged
Incomplete tasks are most likely to be remembered. You could help the users remember certain uncompleted tasks by adding a simple progress bar.
The Zeigarnik Effect states that people remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed ones. This means that you can use incomplete tasks to keep users engaged and motivated.
To apply the Zeigarnik Effect to your design process, consider breaking down tasks into smaller steps and providing feedback along the way. This can include using progress bars or providing notifications when a user completes a step. By keeping users engaged and motivated, you can improve their overall experience and increase the likelihood of task completion.
Hick’s Law: How to simplify decision making for users
Time for decision making depends on how many and how complex the choices are.
Hick’s Law states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number of options available. This means that you should simplify decision making for users by reducing the number of options available.
To apply Hick’s Law to your design process, consider using progressive disclosure to reveal information as it becomes relevant. This can include using dropdown menus or showing additional information only when a user hovers over an element. By simplifying decision making for users, you can improve their overall experience and reduce frustration.
Serial Position Effect
This effect states that the first and the last terms are most likely remembered.
The Serial Position Effect states that people are more likely to remember the first and last items in a list. This means that you should pay attention to the order in which information is presented on your interface.
To apply the Serial Position Effect to your design process, consider placing important information at the beginning and end of a list or page. This can include using a prominent headline or placing a call to action at the top or bottom of the page. By paying attention to the order in which information is presented, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Law of Common Region
The law of common region expresses that elements are grouped together when they share an area with a clear boundary between them.
The Law of Common Region states that elements that are visually grouped together are perceived as related. This means that you can use visual grouping to help users understand the relationships between different elements on your interface.
To apply the Law of Common Region to your design process, consider using containers or borders to group related elements together. This can include using a colored background or a border to group together elements that are part of the same category. By using visual cues to group information, you can improve the overall comprehension of your interface.
Goal-Gradient Effect
As people get closer to a reward, they speed up their behavior to get to their goal faster.
The Goal-Gradient Effect states that people are more motivated to complete a task as they get closer to the goal. This means that you can use progress indicators to keep users motivated and engaged.
To apply the Goal-Gradient Effect to your design process, consider using progress bars or other visual indicators to show users how close they are to completing a task. This can include using a progress bar to show how much of a form has been completed or using a countdown timer to show how much time is left to complete a task. By keeping users motivated and engaged, you can improve the overall experience of your interface.
Law of Pragnanz
When you’re presented with a set of ambiguous or complex objects, your brain will make them appear as simple as possible.
The Law of Pragnanz states that people tend to perceive complex objects as simpler and more organized than they really are. This means that you should design interfaces that are simple and easy to understand.
To apply the Law of Pragnanz to your design process, consider using simple and clear language, avoiding cluttered interfaces, and simplifying complex tasks. By designing interfaces that are simple and easy to understand, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Tesler’s Law
Tesler argues that an engineer should spend extra time reducing complexity on the application instead of making users spend more time on the task they’re trying to perform.
Tesler’s Law states that for any system, there is a certain amount of complexity that cannot be reduced. This means that you should focus on simplifying the parts of your interface that can be simplified.
To apply Tesler’s Law to your design process, consider simplifying tasks and reducing the number of steps required to complete them. This can include using clear and concise language, reducing the number of form fields required, and avoiding unnecessary steps in the user journey. By simplifying your interface, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Peak-End Rule
if the peak and the end are good, people will conclude that the entire experience was good.
The Peak-End Rule states that people tend to judge an experience based on its peak (the most intense point) and its end. This means that you should focus on creating positive experiences that end on a high note.
To apply the Peak-End Rule to your design process, consider focusing on creating positive experiences and ending on a high note. This can include using positive messaging and imagery, providing feedback and rewards for completing tasks, and ending the user journey with a positive message or call to action. By creating positive experiences that end on a high note, you can improve the overall user experience.
Aesthetic-Usability Effect
People tend to believe that things that look better will work better even if they aren’t actually more effective or effecient.
The Aesthetic-Usability Effect states that people perceive aesthetically pleasing designs as more usable and easier to use. This means that you should focus on creating designs that are both visually pleasing and functional.
To apply the Aesthetic-Usability Effect to your design process, consider using clean and visually appealing designs that are easy to navigate and understand. This can include using simple and elegant typography, well-designed icons and images, and a consistent color palette. By creating aesthetically pleasing designs that are easy to use, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Doherty Threshold
If a response appears after the 400 ms threshold, users eventually become disinterested according to a study done in the late 1970s.
The Doherty Threshold states that the amount of time it takes to complete a task decreases as the number of possible actions increases, up to a certain point. This means that you should provide users with enough options to complete a task, without overwhelming them.
To apply the Doherty Threshold to your design process, consider providing users with a range of options to complete a task, without overwhelming them with too many choices. This can include using dropdown menus, providing clear and concise options, and using progressive disclosure to reveal additional options as needed. By providing users with enough options to complete a task, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Law of Similarity
The human eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete picture, shape, or group, even if those elements are separated.
The Law of Similarity states that elements that are visually similar are perceived as related. This means that you can use visual cues to help users understand the relationships between different elements on your interface.
To apply the Law of Similarity to your design process, consider using similar shapes, colors, or typography to group related elements together. This can include using similar colors for buttons that perform similar actions or using similar shapes to group together elements that are part of the same category. By using visual cues to group information, you can improve the overall comprehension of your interface.
Pareto Principle: How to focus on the 20% of elements that drive 80% of user behavior
For many events, roughly 80% od the effects come from 20% of the causes.
The Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule, states that 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. This means that you should focus your design efforts on the 20% of elements that drive 80% of user behavior.
To apply the Pareto Principle to your design process, consider focusing on the most important elements of your interface, such as calls to action, navigation, and content. This can include simplifying your interface, using clear and concise language, and designing with the user’s goals in mind. By focusing on the elements that drive the most user behavior, you can improve the overall effectiveness of your interface.
Postel’s Law
Be conservative in what you do, be liberal in what you accept from others. The more you plan the more resilient the design will be.
Postel’s Law, also known as the Robustness Principle, states that interfaces should be tolerant of errors and malformed inputs. This means that you should design your interface to be flexible and forgiving.
To apply Postel’s Law to your design process, consider designing your interface to be tolerant of errors and unexpected inputs. This can include using clear error messages, providing feedback when inputs are invalid, and using progressive disclosure to reveal information as it becomes relevant. By designing your interface to be flexible and forgiving, you can improve the overall usability of your interface.
Occam’s Razor
Simplicity is better than complexity.
Conclusion and next steps for applying the Laws of UX to your design process
In this article, we’ve explored the Laws of UX and how they can be applied to your design process. By understanding and applying these principles, you can create interfaces that are intuitive, easy to use, and provide a positive user experience.
To start applying these principles to your design process, consider conducting user research, testing your designs with real users, and iterating on your designs based on feedback. By continuously refining your designs based on user feedback, you can create interfaces that truly meet the needs of your users.
So, whether you’re designing a website, mobile app, or any other interface, remember to keep the Laws of UX in mind. By doing so, you can unlock the power of UX and create designs that are effective, user-friendly, and provide a seamless user experience.
