UX design is the process of creating products that provide meaningful and relevant experiences to users. This involves the design of the entire process of acquiring and integrating the product, including aspects of branding, design, usability, and function.
A positive UX can be the deciding factor between a product that thrives and one that fails. According to recent statistics, every $1 invested in UX results in a return of $100, showcasing a staggering 9,900% ROI.
This article will explore and explain the 21 laws of UX, providing a comprehensive guide for designers, developers, and marketers alike. We believe that understanding these principles is crucial, even for non-coders, as they offer a new lens through which to view and improve digital interactions.
What Are the Laws of UX?
The laws of UX are a collection of principles that guide the design of user-centric products. They explain how we perceive and interact with the digital world, offering a framework for creating intuitive and effective user experiences.
By understanding the intersection of psychology and design, we can craft interfaces that feel natural and effortless to use. These principles help us anticipate user behavior, reduce cognitive load, and ultimately, create products that people love to use.
21 Laws of UX With Examples
Here is a breakdown of the 21 UX Laws that every creator should know:
1) Law of Common Region
This law states that elements tend to be perceived in groups if they are sharing an area with a clearly defined boundary. In UX design, this is often achieved by placing related items within a container, such as a card or a banner. This visual grouping enhances user navigation by making the interface more scannable and easier to understand.
2) Law of Proximity
Objects that are near, or proximate to each other, tend to be grouped together. This principle is fundamental to creating a clear visual hierarchy. By grouping related elements, you can help users understand the relationship between different parts of your interface without needing to explicitly state it.
3) Law of Uniform Connectedness
Elements that are visually connected are perceived as more related than elements with no connection. The use of lines, colors, and other visual cues to group content can create a stronger sense of connection than proximity alone. This law is particularly useful for organizing complex information.
4) Law of Prägnanz (Simplicity)
People will perceive and interpret ambiguous or complex images as the simplest form possible. This principle encourages the creation of intuitive and minimalistic interfaces. By simplifying your designs, you reduce the cognitive effort required from users, making your product easier to use.
5) 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. Consistency in visual cues, such as using the same color for all clickable links, helps users understand how to interact with your interface.
6) Jacob’s Law
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. By mimicking common web design patterns, you can create a familiar and intuitive experience for your users, reducing the learning curve.
7) Aesthetic-Usability Effect
Users often perceive aesthetically pleasing design as design that's more usable. A beautiful design can create a positive emotional response, making users more tolerant of minor usability issues. Investing in aesthetics is not just about looking good; it's about improving the overall user experience.
8) Doherty Threshold
Productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a pace where neither has to wait on the other. Fast-loading websites and applications lead to higher user satisfaction. Studies show that 39% of users will stop engaging with content if the loading time is too long.
9) Fitts’s Law
The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target. In UX design, this means that interactive elements like buttons should be large enough to be easily clicked and placed in areas that are easy to reach.
10) Hick’s Law
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. To improve the user experience, it's important to limit the number of options in navigation menus and other parts of your interface. This helps to prevent choice paralysis and makes it easier for users to find what they are looking for.
11) Miller’s Law
The average person can only keep about seven items in their working memory. To avoid overwhelming users, information should be chunked into smaller, digestible parts. This makes it easier for users to process and remember information.
12) Postel’s Law
Be liberal in what you accept from users, and conservative in what you send. This principle encourages flexibility in handling user input. For example, a search engine that can accommodate misspelled terms provides a better user experience than one that requires perfect spelling.
13) Serial Position Effect
Users have a propensity to best remember the first and last items in a series. This is why it's important to organize key information at the beginning and end of lists and other content structures.
14) Tesler’s Law
Also known as the Law of Conservation of Complexity, this law states that for any system there is a certain amount of complexity which cannot be reduced. The key is to reduce the cognitive load on the user by handling as much of the complexity as possible on the backend.
15) Von Restorff Effect
When multiple similar objects are present, the one that differs from the rest is most likely to be remembered. Highlighting key calls-to-action (CTAs) with contrasting colors can make them stand out and attract the user's attention.
16) Zeigarnik Effect
People remember uncompleted or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. This can be used to keep users engaged by showing them incomplete checklists or tasks. The desire for completion can be a powerful motivator.
17) Goal-Gradient Effect
The tendency to approach a goal increases with proximity to the goal. Progress bars in forms and other multi-step processes can motivate users to complete the task by showing them how close they are to the finish line.
18) Occam’s Razor
Among competing hypotheses, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected. In design, this means that the simplest solution is often the best. Simplified workflows with minimal steps lead to a better user experience.
19) Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)
For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. In UX design, this means you should prioritize the 20% of features that will provide 80% of the value to your users.
20) Parkinson’s Law
Any task will inflate until all of the available time is spent. In UX projects, using time-boxed methods like design sprints can help to ensure that projects are completed efficiently.
21) Peak-End Rule
People judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its peak and at its end, rather than the total sum or average of every moment of the experience. To create a positive lasting impression, it's important to improve the final interaction in a user journey.
What’s the Psychology Behind the Laws of UX
The laws of UX are powerful because they are based on the science of human cognition and perception. Our brains are wired to look for patterns, conserve mental energy, and seek out pleasurable experiences. By understanding these psychological underpinnings, we can make more informed design decisions. Cognitive load, perception, and user behavior are all interconnected.
A design that is cluttered and confusing will increase cognitive load, leading to a negative user experience. Conversely, a design that is clean, simple, and intuitive will reduce cognitive load and create a positive experience. The impact of these laws on user engagement and retention is significant. A positive user experience can lead to increased loyalty, higher conversion rates, and a stronger brand reputation.
What Are the Applications of UX Laws in Design & Development
Many of the world's most successful companies have built their empires on the foundation of a superior user experience.
Task | Company | Applicable UX Law | How that Company is Doing It |
Browse Content | Law of Common Region | Each pin is enclosed in a 'card' that groups the image, description, and action buttons within a clear boundary, making the feed easily scannable. | |
Filling out a Form | Google Forms | Law of Proximity | The label for a form field (e.g., "Email Address") is placed directly next to its corresponding input box, clearly associating the two. |
Tracking a Shipment | FedEx | Law of Uniform Connectedness | The package tracking page uses lines and icons to visually connect each step of the journey, creating a single, easy-to-follow timeline. |
Searching the Web | Law of Prägnanz (Simplicity) | Google's homepage is famously minimal, featuring only a logo, a search bar, and buttons. Users instantly understand its function without clutter. | |
Identifying Links | Wikipedia | Law of Similarity | All hyperlinks within articles are styled in the same distinct blue color, creating a consistent visual cue that signals clickability. |
Shopping Online | Amazon | Jacob’s Law | Amazon's layout uses familiar e-commerce patterns, such as a shopping cart icon in the top-right corner, which aligns with user expectations from other sites. |
Using a Smartphone | Apple | Aesthetic-Usability Effect | The polished, clean, and visually pleasing design of iOS leads users to perceive the system as more intuitive and easier to use. |
Streaming Video | YouTube | Doherty Threshold | YouTube invests heavily in server infrastructure to ensure videos load and buffer almost instantly, keeping user frustration low and engagement high. |
Using a Mobile App | Spotify | Fitts’s Law | On the "Now Playing" screen, the primary play/pause button is large and centrally located at the bottom, making it an easy target for a user's thumb. |
Choosing a Movie | Netflix | Hick’s Law | Instead of showing its entire library, Netflix presents a limited number of curated rows like "Top 10" and "Trending," reducing choice overload. |
Entering a Phone Number | Most Websites/Apps | Miller’s Law | Forms typically break down phone numbers into smaller chunks (e.g., (123) 456-7890), making the 10-digit string easier to process and verify. |
Finding a Location | Google Maps | Postel’s Law | Google Maps accepts a wide range of inputs, including misspelled names, abbreviations, and partial addresses, and still provides the intended result. |
Using a Navigation Bar | Most Websites | Serial Position Effect | Key navigation links like "Home" and "Products" are placed at the beginning (left), while "Contact" and "Log In" are at the end (right) for better recall. |
One-Click Ordering | Amazon | Tesler’s Law | Amazon's "1-Click" purchase option hides the complex steps of entering shipping and payment details, managing that complexity for the user. |
Choosing a Plan | Mailchimp | Von Restorff Effect | On its pricing page, Mailchimp often uses a different color or a "Most Popular" badge to make its recommended plan stand out from the others. |
Completing a Profile | Zeigarnik Effect | LinkedIn uses a "Profile Strength" meter and prompts to show users that their profile is incomplete, motivating them to return and finish the task. | |
Finishing a Checkout | Shopify Stores | Goal-Gradient Effect | Checkout processes display progress bars (e.g., Shipping > Payment), showing users how close they are to completion and encouraging them to finish. |
Sending Money | PayPal | Occam’s Razor | PayPal simplifies money transfers to just an email address and an amount, removing the complex steps of traditional bank transfers for the user. |
Using Software Features | Google Docs | Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule) | The main toolbar prominently features the most used tools (text styling, alignment), which covers 80% of user needs, while less common features are in menus. |
Managing Team Projects | Asana / Trello | Parkinson’s Law | These tools facilitate the use of "sprints"—short, time-boxed periods—which forces teams to complete tasks within a set timeframe. |
Sending an Email Campaign | Mailchimp | Peak-End Rule | After a user successfully sends a campaign, a playful animation of a high-five appears. This positive final interaction (the "end") improves the user's memory of the experience. |
Here is a video that delves deeper into the laws of UX:
Conclusion
The 21 laws of UX provide a comprehensive framework for creating user-centric products. By understanding and applying these principles, we can improve usability, increase user satisfaction, and design more efficiently. These laws are not just for designers and developers; they are for anyone who wants to create better digital experiences. We encourage you to continue your exploration of these laws and apply them in your own work. The journey to a better user experience starts with a single step, and these principles are your guide.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
1) What are the laws of the UX?
The laws of UX are a set of guidelines that help designers create more user-friendly and effective products by leveraging principles of human psychology and cognitive science.
2) What are the 7 principles of UX design?
The 7 principles of UX design, as proposed by Peter Morville, are:
Useful: Your content should be original and fulfill a need.
Usable: The site must be easy to use.
Desirable: Image, identity, brand, and other design elements are used to evoke emotion and appreciation.
Findable: Content needs to be navigable and locatable onsite and offsite.
Accessible: Content needs to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Credible: Users must trust and believe what you tell them.
Valuable: The site must deliver value to the business and the user.
3) What is the 3-30-3 rule in UX design?
The 3-30-3 rule is a guideline for capturing and retaining user attention. It suggests you have:
3 seconds to grab a user's attention.
30 seconds to engage them with compelling content.
3 minutes to deliver your complete message and convert them into a customer.
4) What is the golden rule of UX?
The golden rule of UX is to always keep the user at the center of all design decisions. This means understanding their needs, motivations, and pain points, and designing a product that meets those needs in a way that is both effective and enjoyable. The core of all the laws of ux is to serve the user.
