Product Managers, UX Designers, and other key stakeholders in a business invest a significant amount of time in various research approaches to better understand their end-users habits, behavior, and needs. With the help of careful observation and countless studies, it has been shown that when using any product, digital or physical, every client engages in a range of usage patterns, whether consciously or unconsciously. UX designers and enthusiasts have been referring to a set of user experience laws based on this understanding developed by scientists and UX pioneers. The purpose of this blog is to introduce and educate readers on some of the ‘laws’ of UX Design. Let’s dive in.
Laws of UX design:
- The Jakob’s Law: You should never reinvent the wheel, according to Jakob’s Law. Consumers are spending more time on other websites than on yours, on average. Take notes on what elements perform well on other websites and adapt them to your own. Instead of relying on just one source, choose a few. As you, surf websites in your daily life, think about what’s working and what’s not. You’ll most likely notice what upsets you first! Take note of the best UX websites you come across, especially if they follow these UX rules.
- Hicks Law: When things get difficult, Hick’s Law says it’s ideal to break them down into categories and sequential steps. This is rather self-evident. When you go to a new grocery shop, the produce section is usually where you’ll locate an orange. Instead of inquiring at the front entrance where the navel oranges are, users may find what they’re seeking thanks to the common store layout. Consider this in the context of your website’s principal navigation, which is positioned at the top. If the information appears to be complex, divide it into categories or steps to make it more digestible.
- Fitts’ Law: According to Fitts’ Law, the most important items should be as close to the user’s cursor as possible. Paul Fitts released a paper in 1954 arguing that when goods are A.) closer to them and B.) larger, people are more likely to find them. So, make it easy for the user to find important items by making them larger and needing them to walk around less to find what they’re looking for. You may believe that visitors will naturally want to read a wall of text or hear your backstory before getting to the crucial information if you become overly invested in the content of your website.
- The Law of Progressive Disclosure: The Law of Progressive Disclosure requires UX designers to show customers what they want when they want it. Think of it as a funnel. If you can provide the user with exactly what they want with just one click, that’s perfect. However, if clients demand more particular information, the Law of Progressive Disclosure kicks in to be more specific and narrow down the information to supply them with exactly what they need. The About page is a fantastic illustration for thinking about this law. The About tab, which is normally featured in the navigation bar, is where someone may discover more about your company.
- The Law of Magic Pixels: This law goes by a few different names, so if you Google “UX basic laws,” be mindful that it can come up under a different name. According to this law, users are more inclined to look at items in the corners and, as a result, reach for them. Fitts’ Law and the Law of Magic Pixels may appear to be diametrically opposed. These laws, on the other hand, can be used in tandem to great effect and are frequently complementary. For example, if you’re on a non-profit website. A huge button in the upper right corner that says Donate represents the Law of Magic Pixels.
- Miller’s Law: The average person can typically hold in working memory no more than seven things, plus or minus two. Miller’s Law states that chunking should be used to break text into easier-to-understand pieces. Chunking helps users absorb information, understand it, and memorize it because short bits are simpler to grasp, process, and keep than lengthy ones. One such example would be phone numbers. It would take some time and be tough to remember just 1255987940. Nevertheless, if you divide it into smaller parts, for example, 1255-987-940. If you still have difficulties remembering this, let me know. No, in my opinion. In a manner similar to this, grouping or chunking information in digital interfaces helps in improving user retention. websites for online education, etc.
- Tesler’s Law: Even while designers would love to make procedures simpler and faster, some cannot be made clearer or simpler. However, it is our duty as the system to simplify the consumer. In general, it is desirable to ensure that users are as burden-free as possible. To make a hotel booking, 4 pieces of information are required. (Departure name, arrival and departure timings, number of rooms/guests, etc.) Without filling out these 4 information boxes, the process cannot be finished and cannot move forward. Avoid oversimplifying interfaces to the point of abstraction. It is our responsibility to make sure that the tasks that users must complete do not negatively impact their experiences.
Final Thoughts: These UX laws can help determine exactly what your customers want when they visit your website, allowing you to improve the user experience and get the desired results. By following these guidelines, you can make your website significantly more effective while also making it more user-friendly. If you want to learn more about UX, you can always look for free tutorials on YouTube. On YouTube, you may find a variety of UI lessons. The only drawback to YouTube is that it is an unorganized medium for learning new things. There is no structure to the videos at all. You can use LearnTube from Career Ninja to overcome that challenge. With the help of the Chrome extension Learn Tube, you can arrange YouTube search results into a course structure. You won’t need to click on each video separately. It also gives you access to online authorities who can respond to your inquiries.
