Laws of UX
This site compiles a comprehensive list of fundamental user experience (UX) laws and principles, offering concise explanations for each. While praised for its utility as a reference for designers and non-designers alike, some Hacker News commenters debate the rigor of its 'laws' and the site's overall depth. The discussion also highlights the growing interest in applying these principles via AI for design critiques.
The Lowdown
Laws of UX is an online compendium curated by Jon Yablonski, detailing various cognitive biases, psychological phenomena, and design principles that heavily influence user experience. It serves as a valuable resource for anyone involved in design or development, aiming to create more intuitive and effective interfaces.
The site presents each 'law' with a brief definition, making complex concepts accessible. Key examples include:
- Aesthetic-Usability Effect: Users perceive aesthetically pleasing designs as more usable.
- Hick's Law: Decision time increases with the number and complexity of choices.
- Jakob's Law: Users prefer sites that function similarly to others they already know.
- Miller's Law: The average person can hold about 7 (plus or minus 2) items in working memory.
- Pareto Principle: Roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes.
- Tesler's Law: Also known as the Law of Conservation of Complexity, it states that irreducible complexity exists in any system.
This collection provides a foundational understanding of human-computer interaction, offering practical insights that can be directly applied to designing user-friendly digital products and systems.
The Gossip
Practical Principles & AI Potential
Many users lauded the site as a useful resource, especially for those new to UX or non-designers seeking best practices. A popular sentiment was the potential for integrating these 'laws' with AI tools to automate design reviews and generate mockups, with one commenter sharing successful experiments using ChatGPT and Claude for UX analysis and redesign.
Critiques of Conceptual Clarity & Depth
Despite its utility, the collection faced scrutiny regarding the definition and scientific backing of some 'laws.' Critics argued that certain entries were too broad (e.g., 'Cognitive Bias' as a 'law') or lacked sufficient academic references. Others questioned the optimality of specific metrics, like the Doherty Threshold's 400ms, or felt the site was a superficial overview, akin to 'selling posters.'
Suggested Statutes & Site Specifics
Commenters proposed additional 'laws' they believe are crucial for good UX, such as 'stability' (avoiding constant changes) or prohibiting UI elements from reflowing or moving before a click. There were also suggestions for improving the website's own user experience, like adding a two-pane layout to make browsing the laws more efficient.