Laws of UX audiobook cover - Design Principles for Persuasive and Ethical Products

Laws of UX

Design Principles for Persuasive and Ethical Products

Jon Yablonski

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PsychologyCreativityEntrepreneurship

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Laws of UX
Familiarity & Interaction+
Simplicity & Memory+
Resilience & Emotion+
Visuals & Attention+
Complexity & Performance+
Ethical Design+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 11
What is the primary lesson for designers derived from Jakob's Law?
  • A. Designers should constantly innovate and break conventions to keep users engaged.
  • B. Designers should follow common conventions so users can focus on content rather than learning the interface.
  • C. Designers should limit the number of choices presented to users to exactly seven items.
  • D. Designers should ensure interactive elements are placed in the center of the screen.
Question 2 of 11
How does Fitts's Law apply to the placement and design of interactive elements like buttons?
  • A. They should be placed in areas of high visual contrast to stand out from the background.
  • B. They should be grouped into chunks of no more than seven items to aid memory retention.
  • C. They should be large enough to easily select and spaced adequately to prevent accidental clicks.
  • D. They should adapt dynamically based on the device's screen size and orientation.
Question 3 of 11
According to Hick's Law, what happens when a designer presents a user with too many choices and complexities?
  • A. It increases the time it takes for the user to make a decision.
  • B. It triggers the aesthetic-usability effect, making the interface seem more functional.
  • C. It improves the user's ability to retain information in their working memory.
  • D. It causes the user to remember only the peak emotional moment of the experience.
Question 4 of 11
Which design technique is a direct application of Miller's Law?
  • A. Using skeleton screens to improve perceived load times.
  • B. Autofilling forms to reduce the burden of complexity on the user.
  • C. Grouping related information, such as phone numbers or product details, into manageable 'chunks.'
  • D. Providing intermittent variable rewards to keep users engaged.
Question 5 of 11
What does Postel's Law suggest about handling user input in web design?
  • A. Interfaces should restrict user input to a single format to prevent system errors.
  • B. Interfaces should be designed to anticipate and accept various forms of diverse and occasionally inconsistent user input.
  • C. Interfaces should only accept input that matches the exact visual styling of the website.
  • D. Interfaces should require users to authenticate via multiple methods to ensure security.
Question 6 of 11
Why does Mailchimp use humor and animation right before a user sends a bulk email campaign?
  • A. To distract the user from the high complexity of the interface.
  • B. To increase the perceived loading speed of the email being sent.
  • C. To positively influence how the user remembers the experience by easing anxiety at a critical emotional endpoint.
  • D. To break the information down into smaller, more digestible chunks.
Question 7 of 11
What is a potential danger of the aesthetic-usability effect for designers?
  • A. An excessively pleasing design might mask underlying functional usability issues.
  • B. Users might become overwhelmed by the beauty of the design and abandon their tasks.
  • C. The design might load too slowly due to high-resolution visual elements.
  • D. It forces designers to use dark patterns to achieve their visual goals.
Question 8 of 11
How should a designer utilize the Von Restorff effect effectively?
  • A. By making every element on the screen look identical to maintain consistency.
  • B. By using visual contrast, like color or size, to highlight important actions without overwhelming the user.
  • C. By hiding less important information behind menus to simplify the visual layout.
  • D. By ensuring that visual elements are perfectly aligned with the user's past web experiences.
Question 9 of 11
According to Tesler's Law, how should designers handle the inherent complexity of a system?
  • A. They should educate the user so the user can handle the complexity themselves.
  • B. They should eliminate all complexity entirely, even if it means removing core features.
  • C. They should shift as much of the burden of complexity away from the user and onto the system.
  • D. They should distribute the complexity evenly between the user interface and the backend code.
Question 10 of 11
What is the primary purpose of using a 'skeleton screen' in relation to the Doherty threshold?
  • A. To reduce the actual amount of data being downloaded by the browser.
  • B. To create the illusion of faster loading times and reduce the user's perception of waiting.
  • C. To show the user the underlying code structure of the website.
  • D. To provide a minimalist design that adheres to Hick's Law.
Question 11 of 11
Which of the following is an example of a deceptive 'dark pattern' mentioned in the text?
  • A. Using an infinite scroll to keep users engaged with a content feed.
  • B. Falsely displaying items as 'low in stock' to pressure users into making a quick purchase.
  • C. Using a distinct visual style for a critical action button to ensure users notice it.
  • D. Providing transparency and entertainment while a user waits for a ride.

Laws of UX — Full Chapter Overview

Laws of UX Summary & Overview

Laws of UX (2020) is a handy guidebook for anyone interested in user experience, or UX – especially as it applies to web or app design. It lays out some of the fundamental rules that inform superior product design and shows how these rules are tied to human psychology. 

Who Should Listen to Laws of UX?

  • Web designers and developers
  • People curious about technology and human behavior
  • Anyone who’d like to create a better website

About the Author: Jon Yablonski

Jon Yablonski is an American UX designer, frontend web developer, and writer with over a decade of experience in industries ranging from retail to aerospace. He’s also created a variety of digital tools to help designers, including humanebydesign.com and webfieldmanual.com. 

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