Laws of UX for UX Heroes Pt.2

Welcome to the second part of this series where I make learning the laws of UX simple and easy for you to understand and grasp.

In the first part we talked about the Heuristic Laws of UX and also covered a little on what UX/UI is so if you haven’t checked that out then I highly recommend that you hop on over and read a little on the Part 1 of the series before starting off.

Alright, hold on to your hats, because in this part we’re about to talk about the Principle Laws of UX in a way that’s so funny and simple, it’ll make you want to throw out all your boring old design books and start fresh!

So, what the heck are the Principle Laws UX design anyway? Well, think of them like a recipe for a delicious user experience. They’re the ingredients that make up a great interface, and they include things like consistency, simplicity, and feedback.

Let’s take consistency, for example. Consistency is like the salt of UX design — too much or too little, and things just don’t taste right. Consistency means that things look and behave the same way throughout your interface. If your buttons are blue on one page and pink on another, users are going to get confused faster than a cat in a room full of laser pointers.

Simplicity is another key principle of UX design. It’s like the flour of your recipe — without it, things are just a hot mess. Simplicity means that your interface is easy to understand and use, without a bunch of unnecessary bells and whistles. You don’t want to overload your users with too much information or too many options, or they’ll be more lost than a squirrel trying to find its acorns in a blizzard.

Finally, let’s talk about feedback. Feedback is like the sugar of UX design — it makes everything sweeter. Feedback means that your interface tells the user what’s happening, whether it’s a successful action or an error. Without feedback, users might think they’re doing something wrong, or worse, not doing anything at all.

Principle Laws of UX can be split up into 5 different UX design laws. They are classified as,

• Doherty Threshold
• Occam’s Razor
• Pareto Principle
• Postel’s Law
• Tesler’s Law

And yes I know what you’re thinking but no it’s not product names of those sketchy infomercials that sell products labeled “As seen on TV” even though I gotta admit the the first couple made me chuckle as well 😂

Doherty Threshold

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The Doherty Threshold, huh? Sounds like something you’d hear in a sci-fi movie. But actually, it’s a concept that says there’s a sweet spot when it comes to how much time people are willing to wait for something. It’s like when you’re waiting in line at a coffee shop and you start to get antsy after a few minutes, but if you get your coffee too quickly, you feel like something’s off. It’s like the perfect balance between impatience and satisfaction.

Let me give you an example. You know how when you’re waiting for your pizza to arrive and you start to get hangry after 20 minutes, but if it comes too quickly, you wonder if they just microwaved it? That’s the Doherty Threshold in action, baby! It’s all about finding that Goldilocks zone of wait time.

So, how can you apply this knowledge? Well, if you’re designing an app or website, keep in mind that people have a limited amount of patience. Don’t make them wait too long for things to load, but also don’t make everything happen so quickly that they feel like they’re missing out. And if you’re waiting for something yourself, try to distract yourself with a funny cat video or two. Remember, the Doherty Threshold is like a delicate balance between waiting and wanting. So, use it wisely and don’t let impatience get the best of you!

So in short, Productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a pace (<400ms) that ensures that neither has to wait on the other.

Some the key take away point from this is that,

1. Provide system feedback within 400 ms in order to keep users’ attention and increase productivity.
2. Use perceived performance to improve response time and reduce the perception of waiting.
3. Animation is one way to visually engage people while loading or processing is happening in the background.
4. Progress bars help make wait times tolerable, regardless of their accuracy.
5. Purposefully adding a delay to a process can actually increase its perceived value and instill a sense of trust, even when the process itself actually takes much less time.

Occam’s Razor

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Oh, Occam’s Razor, my favorite shaving tool! Wait, that’s not what we’re talking about? Oh, right, it’s a principle that says the simplest explanation is usually the right one. So, basically, if you’re trying to solve a problem, don’t over complicate things. Keep it simple, stupid!

Let’s say you’re trying to figure out why your computer won’t turn on. You could spend hours trying to analyze every little component, or you could just check if it’s plugged in. Occam’s Razor says to go with the second option because it’s the simplest explanation. Plus, it saves you a lot of time and headache.

So, where can you apply this law? Well, pretty much anywhere! Whether you’re designing a website, troubleshooting a technical issue, or just trying to make a decision, Occam’s Razor can help you cut through the noise and get to the heart of the matter. And if all else fails, just remember this handy dandy shaving tool analogy. Because really, who doesn’t love a good shaving pun?

In conclusion from this, Among competing hypotheses that predict equally well, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected.

And from the take away pointers from the Occam’s Razor law is that,

1. The best method for reducing complexity is to avoid it in the first place.
2. Analyze each element and remove as many as possible, without compromising the overall function.
3. Consider completion only when no additional items can be removed.

Pareto Principle

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The Pareto Principle? Sounds fancy, doesn’t it? But really, it’s just a rule that says 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Think of it like your wardrobe — you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. You know, that one favorite hoodie that you never want to take off? Yeah, that’s the 20%.

Let’s say you’re working on a project for school and you’re trying to decide which tasks to prioritize. According to the Pareto Principle, you should focus on the 20% of tasks that will give you 80% of the results. So, if you spend your time perfecting that one paper that’s worth 80% of your grade, you’ll be in pretty good shape. And you can save the other 80% of tasks for another day.

So, where can you apply this principle? Anywhere you want to be more efficient! Whether it’s in your work, your personal life, or even your Netflix queue, the Pareto Principle can help you prioritize what really matters. Just remember, focus on the 20% that will give you 80% of the results, and you’ll be laughing all the way to the bank (or the couch, whichever you prefer).

To sum it up, The Pareto principle states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

The key pointers to take home from this is that,

1. Inputs and outputs are often not evenly distributed.
2. A large group may contain only a few meaningful contributors to the desired outcome.
3. Focus the majority of effort on the areas that will bring the largest benefits to the most users.

Alright that’s 3 down and 2 to go and you know what time it is? That’s right…. It’s time for “How corny can you make a UX joke sound”

Why did the UX designer refuse to work on a website about cheese? They were lactose intolerant and couldn’t handle the user flow! 😂

Get it? No?…… Man tough crowd 🥲 Okaaaayyyy…. Moving on

Postel’s Law

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Postel’s Law? Is that like a law about posting on social media? Actually, it’s a principle in computer networking that says you should be liberal in what you accept and conservative in what you send. Sounds a bit like dating advice, if you ask me. But basically, it means you should be forgiving of errors from others, but make sure your own messages are clear and error-free.

Let’s say you’re trying to send an email to your boss. You want to make sure your message is crystal clear, so you double-check for any typos or confusing language. But when you receive an email from your coworker that’s a bit unclear, you give them the benefit of the doubt and ask for clarification. That’s being liberal in what you accept and conservative in what you send, according to Postel’s Law.

So, where can you apply this law? In any situation where communication is key! Whether you’re writing an email, sending a text, or even just talking to a friend, being forgiving of others’ mistakes while ensuring your own messages are clear can go a long way. And if all else fails, just blame any miscommunications on the internet — after all, Postel’s Law says to be liberal in what you accept, right?

In a shorter sense it means, Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send.

Key pointer that are worth noting down are,

1. Be empathetic to, flexible about, and tolerant of any of the various actions the user could take or any input they might provide.
2. Anticipate virtually anything in terms of input, access, and capability while providing a reliable and accessible interface.
3. The more we can anticipate and plan for in design, the more resilient the design will be.
4. Accept variable input from users, translating that input to meet your requirements, defining boundaries for input, and providing clear feedback to the user.

Tesler’s Law

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Ah, Tesler’s Law! It’s like Murphy’s Law, but instead of everything going wrong, it’s all about simplicity. Tesler’s Law states that “for any system there is a certain amount of complexity which cannot be reduced.” So basically, there’s a sweet spot of just the right amount of complexity for any given system, and you can’t simplify it any further without sacrificing important functionality.

Let’s take the example of a TV remote. You want it to be easy to use, but it still needs to have all the necessary buttons and features. If you make it too simple, you might not be able to change the channel or adjust the volume, but if you make it too complex, you’ll end up with a million buttons that nobody knows how to use. Tesler’s Law helps us find the perfect balance of simplicity and functionality.

So where can you apply Tesler’s Law? Anywhere you need to design a system, whether it’s a remote control, a website, or even a process at work. You want to make it as simple as possible, but not so simple that it’s useless. And if you can’t simplify it any further without losing important functionality, well, blame Tesler’s Law — it’s not your fault!

So to sum it up, Tesler’s Law, also known as The Law of Conservation of Complexity, states that for any system there is a certain amount of complexity which cannot be reduced.

Some things to take down and remember are,

1. All processes have a core of complexity that cannot be designed away and therefore must be assumed by either the system or the user.
2. Ensure as much as possible of the burden is lifted from users by dealing with inherent complexity during design and development.
3. Take care not to simplify interfaces to the point of abstraction.

So there you have it, folks — the Principle Laws of UX design, explained in a way that’s funny, simple, and hopefully a little bit helpful. Just remember, if you want to create a user experience that’s as delicious as a hot fudge sundae, make sure to follow these key principles. And don’t forget the cherry on top!

And that’s all there is to it. That sums it up for the Principle Laws of UX. If you’re curious to explore more you can always hop on to Laws of UX or Nielsen Norman Group.

In the next part we will be talking about Gestalt Laws of UX so keep an eye out for that.

As always, keep shining and stay tuned for lots more exciting stuff coming your way. Keep grinding and stay curious and dare to do something new every day or learn something new. Look out for one another and keep rocking.

This is your friendly neighborhood UX/UI junkie signing out. See you in the next one. Peace ✌️