Universal Laws of Design

We stare at dozens of types of platforms, websites, and phone layouts on a daily basis. There's a certain type of magic that makes these designs look useful, functional, or even inspiring, and we often take it for granted. But to create this magic, we must first understand some important laws of design.

Let's start with the three most important ones that you should remember if you remember nothing else from this post. Let's call these the beginner and fundamental laws.

Beginner Level Laws

Fitt's law - Ensure that forms and buttons on your screens are large enough, spaced out enough, and close enough to where a user's cursor or attention is, helping them interact with the website faster.

Jakob's law - We are creatures of habit and culture, so it's crucial to incorporate similar design elements and paradigms from other popular sites. For example, in designing a magical door, you would place the doorknob in the middle, not at the top or bottom, for intuitiveness.

Hick's law - Simpler designs are better. Limit the elements and features of your page to the essentials that convey your message without overwhelming the user. If a page has too many components, consider splitting them into different user journeys or pages.

Continuing on, if you have more energy, let's move on to the intermediate laws.

Intermediate Level Laws

Miller's law - Related to Hick's law, it suggests that the average user can only keep about seven items in their working memory. When designing a part of your website, try not to include more than 7 components, breaking each part into smaller chunks.

Doherty threshold - Aim for load times of 1/2 a second for different parts of your application, as this has been found to be the optimal wait time for user productivity and engagement.

Von Restorff Effect - When many elements are similar, the one that differs will stand out and be remembered the most. This is useful for making important content look and feel different from the rest.

Finally, to become a design expert, it's helpful to understand and implement the following advanced laws.

Pro Level Laws

Postel's law - Be strict and detailed in your instructions, but flexible and empathetic in how you allow the user to interact with your product.

Tesler's law - There is a certain amount of complexity in a system or website that cannot be reduced. The key is to hide or absorb this complexity for the user, making it simple for them and more complex for us, the creators.

Aesthetic Usability Effect - Users perceive products that are aesthetically pleasing as more usable. Strive for beauty in design.

Peak end rule - Users tend to remember the first or last thing they see more vividly. Make these experiences memorable and superior to the rest.