Hick’s Law
Amount of time needed to make a choice increase with the number and complexity of choices
Minimize the number of choices in critical situations
Break complex tasks into smaller ones
Make it easier for users by highlighting recommended choices
Be wary of simplifying to the point of abstraction
Fewer choices leads to higher completion rates
Consider maximizers (who want to make the best choice) vs. satisficers (who typically go with the first thing that meets enough of their criteria)
– Satisficers are more confident in making choice and have higher satisfaction rates
Fewer choices can make both types of people more confident in their choice
Jakob’s Law
Users spend most of their time on other sites, so if you want them to stick around on yours, it should work how they expect other sites to
– I hate this!
Users will maintain their expectations for a familiar site with new, similar-looking sites
– So, shouldn’t you just embrace a unique brand identity instead? Like if you’re an Apple repair store, go on ahead looking like Apple! But as general advice? Bah.
Using user’s existing mental models, you can have them focus on the tasks at hand rather than learning new models
Branch new versions to old versions in order to allow users to get used to the transition
Laws of Common Region
Elements within a clearly defined boundary are often perceived into groups
This boundary could be a common region, a border, or a separation of background
Gestalt!
– Principles are Proximity, Similarity, Continuity, Closure, and Connectedness
We like to see a whole out of parts, even if it’s not actually there
Emergence – we see the whole before the parts
Reification – our brains fill in the gaps
Multi-Stability – our brains want to avoid uncertainty
Invariance – we’re good at recognizing similarities and differences
Law of Proximity
We think objects proximate to each other are related to each other
We believe elements in proximity to each other share some functionality or trait
Proximity helps users categorize and interact with information more quickly
Similar to law of common region
More gestalt
Law of Prägnanz
People will interpret ambiguous or complicated things in the simplest way possible because it has a lower cognitive load that way
We like to find the simplicity because too much information is overwhelming
We will combine multiple things into a single thing because of this
We can better remember simple things
More gestalt again!
Law of Similarity
We tend to perceive similar elements as one, complete thing, even if they are separated
Similarities are largely visual, like color, shape, size, and orientation
Ensure that links and navigation won’t be lumped in with other items
Gestalt again
Law of Uniform Connectedness
We think that elements that are visually connected are more related than those that aren’t
This can be a literal connection (lines or boxes) or it can’t be an implied connection (timeline or directional arrows)
Be uniform in the same connection between things; differentiate for different connections
Miller’s Law
An average person can only keep 7 (+-2) things in their head at a time
– AP Psych phone numbers thing
7 isn’t a magical number, so it can’t be your only justification
Keep things organized and small so people can understand, process, and remember
One “bit” of information is the minimum info needed to make a decision between two options
– The number of outcomes increases with every bit (decision needed) added (e.g. 1 bit, two options; 4 bits, 16 options)
Chunking (or grouping info we perceive to be related) together increases short-term retention
– Use this to your advantage!
Occam’s Razor
You should prefer the simplest explanation
– This is the simplest explanation
It’s a problem-solving principle that you should pick an explanation with the fewest assumptions
The best way to reduce complexity is to avoid it in the first place (KISS)
Analyze each part and remove as many parts as possible without impacting integrity
Consider completion only when nothing else can be removed
It’s easy to get lost in details, both as a designer and a user, so keep it simple!
Kill your darlings
“Lightweight” designs/code load faster
You risk losing users if something isn’t as simple as possible
Pareto Principle
For many things, 80% of problems come from 20% of causes
The numbers are vaguely accurate
Inputs and outputs are not equal
Focus your attention on what causes the most problems or affects the most people
In a large group of contributors, only a few may contribute meaningfully to the desired outcome
Focus your efforts on the areas with the largest benefits
– Yes, but focusing only on these areas can exclude a large number of people because you’re making assumptions on how someone is interacting with the product
– Use as guidance, not a rule
Parkinson’s Law
Any task will inflate until all available time is spent
Set limits on the time you’re committing (control scope)
Time-saving features, like autofill, prevent task inflation
A lack of boundaries also means a lack of motivation to focus on what’s important
Constraints could be physical (space), monetary, or temporal
Use this understanding to protect what’s most important to you/your product/the outcome