You’ve probably seen the visually appealing charts outlining the “Laws of UX” – principles like Hick’s Law, Fitts’s Law, and the Law of Prägnanz (as beautifully presented by lawsofux.com). While understanding these foundational concepts can provide a theoretical framework for good design, there’s a more direct and often more effective path to creating exceptional user experiences: mastering common usability patterns.

Think of it this way: knowing the scientific principles of aerodynamics is helpful for an aircraft engineer, but understanding how to design effective wings, control surfaces, and landing gear – time-tested patterns – is what actually gets the plane off the ground.

Why prioritize usability patterns?

Instead of getting bogged down in the definitions and nuances of numerous UX laws, focusing on established usability patterns offers several significant advantages:

• Instant Familiarity for Users: Users have encountered and learned these patterns across countless websites and applications. Implementing them means less cognitive load and a more intuitive experience. They already know how a standard navigation menu works, where to find the search bar, or the typical flow of an e-commerce checkout.
• Battle-Tested Effectiveness: These patterns aren’t just theoretical; they’ve been refined and proven effective through countless iterations and user interactions. They represent solutions that consistently work well for common user tasks.
• Practical Design Superpowers: Mastering these patterns equips you with a practical toolkit for tackling a wide range of design challenges. Instead of starting from a blank slate, you can leverage established solutions for navigation, forms, data display, and more.
• Inherent UX Compliance: Usability patterns are, by their very nature, aligned with core UX principles. A well-designed navigation pattern, for example, inherently addresses findability, clarity, and efficiency – key aspects of good UX.

The proof is in the pattern (not just the law)

Consider the example you raised: signup and login pages. While you could try to apply individual UX laws in a vacuum, a seasoned designer will almost instinctively draw upon established patterns:

• Clear and concise form fields with appropriate labels.
• A prominent call to action button.
• Options for password recovery.
• Social login integrations.
• Visual hierarchy that guides the user through the process.

These aren’t just random design choices; they are established usability patterns that have proven to be effective and user-friendly for signup and login flows.

Don’t ignore the laws, understand their manifestation

This isn’t to say that UX laws are irrelevant. They often underpin why certain usability patterns are effective. For example, Fitts’s Law explains why larger, closer targets are easier to interact with – a principle that informs the design of prominent call-to-action buttons in many usability patterns.

The takeaway

While a theoretical understanding of UX laws can be beneficial, your time and effort will be significantly amplified by focusing on learning and effectively implementing common usability patterns. These patterns provide a practical, user-tested, and efficient route to creating excellent user experiences. So, while appreciating the “Laws of UX” is a good starting point, truly mastering the patterns is where you’ll gain a serious design advantage.

Visit Viartisan to read the latest and most in-depth articles on UI, UX, Branding, Develop, and Illustration!

This article has been edited from LinkedIN by author Moamen Mawed.