The Power of Familiarity: Applying Jacob’s Law in Web Design and Development

User experience (UX) and user interface (UI) are two crucial aspects of web design and development. They determine how users interact with a website, how they perceive its value, and how they achieve their goals. A good UX/UI design can make a website more engaging, usable, and satisfying, while a bad one can frustrate, confuse, and discourage users.

One of the key principles that can guide UX/UI designers in creating effective and user-friendly websites is Jacob’s Law. This law, coined by usability expert Jakob Nielsen, states that:

Users spend most of their time on other sites. This means that users prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.

In other words, users have expectations and mental models based on their previous experiences with other websites, and they tend to transfer them to new ones. Therefore, UX/UI designers should follow common design conventions and patterns that users are familiar with, rather than inventing new ones that require more learning and cognitive effort.

In this article, we will explore what Jacob’s Law means for web design and development, how it can be applied in UX and UI, and what are some real examples of websites that follow or break this law.

What does Jacob’s Law mean for web design and development?

Jacob’s Law implies that web designers and developers should consider the context and environment in which users will use their websites. They should research and understand the needs, preferences, and behaviors of their target audience, as well as the best practices and standards of their industry or domain.

By doing so, they can create websites that match the expectations and mental models of their users, making them easier to use, learn, and remember. They can also avoid unnecessary friction and confusion that may arise from unfamiliar or inconsistent design elements.

However, Jacob’s Law does not mean that web designers and developers should copy or imitate other websites blindly. They should still strive for originality and innovation, but only when it adds value and improves the user experience. They should also test and validate their design decisions with real users, using methods such as usability testing, user feedback, or analytics.

How to apply Jacob’s Law in UX?

UX refers to the overall experience that users have when interacting with a website. It encompasses aspects such as usability, accessibility, functionality, content, aesthetics, emotions, and satisfaction. To apply Jacob’s Law in UX, web designers and developers should:

• Follow common design patterns: Design patterns are reusable solutions to common problems or challenges in web design. They provide a common language and structure for designers and developers to communicate and collaborate. They also help users understand how a website works and what they can do on it. Some examples of common design patterns are navigation menus, search bars, forms, buttons, icons, breadcrumbs, etc.
• Use familiar terminology: Terminology refers to the words and phrases that are used on a website to label or describe its content, features, or actions. Users rely on terminology to navigate a website and perform tasks. Therefore, web designers and developers should use terminology that is clear, concise, consistent, and familiar to their users. They should avoid jargon, acronyms, abbreviations, or slang that may confuse or alienate users.
• Provide feedback: Feedback refers to the information that a website provides to users about the results or consequences of their actions. Feedback helps users confirm that they have successfully completed a task or achieved a goal. It also helps them correct errors or recover from failures. Therefore, web designers and developers should provide feedback that is timely, relevant,

How to apply Jacob’s Law in UI?

UI refers to the visual appearance and layout of a website. It encompasses aspects such as colors, fonts, images, icons, animations, etc. To apply Jacob’s Law in UI, web designers and developers should:

• Use consistent styles: Styles refer to the visual attributes that define the look and feel of a website. They include aspects such as colors, fonts, images, icons, animations, etc. Users rely on styles to recognize and differentiate elements on a website. Therefore, web designers and developers should use styles that are consistent across pages and sections of a website. They should also follow the branding guidelines of their clients or organizations.
• Align with user expectations: User expectations refer to the assumptions or predictions that users have about how a website looks or behaves based on their previous experiences with other websites. Users compare their expectations with the actual experience they have on a website to form an impression or opinion about it. Therefore, web designers and developers should align their UI design with user expectations as much as possible. They should use common UI elements such as buttons or icons that users can easily recognize and understand.
• Balance familiarity with novelty: Novelty refers to the degree of originality or uniqueness of a website’s UI design. Novelty can attract attention and interest from users who are looking for something new or different. However, novelty can also cause confusion or frustration if it deviates too much from user expectations or common conventions. Therefore, web designers and developers should balance familiarity with novelty in their UI design. They should use novelty to enhance or highlight the value proposition or personality of a website, but not to compromise its usability or clarity.

3 real examples of websites that follow or break Jacob’s Law

To illustrate how Jacob’s Law can be applied or violated in web design and development, here are three real examples of websites that follow or break this law:

• Amazon: Amazon is one of the most popular and successful e-commerce websites in the world. It follows Jacob’s Law by using common design patterns and familiar terminology for its navigation, search, product pages, shopping cart, checkout, etc. It also provides feedback and guidance to users throughout their shopping journey. Amazon’s UI design is consistent and aligned with user expectations, but it also introduces novelty and innovation through features such as recommendations, reviews, ratings, etc.
• Medium: Medium is a platform for writers and readers to share and discover stories, ideas, and insights. It follows Jacob’s Law by using a simple and minimalist UI design that focuses on the content and the reading experience. It uses familiar elements such as headings, images, icons, buttons, etc. to structure and present the content. It also provides feedback and interaction through features such as claps, bookmarks, comments, etc.
• Ling’s Cars: Ling’s Cars is a website that offers car leasing deals in the UK. It breaks Jacob’s Law by using a chaotic and cluttered UI design that overwhelms and distracts users. It uses inconsistent and contrasting styles such as colors, fonts, images, animations, etc. to create a visual noise. It also uses unfamiliar and confusing terminology such as “Ling Valentine”, “Lingo”, “Chinglish”, etc. to label or describe its content and features. It provides little or no feedback or guidance to users about how to use the website or what to do next.

Conclusions

Jacob’s Law is a useful principle that can help web designers and developers create websites that are user-friendly, usable, and satisfying. By following common design conventions and patterns that users are familiar with, they can reduce the learning curve and cognitive load for users. They can also avoid unnecessary friction and confusion that may arise from unfamiliar or inconsistent design elements.

However, Jacob’s Law does not mean that web designers and developers should sacrifice originality or innovation for familiarity. They should still strive for creating websites that are unique and valuable for their clients and users. They should also test and validate their design decisions with real users to ensure that they meet their needs and expectations.

Bibliography

1 J. Nielsen, “Jakob’s Law of Internet User Experience,” Nielsen Norman Group, 2000. [Online].

2 J. Tullis Thomas et al., Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services. O’Reilly Media Inc., 2020.

3 A. Tandon, “Mastering UX design with Jacob’s Law: Elevating user experiences for digital success,” Bootcamp, 2023. [Online].

4 T. Wells, “Jakob’s Law and How To Use It,” Trae Wells - UX Designer & Front-end Developer, 2020. [Online].

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