[FREE GIFT INSIDE] The 10 UX Laws You Should Break in 2025
Are UX Laws still important?
UX Laws Were Created for a Different Era—Should We Still Follow Them?
For years, UX laws have been the foundation of good design. Fitts’ Law. Hick’s Law. Jakob’s Law.
We’ve memorized them. Quoted them in design critiques. Used them to justify decisions.
But here’s the thing: UX laws weren’t written in the era of mobile-first, AI, and dark mode dominance.
Are we still making good design decisions—or just following outdated laws because that’s what we were taught?
Let’s break down the 10 UX laws you should reconsider in 2025.
Why Some UX Laws No Longer Apply in 2025
Data Breakdown: How UX Laws Are Changing in AI-Driven Design
The 10 UX Laws You Should Break—and Why
When to Follow the Rules, and When to Break Them
Community Take: “Which UX Law Do You Ignore?”
Workshop: Work Shouldn’t Feel This Slow—Here’s How to Fix It (Free Gift)
Resource Corner: The Best Reads on Modern UX Thinking
Tool of the Week: Maze— Validate product decisions quickly
Why Some UX Laws No Longer Apply
UX laws were written when:
Most people used a mouse and keyboard.
Websites had menus, not infinite scrolling.
Users made decisions instead of relying on AI recommendations.
Today, interfaces adapt to user behavior, predict interactions, and remove unnecessary steps. But most UX laws assume static interfaces and manual user decisions.
A study by Forrester Research found that a well-designed user interface could boost web product conversion rates by up to 200%, and an optimized user experience could increase conversion rates by as much as 400% (xpandsoftware.com)
Are we designing smarter, or just following tradition?
1. Fitts’ Law (1954) – Bigger Targets Are Easier to Click
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: Designed for a mouse cursor on a desktop screen, not mobile gestures.
✅ Break It When: Users rely on swipes and taps instead of clicking buttons.
👉 Example: Instead of increasing button size, use swipe gestures like Tinder’s left/right swipes.
2. Hick’s Law (1952) – More Choices = Slower Decisions
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: AI-driven recommendations now reduce cognitive load dynamically.
✅ Break It When: AI personalizes content instead of making users choose from long lists.
👉 Example: Instead of overwhelming users with 50 movies, Netflix curates a personalized "Top Picks" row.
3. Jakob’s Law (2000) – Users Prefer Familiar Patterns
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: This assumes all interfaces should look like existing ones, limiting innovation.
✅ Break It When: New technology creates better interaction models.
👉 Example: Apple’s Vision Pro doesn’t use traditional navigation—users interact by looking at elements instead.
4. Miller’s Law (1956) – Users Can Only Process 7±2 Items
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: Search, voice commands, and filtering remove the need to memorize choices.
✅ Break It When: Users don't need to hold information in memory.
👉 Example: Instead of showing only a few menu items, Spotify lets users search for anything instantly.
5. The Serial Position Effect – First & Last Items Are Remembered Best
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: This assumes users read lists from start to finish.
✅ Break It When: Users scroll through continuously changing content.
👉 Example: Instagram’s infinite scroll means users don’t just remember the first and last posts—they remember engaging ones.
6. The Law of Proximity – Related Items Should Be Close Together
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: Collapsible menus and hidden UI elements make proximity less important.
✅ Break It When: Spacing needs to be optimized for small screens.
👉 Example: Google Maps hides extra options behind a floating button instead of displaying them all at once.
7. The Doherty Threshold (400ms Response Time) – Faster is Always Better
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: Speed matters, but users perceive smooth interactions as faster.
✅ Break It When: Animations improve usability even if they slow down response time.
👉 Example: Apple's Face ID takes an extra second, but the animation makes it feel seamless.
8. The Aesthetic-Usability Effect – Pretty Designs Feel More Usable
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: Some users prefer functionality over aesthetics.
✅ Break It When: Users need clarity over visual polish.
👉 Example: Amazon’s homepage is cluttered but remains one of the highest-performing e-commerce sites.
9. The Von Restorff Effect – Unique Elements Stand Out More
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: In modern UX, consistency is more important than making one thing stand out.
✅ Break It When: Users expect uniform, predictable interfaces.
👉 Example: Instead of one button standing out, Google Docs uses uniform buttons to make learning the interface easier.
10. The Rule of Thirds – Visual Design Should Follow This Grid
🔴 Why It’s Outdated: UX layouts now adapt dynamically across different screen sizes.
✅ Break It When: Interfaces need to prioritize flexibility over a fixed visual structure.
👉 Example: TikTok’s layout prioritizes content visibility rather than following the rule of thirds.
When to Follow the Rules, and When to Break Them
Follow UX laws when:
✔ Designing for accessibility and predictability.
✔ Users expect familiarity (e.g., login screens).
Break UX laws when:
✔ AI, automation, or adaptive interfaces reduce user effort.
✔ Innovation demands new interaction models.
What UX law do you break the most?
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Resource Corner: Essential Reads on Modern UX Thinking
Article: Breaking UX laws: When ignoring best practices leads to better design Read it here
Report: The Rise of AI-Driven Design: How AI is Shaping the Future of UX/UI. Read it here
Book: Laws of UX: Using Psychology to Design Better Products & Services
by Jon Yablonski (Get it here)
Tool of the Week: Maze – Rapid Testing Platform
Introducing Maze, a user research platform designed to:
Automate User Session Analysis: Quickly process qualitative video sessions.
Generate Actionable Insights: Identify key themes without manual effort.
Scale Your Research: Analyze more sessions efficiently.
Final Thought: UX Laws Are Guidelines—Not Absolute Rules
Great design happens when you know which rules to break.
UX laws were created before AI, mobile-first, and adaptive interfaces. If we stick to them blindly, we limit innovation.
The best UXers know: Rules exist to be questioned.
So, which UX law are you breaking in 2025?