Simplifying Jacob’s law and creating User-Friendly Websites

Jacob’s Law is a fundamental principle in user experience (UX) design that states Users spend most of their time on other sites, so your site should work the same way as all the other sites they already know. This means that web designers should follow common design patterns and conventions that users are familiar with to create websites that are intuitive and easy to use.

Key Aspects of Jacob’s Law

When applying Jacob’s Law to web design, there are several important aspects to consider:

Terminology and labelling: Use words and descriptions that your target audience is familiar with, rather than industry jargon or confusing terms.

Interaction design and workflow: Creating visual cues and interactions that match users’ expectations based on their experience with other websites.

Information architecture and navigation: Structuring content in a way that is quickly understandable and easily navigable for users.

Consistency with industry standards: Conforming to the design patterns and conventions commonly used by competitors and other websites in your industry.

Benefits of Following Jacob’s Law

By adhering to Jacob’s Law, web designers can create websites that are:

- Intuitive and easy to use: Users can quickly find what they’re looking for without having to learn a new interface.

- Trustworthy and credible: Familiar design signals to users that the website is legitimate and can be relied upon.

- Engaging and satisfying: Users are more likely to enjoy their experience and spend more time on the website.

Examples of Jacob’s Law in Action

Some real-world examples of websites that follow Jacob’s Law include:

- Amazon: Uses common e-commerce patterns for navigation, search, product pages, shopping cart, and checkout.

- Medium: Employs a simple, minimalist UI design focused on content and reading experience, using familiar elements like headings, images, and buttons.

In contrast, websites that break Jacob’s Law, such as Ling’s Cars, can be confusing and overwhelming for users due to inconsistent and unfamiliar design elements.