Reference collection of ~30 named UX principles covering cognition, perception, and interaction design, each with a one-line definition.
Key Takeaways
Fitts’s Law, Hick’s Law, and Miller’s Law (7±2 items in working memory) are the most directly actionable for UI layout and menu design.
Doherty Threshold (<400ms response) and Goal-Gradient Effect have direct implications for perceived performance and onboarding progress bars.
Peak-End Rule and Zeigarnik Effect shape how users remember flows, not just how they use them – relevant to checkout and offboarding design.
Tesler’s Law warns that complexity cannot be eliminated, only shifted – between user and system.
Jakob’s Law argues conforming to familiar UI patterns reduces cognitive load, which cuts against heavy design differentiation.
Hacker News Comment Review
Commenters broadly agreed the resource looks polished but disputed whether many entries qualify as “laws” – several are definitions or general cognitive science terms, not actionable design rules.
A recurring critique: the site itself violates its own principles, burying 30 text-heavy entries under large decorative images (ironic given Choice Overload is entry #2).
One practical thread suggested using the list as an AI prompt checklist for bulk screen review, treating it as a linting pass rather than a manual study guide.
Notable Comments
@rawoke083600: Proposes mapping the laws as an AI shortcut to “bulk check” screens, like a formatter for UI – concrete workflow idea.
@hungryhobbit: Argues entries like “Cognitive Bias” are not laws at all, just vocabulary lookups – dilutes the actionable signal.
