The Basic Laws of UI/UX Design: No Fancy Jargon Required. At all.

“Good design is obvious, great design is transparent.” — Joe Sparano

This is a post for newbies starting out with learning UX design. You see UI/UX isn’t incredibly complicated if you really think about it. I’ll show you why it isn’t, and also why grannies and grandpas are our best guides.

Here are the big 7 laws of UX design that I’ll explain to you in words even an unborn baby in his mom's womb will understand.

1. The “Don’t Make Me Think” Law

Imagine you’re trying to open a door. If you have to stop and figure out whether to push or pull, that’s bad design. The same principle applies to digital interfaces.

Common Sense Translation: Make things obvious. Users shouldn’t have to puzzle over how to perform basic actions. If they need to think too hard about how to use your interface, you’ve already lost them.

2. The “Grandma Test” Law

If your grandmother can’t figure out how to use your app or website, it’s probably too complicated.

Common Sense Translation: Design for clarity. Assume your users aren’t tech experts. Use clear language, obvious buttons, and intuitive navigation that anyone — regardless of their tech-savviness — can understand.

3. The “Fat Finger” Law

Have you ever tried to tap a tiny button on your phone and hit the wrong one instead? That’s a big fat violation of the Fat Finger Law.

Common Sense Translation: Make interactive elements big enough to easily tap or click. Leave enough space between elements to prevent accidental selections. Remember, not everyone has the precision of a surgeon.

4. The “F-Pattern” Law

People tend to scan digital content in an F-shaped pattern: across the top, then down the left side, with occasional horizontal scans.

Common Sense Translation: Put important stuff where people look first. Highlight key information at the top and along the left side of your layout. Don’t bury crucial details in the bottom right corner.

5. The “Less is More” Law

Just because you can add a feature or design element doesn’t mean you should.

Common Sense Translation: Keep it simple. Every additional element on your screen is one more thing for users to process. Focus on what’s truly necessary and cut the rest. A clean, uncluttered interface is usually more effective than a busy one.

6. The “Feedback Loop” Law

Imagine pressing an elevator button and not seeing it light up. You’d probably press it again, right?

Common Sense Translation: Always let users know their action has been registered. Whether it’s a button changing color when clicked, a loading icon, or a confirmation message, provide clear feedback for user actions.

7. The “Recognition Over Recall” Law

It’s easier to recognize something you’ve seen before than to recall it from memory.

Common Sense Translation: Use familiar icons and layouts. Don’t make users remember where things are or how they work. Consistency in design helps users navigate intuitively, reducing the mental effort required to use your interface.

See? Not that complicated after all is it?