7 resources from Laws of UX we point founders to, and the questions each answers.
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Why we picked it
This is the one principle that answers your worry head on: users spend most of their time on other apps, so they expect yours to work the way those do. It names why familiarity is a feature, not laziness, and where the mental models your users already carry come from. Treat it as the case for copying on purpose, then read the counterpoint below for where copying stops paying off.
From
Laws of UXby Jon Yablonski (principle by Jakob Nielsen)5 min read
Users build expectations from every other app they use, then bring those expectations to yours, so matching known patterns lowers the effort to learn your product.
Copying a convention is not unoriginal, it frees the user to focus on the task instead of decoding your interface.
The familiarity that helps is external consistency (matching the wider category), not just internal consistency inside your own app.
Why we picked it
This is the honest counterweight to just copying everything: it lays out exactly when breaking a convention earns its keep and when it only costs you. The author draws the line with concrete cases (Arc's sidebar, Perplexity's answer-first search) so you can tell a purposeful difference from a random one. Read it as the boundary on copying, so your product stays learnable where it should and distinct where it matters.
Copy the plumbing (navigation, forms, checkout) where users just want to get through, and save novelty for the one or two moments that are your actual edge.
Novelty only pays when it makes an action faster, clearer, or more memorable, not when it is different for its own sake.
Any deviation from a convention needs real user testing behind it, because a surprising pattern quietly costs trust when it has no payoff.
Why we picked it
A crisp reference on the research finding that people perceive attractive products as more usable and forgive their small flaws. It explains, with the original ATM study, why looking polished actually buys you trust and patience from users. The wider Laws of UX site is a fast reference library of the psychology behind why design works, worth bookmarking.
Why we picked it
The book behind the site, and worth it if you want the reasoning, not just the rules. Yablonski walks through familiar apps and shows exactly how Hick's, Fitts's, Jakob's, and a handful of others shaped them. Short enough to finish in a weekend and give you a real mental model instead of a list to memorize.
Why we picked it
The rule behind trimming your onboarding, your pricing tiers, and your menus. More choices mean slower decisions, so this card shows you where to cut and where to group. Useful the next time a screen feels heavy and you cannot say why.
Why we picked it
Why your primary button should be big and easy to reach, especially on mobile. The time to hit a target depends on its size and distance, which directly shapes where you place the main action on a screen. Read it before you shrink a call to action to make room for something else.
Why we picked it
The chunking principle that keeps forms and dashboards from overwhelming people. Working memory is limited, so you group information into digestible units rather than one long wall. It also corrects the common myth that you must cap navigation at seven items.
