Laws / Expectations
Jakob's law
People spend most of their time on other products, so they expect yours to work the same way.
Why it matters
Familiar patterns are free usability. Novelty in the wrong place makes people relearn basics before they can do anything.
Rules to follow
- Put the logo top-left and make it go home; search, cart and account go top-right.
- Use standard icons for standard meanings (magnifier for search, gear for settings, × to close).
- Use real links for navigation and real buttons for actions, so the keyboard, back button and new-tab work.
- Change a familiar pattern only when testing shows the new one is clearly better.