Jakob's Laws

Overview

We probabaly all associate the floppy disk icon to mean save, even though we probably haven't even seen one in decades. As you might expect, some younger people are completely unaware of the floppy disk entirely!

The floppy disk icon was originally used as a the digital metaphor for the real world item, but now it is effectively being used because it is being used. It has become a familiar pattern even though its original association to a physical floppy disk isn't as strong as it once was.

You may notice a lot of websites and apps look similar. Think about an eCommerce website and you will probably think of an experience similar to Amazon's. A lot of eCommerce sites will use the same patterns, as a standardised design is familiar to the user, so they will already know how to use your site based on their experience with other sites. This is one of the reasons for the end of web design according to NN Group.

Jakob's Law is a lot about patterns, and understanding what products your user may already be familiar with. Often when designing, we don't need to be reinventing the wheel. The solutions to a lot of our problems may already exist so it's always worth doing your research.