UX Laws Every Designer Should Know (Part 02)

Designing great digital products is not just about making things look good. It’s about understanding how people think, decide, and interact with interfaces. UX laws are principles based on psychology and human behavior that help designers create intuitive and user-friendly products.

1.Law of Similarity

The Law of Similarity states that elements that look similar are perceived as part of the same group. When users see items that share the same color, shape, size, or style, they naturally assume those items are related or belong together. This helps users quickly understand relationships between elements without needing extra explanation.

Designers use this principle to create clear visual groupings, making interfaces easier to scan and understand.

Example: Buttons with the same color and style are perceived as having the same function, such as all primary actions being highlighted in one consistent color.

Stripe groups related elements such as partner logos and action buttons using consistent styles, helping users quickly recognize connections — an example of the Law of Similarity.

2. Law of Proximity

The Law of Proximity states that elements placed close to each other are perceived as related.

Even if items look different, users will group them together based on spacing. This makes proximity one of the most powerful and simple ways to organize information.

Designers use spacing to create clear structure, reduce clutter, and guide users through content.

Example: Form labels placed close to input fields are perceived as belonging together.

Notion’s navigation items are placed close together, allowing users to perceive them as a related group

3. Law of Common Region

The Law of Common Region states that elements placed within the same bounded area (like a box or card) are perceived as related.

Even if items are far apart, enclosing them inside a border, background, or container makes users see them as a group.

Designers use this to:

• Organize content clearly
• Separate sections
• Improve readability

Example: Cards on a dashboard where each card contains related information.

Google groups related information within clearly defined cards, helping users perceive each pricing plan as a separate unit

4. Law of Continuity

The Law of Continuity (also called Good Continuation) states that users naturally follow lines, curves, or paths and perceive elements arranged along those paths as related.

In simple terms, our eyes prefer to move smoothly across a design rather than jumping around randomly. When elements are aligned in a continuous line or flow, users perceive them as part of the same sequence or group.

Designers use this principle to guide users’ attention and create a clear visual flow, helping users understand what to read or do next.

• Helps users scan content easily
• Creates a natural reading flow
• Guides attention toward important elements
• Reduces confusion by avoiding scattered layouts

Example: A horizontal layout where items are aligned in a row (like steps in a process or a timeline) encourages users to follow the sequence from left to right.

Fiverr uses a horizontal carousel layout that guides users’ eyes smoothly from one card to the next, illustrating the Law of Continuity.

5. Law of Closure

The Law of Closure states that people tend to perceive incomplete or missing parts of a design as complete. Our brains automatically fill in gaps to create a whole, meaningful object.

Even when parts of an image or shape are missing, users can still recognize it because the human mind prefers complete forms. This allows designers to simplify visuals while still maintaining meaning.

Example: Logos that are not fully drawn but are still easily recognizable. For example, shapes with missing lines that users mentally complete.

IBM’s logo uses broken horizontal lines, yet users can still perceive complete letterforms — demonstrating the Law of Closure.

6. Von Restorff Effect (Isolation Effect)

The Von Restorff Effect states that when multiple similar elements are present, the one that stands out is more likely to be noticed and remembered.

In a UI filled with similar items, users naturally focus on the element that is visually different. This difference could be in color, size, shape, or position. Designers use this principle to draw attention to important actions like primary buttons, promotions, or key messages.

For example, in a pricing page where all plans look similar, highlighting one plan with a different color or label like “Most Popular” makes it stand out immediately. This helps guide users toward a preferred choice without forcing them to think too much.

Spotify highlights the “Duo” plan using a distinct color and design, making it stand out among similar options — an example of the Von Restorff Effect.

7. Serial Position Effect

The Serial Position Effect explains that people tend to remember the first and last items in a sequence better than the items in the middle. This happens because the first item benefits from initial attention (called the primacy effect), and the last item is still fresh in memory (called the recency effect).

In UX design, this principle is very important when arranging content. When users are presented with a list of options, navigation items, or choices, they are more likely to notice and remember what appears at the beginning and at the end. Items placed in the middle often receive less attention.

Designers use this effect to strategically position important actions or information. For example, placing key navigation links at the beginning or end of a menu, or highlighting important options at the edges of a list, increases their visibility and recall.

LinkedIn’s navigation bar places key items at the beginning and end, where users naturally pay more attention — an example of the Serial Position Effect.

8. Peak-End Rule

The Peak-End Rule states that people judge an experience largely based on how they felt at its most intense point (the peak) and at its end, rather than the entire experience.

This means users don’t remember every detail of an interaction. Instead, they remember the best (or worst) moment and the final moment. These two points heavily influence how they feel about the whole experience.

In UX design, this is extremely important because even if a product has minor issues during use, a strong positive moment and a satisfying ending can leave users with a good overall impression.

For example, a checkout process might have several steps, but if the final confirmation screen is smooth, clear, and rewarding (like showing a success message or animation), users are more likely to remember the experience positively.

A clear and positive order confirmation screen creates a strong final impression, demonstrating the Peak-End Rule in UX design.

9. Goal-Gradient Effect

The Goal-Gradient Effect states that people become more motivated as they get closer to completing a goal.

As users see progress and feel near the finish line, they are more likely to continue and complete the task. This happens because humans naturally want to finish what they start, and visible progress creates a sense of momentum.

In UX design, this is commonly used through progress bars, step indicators, or completion percentages. Breaking tasks into smaller steps or showing something like “80% complete” makes the goal feel achievable and encourages users to keep going.

This principle is especially useful in onboarding flows, forms, and learning platforms, where completion rates matter.

A profile completion progress bar motivates users to continue by showing how close they are to finishing — an example of the Goal-Gradient Effect.

10 .Occam’s Razor

Occam’s Razor states that the simplest solution is usually the best one.

In UX design, this means interfaces should be kept as simple as possible by removing unnecessary elements, steps, or features. When users are presented with fewer choices and clearer paths, they can make decisions faster and with less confusion.

Instead of adding more features to solve a problem, good design focuses on eliminating complexity. This could mean reducing the number of form fields, simplifying navigation, or prioritizing only the most important actions on a screen.

For example, a clean landing page with a single clear call-to-action is often more effective than a cluttered page with multiple competing options. Simplicity helps users focus, reduces cognitive load, and improves overall usability.

However, simplicity doesn’t mean removing essential functionality — it means presenting it in the most clear and efficient way possible.

Google’s minimalist homepage focuses on a single primary action, demonstrating Occam’s Razor by eliminating unnecessary complexity.

✍️ Written by Chathum Pathirana 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chathum-pathirana-939882284/

Written by one of the minds at code3x, this piece represents our team’s commitment to innovation, creativity, and shaping the future through technology.

Founded in 2022, reimagined to lead in AI, gaming, and digital solutions that transform ideas into real-world impact. We combine creativity, engineering, and data-driven innovation to build products that are engaging, reliable, and truly useful.