> Doherty Threshold: productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a rate (<400ms) that means neither has to wait for the other
This is why I strongly prefer smaller models for programming.[0] They're fast enough that the activity stays real-time.
It also forces you do to split the work into smaller chunks and verify it continuously. So you stay active and engaged, and your mental model never gets out of sync.
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[0] I once gave three simple code changes to a big model and a small model. They both completed the tasks successfully. The big model took 3 times longer and cost 10 times as much.
In that moment I switched my definition of Best Model from "tops the benchies" to "the smallest, fastest, cheapest one that can reliably do the actual job."
Me not being a "traditional or natural" designer, I like to have a set of best practises recipes or laws. These laws might be difficult to constantly hold in your head. I think this is a PERFECT starting point for AI to "bulk check" some screens.
Honestly I would map it to a short-cut, like I map "format source code" to a shortcut. If you building business software a set of laws or (shortcut mapped to them) can be really useful as a sanity check.
In fact I just did that:
- Downloaded the UX Laws as a screenshot
- Downloaded a screenshot of a dashboard (a userform might have worked better)
- Asked ChatGPT and Claude to do a review with those laws in mind and then to create a new mockup based on those recommendations
Project 1: CMMS Dashboard For Maintenance (fast food chain)
This one pops up a lot - I love the design and poster aspect. I am always amazed how many of these 'Laws' trace back to Nielsen Norman Group data and research over the years. Many UX trends are even named after them! Jakobs law... Norman Door. UX professionals are being greatly influenced by this focused observer set. Maybe just my opinion, but modern UX and HCI theory is being held back day by day due to a set of gentle rules. Specifically, 'Rules' from exposed patterns across user experiences in Broadcast and other non-interactive media.
I liked the earlier page in this series, but this one feels kind of half-assed. Consider many of the first entries, like this one:
"Cognitive Bias - A systematic error of thinking or rationality in judgment that influence our perception"
That's not a law! It's barely even a useful concept in the form presented here!
Instead of being a useful collection of rules a UI designer/dev can apply, this just feels like the author picked some terms, looked up their definition in the dictionary, and threw it all together so he could sell posters.
It's a bit ironic the laws of UX is presented this way with gaudy graphics that are cumbersome to scroll through. They take up a lot of screen real estate and would disrupt what the typical user is used to.
There seems to be an infinity of bullshit sites with a two lines explanation of this and at most an acknowledgment that there exists an study from the 1980s that found it. Just like this one.
But the name doesn't seem to appear on any serious site, that would include a reference to the paper or describe what is in it.
Thanks for sharing this. After nearly a decade of being "full stack", I've only now been diving more and more into UI and have barely touched the surface of UX.
Slightly off-topic, but are there any resources for common UI designs/patterns especially for mobile/webapps? e.g. hamburger menus, toast notifications, etc. I've been looking for a site that's organized, comprehensive and with visual examples.
In a UI course I took at uni (~2009) we had Jennifer Tidwell's book which was pretty much exactly what you're asking for, though not catered for mobile due to smartphones just having come out. Seems like her most recent edition has a lot of mobile focus though:
This is why I strongly prefer smaller models for programming.[0] They're fast enough that the activity stays real-time.
It also forces you do to split the work into smaller chunks and verify it continuously. So you stay active and engaged, and your mental model never gets out of sync.
---
[0] I once gave three simple code changes to a big model and a small model. They both completed the tasks successfully. The big model took 3 times longer and cost 10 times as much.
In that moment I switched my definition of Best Model from "tops the benchies" to "the smallest, fastest, cheapest one that can reliably do the actual job."
Me not being a "traditional or natural" designer, I like to have a set of best practises recipes or laws. These laws might be difficult to constantly hold in your head. I think this is a PERFECT starting point for AI to "bulk check" some screens.
Honestly I would map it to a short-cut, like I map "format source code" to a shortcut. If you building business software a set of laws or (shortcut mapped to them) can be really useful as a sanity check.
In fact I just did that:
- Downloaded the UX Laws as a screenshot
- Downloaded a screenshot of a dashboard (a userform might have worked better)
- Asked ChatGPT and Claude to do a review with those laws in mind and then to create a new mockup based on those recommendations
Project 1: CMMS Dashboard For Maintenance (fast food chain)
- Dashboard old: https://imgur.com/a/R3wrMpr
- Dashboard new (Claude): https://imgur.com/a/cYq4gE8
Project 2: https://swellslots.com (Surf Forecast App, arcade look and feel)
- Forecast old: https://imgur.com/a/W3daZrP
- Forecast new: https://imgur.com/a/kNi2Nvg
Learn more about Imgur access in the United Kingdom"
"Cognitive Bias - A systematic error of thinking or rationality in judgment that influence our perception"
That's not a law! It's barely even a useful concept in the form presented here!
Instead of being a useful collection of rules a UI designer/dev can apply, this just feels like the author picked some terms, looked up their definition in the dictionary, and threw it all together so he could sell posters.
I would recommend reading another headline on this forum in regards to idiomatic design: [[https://essays.johnloeber.com/p/4-bring-back-idiomatic-desig...][#4: Bring Back Idiomatic Design - by John Loeber]]
Nothing wrong with using Claude Code or Loveable but I am yet to see something truly beautiful and unique from them yet.
“Productivity soars when a computer and its users interact at a pace (<400ms)”
But the name doesn't seem to appear on any serious site, that would include a reference to the paper or describe what is in it.
Slightly off-topic, but are there any resources for common UI designs/patterns especially for mobile/webapps? e.g. hamburger menus, toast notifications, etc. I've been looking for a site that's organized, comprehensive and with visual examples.
https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/designing-interfaces-3r...