Maluure Knowledge
The UX Lexicon
Laws and effects from psychology, design and computer science, explained clearly and applied to digital projects. Alphabetically, like a lexicon.
A
- Aesthetic-Usability Effect: Why beautiful design seems easier to use
- Beautiful interfaces seem simpler, even when they are not. What the Aesthetic-Usability Effect means for web design and where it misleads.
- Read entry →·3 min read
C
- Core Web Vitals: What Google Measures on Your Website and Why It Costs Revenue
- Core Web Vitals are Google's yardstick for loading speed, responsiveness, and stability of a website. What LCP, INP, and CLS mean, which thresholds apply, and how to improve the scores concretely.
- Read entry →·6 min read
D
- Doherty Threshold: Why everything feels fluid under 400 milliseconds
- From around 400 milliseconds of waiting, flow breaks. What the Doherty Threshold reveals about fast websites and good feedback.
- Read entry →·3 min read
E
- Eugene Schwartz's 5 Levels of Awareness: Why Nobody Buys Before They're Ready
- Eugene Schwartz's five levels of awareness explain why the same copy works on one visitor and fails on the next. Includes a mapping table and practical steps for websites.
- Read entry →·5 min read
F
- Fitts' Law: Why important buttons need to be big and close
- The bigger and closer a target, the faster you hit it. Fitts' Law explains why small, distant buttons cost clicks.
- Read entry →·4 min read
H
- Hick's Law: Why Every Extra Option Slows Down Your Website
- The more options you give visitors, the longer they take to decide, and the more often they decide not to decide at all. Hick's Law explains the connection, and we show what to do about it.
- Read entry →·5 min read
J
- Jakob's Law: Why users expect familiar patterns
- Your visitors know hundreds of other websites. Jakob's Law explains why familiar patterns are understood faster than original ones.
- Read entry →·3 min read
M
- Miller's Law: 7 ± 2, chunking and good menu structures
- The famous 7 ± 2 is often misquoted. What Miller's Law really says and how to structure content so it sticks.
- Read entry →·3 min read
S
- Solomon's Paradox: Why You Decide More Wisely for Others Than for Yourself
- Solomon's Paradox explains why we judge other people's problems more wisely than our own. With the Grossmann and Kross study, the principle of self-distancing, and concrete rules for your website.
- Read entry →·6 min read
T
- Technical Debt: Why Quickly Built Websites Cost Twice as Much Later
- Technical debt arises when shortcuts taken today cost interest tomorrow. Where the term comes from, what types exist, and how to tell when a rebuild is cheaper than repairs.
- Read entry →·5 min read
- The Paradox of Choice: Why More Options on Your Website Mean Less Revenue
- The paradox of choice explains why visitors faced with too many options decide nothing at all. With the jam experiment, the limits of the effect, and concrete rules for navigation, pricing pages, and forms.
- Read entry →·5 min read
- The Peak-End Rule: What Visitors Really Remember About Your Website
- The peak-end rule explains why people judge experiences by their peak and their ending, not by the average. With Kahneman's experiments and concrete rules for checkout flows, contact forms, and farewell pages.
- Read entry →·5 min read
V
- Von Restorff Effect: What stands out is remembered
- A red element among grey ones is seen instantly and remembered longer. How the Von Restorff Effect works and why it only works sparingly.
- Read entry →·3 min read
Z
- Zeigarnik Effect: Why unfinished tasks stay on your mind
- Open tasks do not let us go. What is behind the Zeigarnik Effect, how robust it is and how websites can use it fairly.
- Read entry →·3 min read