Your users spend most of their time on other products. This simple observation, articulated by usability pioneer Jakob Nielsen, has profound implications for how much freedom designers actually have to innovate in interaction patterns. Users arrive at your product carrying a mental model built from every digital interface they have used before. When your product confirms that model, interactions feel effortless. When it contradicts it, users must unlearn existing patterns and build new ones, which is slower, error-prone, and frustrating, regardless of whether your pattern is objectively better.
Jakob's Law
Why familiar patterns reduce friction and build user confidence
A
Designers Academy
4 June 2025 · 5 min read
UXPrinciples
In brief
Jakob's Law states that users spend most of their time on other products, meaning they prefer interfaces that align with their existing mental models, making familiar patterns critical for reducing friction and building confidence in design.
