The usability principle that users spend most of their time on other sites and apps, so they expect yours to work the same way as the ones they already know. Meeting those existing expectations reduces the effort of learning your product.
Synonyms
- law of the internet user experience
Related terms
In plain words
- people expect your site to work like the others they use
- don't reinvent familiar patterns
Usage example
Placing the logo top-left linking home follows Jakob's law because that is where users already expect it.
Don't confuse with…
- consistency and standardsConsistency and standards is Nielsen's heuristic about internal and platform conventions; Jakob's law specifically stresses matching the broader web users already know.
Categories
- Usability principles