Recently, I had an enlightening experience that showed me how applying Jakob’s law could help users.

Last year, when I tried to view my Reddit recap, I ran into an edge case. Each time I clicked on the recap banner, the app would show a loading screen before redirecting me back to my feed. After a couple of tries, I became frustrated; more so because there was no error message.

I decided to check everything I believed could be wrong until I got to the root cause: I needed to update my Reddit app first. I only realized this because I remembered YouTube music asking me to update my app to view my 2022 recap.

Simply expecting Reddit’s recap to work the same as YouTube music’s recap, helped me resolve my issues without having to contact their support team.

The law of mental models

Jakob’s law, by UX expert Jakob Nielsen, states that users “prefer your site to work the same way as all the other sites they already know.” This principle can be very helpful and is a great guide for designers in creating stress-free experiences for users.

The catch however, is that the users would have to have had a similar experience, which believe it or not — isn’t the case for everyone.

Enter, the next billion users

I first heard of this term late last year, when I had just started taking the Google UX certification course on Coursera. Since then, I have been mulling over its significance, to me as an individual, and in my career as a designer.

The term ‘the next billion users’ loosely refers to the emerging pool of internet audience, that is, people who are getting on the internet for the first time. According to Google, millions of people come online for the first time every week, and these newcomers are shaping the internet as we know it. It accounts for the current rise in conversations on inclusivity and accessibility in the digital products space.

Imagine then, for a moment, that you’re joining the internet for the first time; what will it matter that a product works the same as other products?

Not a lot, I’d say.

Disclaimer: This is not a Jakob’s law slander

As previously expressed, I truly believe in the potential of applying Jakob’s law. I, also, have used it a couple times as a compass through some tough design decisions. We cannot, however, deny that it is a bit blindsided to completely inexperienced internet people, who are equally important to our design decisions.

One of the issues this category of people face, which I will be focusing on in this article is that they lack digital literacy.

This implies that they may not be able to understand certain design patterns. Hence making them more susceptible to feeling confusion and frustration towards the things we are used to.

It is easy to overlook these issues, because we perceive similar or familiar designs to be simpler, when they really aren’t.

A great example of this is in iconography. We’re so used to some icons that we do not see how abstract they are. The Settings icon comes to mind.

Commonly used icons usually seem like the simplest options, but they may not be as intuitive for new internet users.

I’m not saying we should treat this principle like an outlaw, lol. We should, however, be intuitive about how we use it if we want to be inclusive.

Your product could be the first point of contact

One of the best ways to create the much needed balance is by assuming that you could be their first point of contact. It’s not impossible since the internet is an open space where everyone can wander through.

By understanding the perspective of these new users, we can create products that solve their unique needs. This is where empathy plays a key role.

Not everyone can afford to go on the immersive research trips that the team at Google does, but giving as much help as you can through your product is one way to do it.

Instead of relying on the users’ mental models, tooltips, help texts and product tours can come in handy.

In the end, this is not just about Jakob’s law, but about how we sometimes copy similar or familiar experiences, without considering how it impacts all kinds of users.

Eventually, some of these users go on to become a part of our global village. But it is our job as designers to make the learning process as seamless as we can by considering their diverse backgrounds and abilities.