Great Product Designers ?? Standard Patterns

Great products don’t reinvent every wheel. No, they adopt standard patterns to ensure users can easily navigate, understand, and interact with content without losing their minds or pulling out their hair.

Mental Models Help Us Do Stuff

Users rely on prior notions about how things usually work to figure out where and how to accomplish a task with any new product.

If your product aligns with expectations, users can quickly and intuitively locate features, settings, and documentation–good ??

When your product deviates unnecessarily from common design patterns, users are made sad, confused, and frustrated–bad ??

Surprises and unique interactions can enhance a product experience, sure. But they should be applied thoughtfully.

..and, importantly, there are some things within any product that are just wrong areas for such surprises.?

Core navigation, common content like support links, documentation, and settings/configs are, simply, the wrong place to be cute or creative.

These kinds of standard / universal variables in your product should be highly predictable, not a puzzle users are tasked to solve.

Example by Comparison: Road Transportation & Navigation

Consider how road infrastructure conveys information to drivers. When navigating unfamiliar highways, people rely on familiar signage and layouts to make quick and safe decisions.

• Speed limits are expected to be posted in visible locations, typically near onramps or changes in road conditions.
• Stop signs are instantly recognizable by their red octagonal shape, universally understood as a directive to stop.
• Exit signs, gas stations, and rest areas are identified through clear, standardized markers allowing drivers to scan and decide at a glance.

In each of these cases, the goal is to ensure critical information is easily accessible and predictable–not surprising or hidden. When driving at 65 mph, no one wants to waste cognitive effort deciphering an unusual sign or format.

By contrast, billboards for personal injury attorneys or tourist attractions–like "IGotHurtInJersey.com" or "FrankAzar.com"–are examples of non-essential distractions that do not need to follow the same level of standardization.

Drivers can choose to ignore them entirely (err..or not..there's a lotta interest in Frank Azar so perhaps not the best example ??)

Applying This Principle to Product Design

Just like road signage, product interfaces should prioritize clarity and consistency. When designing or refining your product, ask:

• Are core functions and settings where users expect them to be?
• Does the documentation follow an industry-standard structure?
• Is essential information easy to locate without extra effort?
• Are any unique design elements enhancing, rather than hindering, usability?

Wrap

Standard patterns exist for a reason. Use them to ensure users have a simple and effortless way to do the basic things they need to do.

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