Breaking UX laws: When ignoring best practices leads to better design

Why some of the most successful products break UX rules — and why you might want to as well.

Let’s be real — when we start out in UX, we’re handed a rulebook of best practices that seems set in stone.

🔹 Hick’s Law? Keep choices simple.

🔹 The Fold? Everything important goes up top.

🔹 Symmetry? Keep it balanced, or risk chaos.

But then, you look around at the world’s most engaging apps and websites — and they’re breaking these rules left and right. Amazon? Too many choices. Instagram? Infinite scrolling abyss. Spotify? A broken grid that somehow just works.

So, what’s happening here? Are we just making up rules to feel important, or is there a method to this madness? Let’s explore how ignoring traditional UX wisdom sometimes creates better user experiences — with real-world examples to back it up.

Too many choices? Amazon proves that’s a myth

Hick’s Law says that the more choices you give users, the longer it takes them to decide — and the more likely they’ll get overwhelmed and leave.

The Reality: Ever been on Amazon? Of course you have. Did you rage-quit because they have over 350 million…