UX #14: Why news platforms like LinkedIn, New York Times, & the Washington Post rely on UX law we use behind the scenes…

Written By Samaya Sinha

We use this UX law behind the scenes– it’s what news platforms like LinkedIn NYT and Wash Post use to 

Newsfeeds published on LinkedIn, The New York Times, and the Washington Post all follow the law of uniform connectedness in UX design.

Have you noticed how LinkedIn creates multiple groups of information in a 3-column feed, with the latest news being at the top right hand side box? 

The New York Times and Washington Post prefer a 2-column approach, grouping similar headlines together in groups separated by lines between the columns.  

This is the law of uniform connectedness. The law of uniform connectedness states that elements that are more visually connected are perceived as more related than elements with no connection. This is why how items are grouped visually on a page are so important to a platform’s information architecture.

Where else have you noticed the law of uniform connectedness in platforms you browse?

My name is Samaya and I’m your UX woman. Follow our Substack to get UX design challenges delivered to your inbox! I like to spill the tea from my 10-year career in UX, working for brand names like Hulu, Marvel, Meta and more. Follow UX Woman for more UX design psychology. We’re creating a 100-day series on famous UX designs from big brands and why they work. 

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Samaya Sinha https://ideatelabs.co
Next

UX #13:Why Patagonia and Nordstrom rely on Miller’s Law in UX.