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The 12-point behavior check.

Twelve quick checks to run on your own website in about 20 minutes. Each one comes from a well-known principle of how people behave.

0 pass · 0 need work · 12 to check
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  1. Hick’s law

    Does your main menu have seven items or fewer?

    More choices, slower decisions.

    It passes if: five to seven items in the main menu, with everything else grouped one level down.

    Result for Hick’s law
  2. Fitts’s law

    Can you reach your main button with a thumb?

    Big, close targets are quicker to hit.

    It passes if: main buttons at least 44px tall, easy to reach with a thumb, and never crowded by other links.

    Result for Fitts’s law
  3. Jakob’s law

    Is your logo top left and your cart top right?

    People expect your site to work like others they use.

    It passes if: logo, navigation, search and cart where people expect them, and links that look like links.

    Result for Jakob’s law
  4. Miller’s law

    Are long forms split into short steps?

    Memory holds only a few items at once.

    It passes if: long forms split into short steps of three to five fields, with related fields grouped.

    Result for Miller’s law
  5. Aesthetic-usability effect

    Do all your pages share one grid and type style?

    Tidy designs feel easier to use.

    It passes if: one type family, one spacing scale and the same button style on every page.

    Result for Aesthetic-usability effect
  6. Von Restorff effect

    Is there one clear main action on each page?

    The one that stands out gets remembered.

    It passes if: one primary action per page that looks different from everything else around it.

    Result for Von Restorff effect
  7. Serial position effect

    Is your key message first, and repeated last?

    First and last items are remembered best.

    It passes if: your core message and main action at the top of the page, and repeated at the end.

    Result for Serial position effect
  8. Zeigarnik effect

    Can people see how many steps are left?

    Unfinished tasks stay on the mind.

    It passes if: a step indicator on every multi-step flow, and progress saved if people leave.

    Result for Zeigarnik effect
  9. Peak-end rule

    Is your thank-you page worth remembering?

    Experiences are judged by the peak and the end.

    It passes if: a confirmation that thanks people and says exactly what happens next, and when.

    Result for Peak-end rule
  10. Goal-gradient effect

    Does your checkout show progress?

    People speed up as the goal gets close.

    It passes if: a visible progress bar in checkout and sign-up that shows how close people are.

    Result for Goal-gradient effect
  11. Doherty threshold

    Does every tap respond in under half a second?

    Responses under ~400ms keep people engaged.

    It passes if: pages that load in under 2.5 seconds, and taps that respond visibly straight away.

    Result for Doherty threshold
  12. Tesler’s law

    Do your forms fill in what you already know?

    Some complexity can only be moved, not removed.

    It passes if: details you already know are filled in, and addresses are looked up rather than typed.

    Result for Tesler’s law

Want a second opinion?

We can run the full audit with real visitors.

A checklist shows where to look. An audit shows why people struggle, using recordings, search data and testing, with a plan ranked by impact.

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