The designer’s handbook of eponymous laws — part 2: human behavior
Eponymous laws express truths in concise, interesting, and sometimes funny ways. They reflect — and induce reflection — on the human condition, as well as the workings of science, math, and technology.
In this four-part series, I’ll share some of the most interesting Eponymous Laws I’ve come across. Ones that are relevant for designers, but that speak to the disciplines of business and strategy, human behavior, management, and technology. Disciplines we designers engage with on a daily basis.
I didn’t add commentary because they speak for themselves. I ordered them based on greatness. I’m debating getting #11 tattooed on my neck.
I’d love to know the ones you like. Share others I missed in the comments. Stay tuned for the next two. And, as always, enjoy. 😊
№ 1 — Miller’s Law
“To understand what another person is saying, you must assume that it is true and try to imagine what it could be true of.”
№ 2 — Reilly’s Law of Retail Gravitation
“People generally patronize the largest mall in the area.”
№ 3 — Mooer’s Law
“An information retrieval system will tend not to be used whenever it is more painful and troublesome for a customer to have information than for him not to have it.”
№ 4 — Gibson’s Law
“For every PhD there is an equal and opposite PhD.”
№ 5 — Rothbard’s Law
“Everyone specializes in his own area of weakness.”
№ 6 — Segal’s Law
“A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.”
№ 7 — Ringelmann Effect
Individual members of a group will become increasingly less productive as the size of their group increases.
№ 8 — Benford’s Law of Controversy
“Passion is inversely proportional to the amount of real information available.”
№ 9 — Hitchen’s Razor
“That which can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.”
№ 10 — Hanlon’s Razor
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
Alt: “Do not invoke conspiracy as explanation when ignorance and incompetence will suffice, as conspiracy implies intelligence.”
№ 11 — Brandolini’s Law
“The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it.” 🔥🔥🔥
