Design folk wisdom

Interface design knowledge seems to run on “folk wisdom”, which I‘ll define as “knowledge or advice passed from person to person without much effort to include important context”. Here is some common wisdom that I think fits the definition.

In other words, here are some things that lots of people repeat but never seem to have proof of.

1. The importance of the aesthetic-usability effect
2. That lines should be a certain length in characters
3. That lots of whitespace is good
4. That consistency is important
5. Not to use pure black
6. That pure black saves a useful amount of energy
7. What converts well on a promotional website
8. That companies should talk to customers

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