🎯 The 80/20 Rule: Designing What Really Matters
In design, not everything you create has the same impact. Some parts of your work matter way more than others — and that’s where the 80/20 rule comes in.
đź’ˇ What It Means
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle, says that 80% of results come from 20% of effort. In design, this means that a small portion of your features, visuals, or interactions often deliver most of the value to users.
In short: focus on the few things that make the biggest difference.
🎨 How It Applies to Design
Think about a website — maybe 20% of the pages (like the homepage, product page, and checkout) get 80% of the traffic. Or maybe 20% of a mobile app’s features are used 80% of the time.
By identifying and improving that key 20%, you make the biggest impact without wasting time on the parts that barely matter.
⚖️ Why It Matters
Designers have limited time, resources, and attention. When you spread effort evenly across everything, you risk spending too much energy on the small stuff. The 80/20 rule helps you prioritize — so you can deliver maximum value with minimal waste.
It’s not about doing less work; it’s about doing the right work.
🧠The Takeaway
Great design isn’t about perfection — it’s about focus.
When you find and polish the 20% that truly matters, the rest naturally falls into place.
So the next time you’re designing, ask yourself:
“What few things will make the biggest difference for the user?”
If you can answer that, you’re already designing smarter.
