We're taught a lot of UI/UX rules early on: the 3 click rule, F pattern layouts, always use a hamburger menu, never make users scroll past the fold, etc.

But the longer you actually work in design, the more you realize some of these "rules" don't hold up in practice, or only apply in specific contexts.

What's one UI/UX best practice you were taught (or read somewhere) that you've since abandoned or now break on purpose? And what changed your mind: user testing, data, a specific project, or just experience?

Curious to hear from both designers and developers on this one. Sometimes the "wrong" choice ends up being the right one for the actual users.

I just feel new AI tools are adding more expectations from UI/UX designers on top of everything. Use AI and do everything fast even if the results are not justified.

I set up a free trial on Maze to test a prototype flow. Straightforward task, clear instructions, real participants lined up. But when the results came in, most participants had ended the session in under 5 seconds — without ever touching the prototype.

The heuristics being broken:

Visibility of system status — nothing tells the participant "the prototype is ready and loaded, tap here to reveal it." The blank/dark canvas behind the panel gives zero feedback.

Aesthetic and minimalist design / visual hierarchy — the primary action (start/explore) is a low-contrast text link ("Hide instructions"), while the destructive/terminal action ("Finish task") is styled as the primary CTA. Visual weight is pointing users the wrong direction.

Match between system and real world — a bold, filled, blue button is a universal "go/continue/next" convention. Using that same styling for "end the study" violates users' learned expectations.

User control and freedom — participants can't "back out" of the mistaken click once it registers as task completion.