Most people spend most of their time using products and services *other than yours* ([[Jakob's Law]]). When there is a lack of consistency between environments, it increases the cognitive load for people using your system. By following platform and industry standards, users won’t have to learn something new or wonder if the words, situations, and actions they are already familiar with mean the same thing ([[Speak the user's language]]). Designs that appear familiar but don’t operate in a standard way can have catastrophic results. For example, many electronic shifters that began showing up in cars may look like convention gearshift levels, but operate quite differently. Many don’t provide clear feedback as to what gear the automatic transmission is in ([[Provide visibility of system status]]). It’s believed the death of [[Anton Yelchin]] in 2016 was caused by this design flaw. > … the shifter could confuse motorists by not giving clear feedback as to what gear the automatic transmission was in. … experts are growing particularly concerned about the newest generation of electronic shifters that are being described as “unintuitive” in their design and operation.[^nbc] > The electronic shifter on a number of Chrysler products is a particularly troublesome example. While it may look somewhat like a conventional gearshift lever, it operates quite differently.[^nbc] [^nbc]: [Anton Yelchin Death Highlights Concerns About Electronic Shifters](https://www.nbcnews.com/business/autos/death-star-trek-actor-highlights-concerns-about-faulty-electronic-shifters-n595751) --- See also: [[General usability heuristics]]