The Three-Second Hierarchy Test Every Screen Should Pass

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The best design critique I ever received was: ‘This looks beautiful, but I can’t tell what to do first.’ It taught me that visual hierarchy isn’t about making things pretty — it’s about giving people a clear sequence of actions.

Every screen should answer three questions in under 5 seconds: Where am I? What can I do here? What should I do first? If your design can’t pass this test, no amount of polish will save it.