diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.cpp
index 9ac39f9a00..0f2af30a60 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.cpp
@@ -8,29 +8,24 @@
 
 namespace MWGui
 {
-    void Layout::initialise(const std::string& _layout, MyGUI::Widget* _parent)
+    void Layout::initialise(std::string_view _layout)
     {
-        const std::string MAIN_WINDOW = "_Main";
+        const auto MAIN_WINDOW = "_Main";
         mLayoutName = _layout;
 
-        if (mLayoutName.empty())
-            mMainWidget = _parent;
-        else
+        mPrefix = MyGUI::utility::toString(this, "_");
+        mListWindowRoot = MyGUI::LayoutManager::getInstance().loadLayout(mLayoutName, mPrefix);
+
+        const std::string main_name = mPrefix + MAIN_WINDOW;
+        for (MyGUI::Widget* widget : mListWindowRoot)
         {
-            mPrefix = MyGUI::utility::toString(this, "_");
-            mListWindowRoot = MyGUI::LayoutManager::getInstance().loadLayout(mLayoutName, mPrefix, _parent);
+            if (widget->getName() == main_name)
+                mMainWidget = widget;
 
-            const std::string main_name = mPrefix + MAIN_WINDOW;
-            for (MyGUI::Widget* widget : mListWindowRoot)
-            {
-                if (widget->getName() == main_name)
-                    mMainWidget = widget;
-
-                // Force the alignment to update immediately
-                widget->_setAlign(widget->getSize(), widget->getParentSize());
-            }
-            MYGUI_ASSERT(mMainWidget, "root widget name '" << MAIN_WINDOW << "' in layout '" << mLayoutName << "' not found.");
+            // Force the alignment to update immediately
+            widget->_setAlign(widget->getSize(), widget->getParentSize());
         }
+        MYGUI_ASSERT(mMainWidget, "root widget name '" << MAIN_WINDOW << "' in layout '" << mLayoutName << "' not found.");
     }
 
     void Layout::shutdown()
@@ -50,7 +45,7 @@ namespace MWGui
         mMainWidget->setVisible(b);
     }
 
-    void Layout::setText(const std::string &name, const std::string &caption)
+    void Layout::setText(std::string_view name, const std::string &caption)
     {
         MyGUI::Widget* pt;
         getWidget(pt, name);
@@ -65,11 +60,13 @@ namespace MWGui
             window->setCaptionWithReplacing(title);
     }
 
-    MyGUI::Widget* Layout::getWidget(const std::string &_name)
+    MyGUI::Widget* Layout::getWidget(std::string_view _name)
     {
+        std::string target = mPrefix;
+        target += _name;
         for (MyGUI::Widget* widget : mListWindowRoot)
         {
-            MyGUI::Widget* find = widget->findWidget(mPrefix + _name);
+            MyGUI::Widget* find = widget->findWidget(target);
             if (nullptr != find)
             {
                 return find;
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.hpp
index 39dfc99bf3..f0fd633ee2 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/layout.hpp
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define OPENMW_MWGUI_LAYOUT_H
 
 #include <string>
+#include <string_view>
 
 #include <MyGUI_Widget.h>
 
@@ -15,9 +16,12 @@ namespace MWGui
   class Layout
   {
   public:
-    Layout(const std::string & _layout, MyGUI::Widget* _parent = nullptr)
-      : mMainWidget(nullptr)
-    { initialise(_layout, _parent); }
+    Layout(std::string_view layout) : mMainWidget(nullptr)
+    {
+      initialise(layout);
+      assert(mMainWidget);
+    }
+
     virtual ~Layout()
     {
         try
@@ -30,10 +34,10 @@ namespace MWGui
         }
     }
 
-    MyGUI::Widget* getWidget(const std::string& _name);
+    MyGUI::Widget* getWidget(std::string_view name);
 
     template <typename T>
-    void getWidget(T * & _widget, const std::string & _name)
+    void getWidget(T * & _widget, std::string_view _name)
     {
         MyGUI::Widget* w = getWidget(_name);
         T* cast = w->castType<T>(false);
@@ -48,8 +52,7 @@ namespace MWGui
     }
 
   private:
-    void initialise(const std::string & _layout,
-                    MyGUI::Widget* _parent = nullptr);
+    void initialise(std::string_view layout);
 
     void shutdown();
 
@@ -58,7 +61,7 @@ namespace MWGui
 
     virtual void setVisible(bool b);
 
-    void setText(const std::string& name, const std::string& caption);
+    void setText(std::string_view name, const std::string& caption);
 
     // NOTE: this assume that mMainWidget is of type Window.
     void setTitle(const std::string& title);
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.cpp
index 84e557fcdc..9e476e4dab 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.cpp
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 using namespace MWGui;
 
-WindowBase::WindowBase(const std::string& parLayout)
+WindowBase::WindowBase(std::string_view parLayout)
   : Layout(parLayout)
 {
     mMainWidget->setVisible(false);
@@ -139,12 +139,12 @@ void NoDrop::setAlpha(float alpha)
         mWidget->setAlpha(alpha);
 }
 
-BookWindowBase::BookWindowBase(const std::string& parLayout)
+BookWindowBase::BookWindowBase(std::string_view parLayout)
   : WindowBase(parLayout)
 {
 }
 
-float BookWindowBase::adjustButton (char const * name)
+float BookWindowBase::adjustButton(std::string_view name)
 {
     Gui::ImageButton* button;
     WindowBase::getWidget (button, name);
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.hpp
index 395bb8414f..dde9190666 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/windowbase.hpp
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ namespace MWGui
     class WindowBase: public Layout
     {
     public:
-        WindowBase(const std::string& parLayout);
+        WindowBase(std::string_view parLayout);
 
         virtual MyGUI::Widget* getDefaultKeyFocus() { return nullptr; }
 
@@ -88,10 +88,10 @@ namespace MWGui
     class BookWindowBase : public WindowBase
     {
     public:
-        BookWindowBase(const std::string& parLayout);
+        BookWindowBase(std::string_view parLayout);
 
     protected:
-        float adjustButton (char const * name);
+        float adjustButton(std::string_view name);
     };
 }