USABLE PSYCHOLOGYFor UX/UI Designers

DESIGNPSYCH

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGYThe science of mental process: how people acquire, process and store information.

SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGYhow people exist within a social context: how thought, feeling and

behaviour are influenced by those around us.

UNDERSTANDING THE BRAIN

• Reptilian

Our brain have 3 different “areas”

• Reptilian• Middle Brain

Our brain have 3 different “areas”

• Reptilian (or old brain)• Middle Brain• New Brain

Our brain have 3 different “areas”

1. REPTILIAN

Reptilian / Instinctual- Common to all animals- Basic Functions- Risky vs Safe- Sex- Food

Can i eat it?

Potential sexual partner?

Symmetry? Good Hair? look from the same “group” as i am?

fight or flight instinct (fff)

Is it fast? is it far?

2. MIDDLE BRAIN

Middle Brain / Emotional- Limbic system- Ancient & Automatic- Amygdala - fear, relevance, trust- Thalamus - Happy, sad, disgusted- VTA Dopamine - risk & reward

Empathy, are you ok?

Pleasure vs Pain

body language

3. THE NEW BRAIN

New Brain / Rational- Unique to humans- Higher cognitive functions- Plane, organise, problem-solving- Social learning & innovation- Language, abstract thought

Understanding product benefits

Product Demonstration

Social Proof

Authority?

SLOW VS FAST THINKING

SLOW THINKINGTakes previous knowledge of how the world works and applies it to the current situation,

it’s slow but powerful and accurate

FAST THINKINGEmotional, aimed at making quick decisions often in dangerous situations

If something is beautiful people perceive it to be easy to use.

“

- Joe Leech

”

People scan the screen based on past experience and expectation1

1. Avoid putting anything important at the edges, people will ignore it.2. People consider that the most important information starts on the top left of the screen3. Try to design based on familiar patterns.

People Believe that things that are close togetherBelong together 2

1. Use more space between items that don't belong together, and group items in close proximity if they do belong together, grouping might be done with spaces / background color etc..

Stop War

NowPeace

Stop War

NowPeace

?

Reds and blues together are hard on the eyes3 when 2 colors are being used together, One color may jump out while another color appears

recessed. This effect is called chromostereopsis.

1. While text in involved, Avoid using blue & red or red & greens next to each other.

READ IT?CAN YOU AND NOW?

The meaning of color vary by culture4

1. Pick a few major cultures and pick your colors carefully.

Reading computer / mobile screen is allot harderThan reading paper5

How users read on the web: They Don't!

“

- jakob nielsen

”

1. Provide high contrast between text and background.2. Try http://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

In order to make the text more readable, make sure you have enough contrast between the text and the background.

In order to make the text more readable, make sure you have enough contrast between the text and the background.

In order to make the text more readable, make sure you have enough contrast between the text and the background.

Impossible Hard Best

Uppercase letters are harder to read6 The story goes that we read by recognizing the shapes of words and groups of words.

Words in mixed case or lowercase letters have unique shapes. Words in all capital letters have

the same shape

1. People are not used to see all capital words so they see them as SHOUTING.2. Save uppercase letters for headlines, and when you need to get people attentions.3. Keep uppercase headlines / texts short

The images we use, effects the way people read7

1. Our brain is build to recognize faces efficiently, images that includes faces will take the first attention on the screen

Before

After

People remember & learn better by doing8

1. Help your users learning your application by make them doing the desired actions

Its easier to recognize information than recall it9

WHAT ANIMALS WERE ON THE PICTURE?

DID YOU SAW AN IMAGE OF A SEAL?VS

1. Don't make people recall information, instead help them recognize it.2. Don't ask people to remember information from one place to another.3. most people can remember up to 4 items.4. If you want people to remember something you must go over it again and again.5. People are always going to forget, design with forgetting in mind.

People are more motivated when they can see the goal10

1. The shorter the way to the goal the more motivated people will get.2. People enjoy being a part of a reward program, compared to costumers which are

not part of the program.3. people need help tracking their progress

People are addicted for seeking information11

1. Make the search of information as simple as possible2. keep its behaviour and location consistent

People are hard-wired for imitation and empathy12

1. If you want to influence someone’s behaviour, show him someone else is doing the same task.

Doing things together bona people together13

1. Most of our online interaction are asynchronous (even on fb,twitter,linkedin etc..)Look for opportunities to create synchronous interaction into your product.

The brain respond uniquely to people we know in person14

1. People are “programmed” to pay special attention to friends and relatives.

People make most decisions unconsciously 15

10%

90%

Conscious decisions unconscious decisions

People want more choices that they can process16

1. Resist the impulse to provide your users with a large number of choices

2. If possible, limit the number of choices to three or four. If you have to offer more options, try to do so in a progressive way. For example, have people choose first from three or four options, and then choose again from a

Mood influence decisions17

90% of all information that comes into our brain is visual

BEAUTY EVOKES EMOTIONS

1.You can influence someone’s mood easily, for example, with a short video clip, images,copy-writing etc..

VS

People expect the web to be fast18

GIVE IT A SECOND!!! Its going to space!Will you give it a second, to get back from space?

“

- Louis CK

”

1.Unoccupied time feels longer than occupied time

2.Uncertain waits are longer than known, finite waits

3.Unexplained waits are longer than explained waits

References and further learning

Watch:• Psychology of UX design: https://vimeo.com/71600462• The importance of being inauthentic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpf8H_Dd40• Applying psychology to UX design: https://creativemornings.com/talks/joe-leech/1• Nathalie Nahai - web psychologist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPo3kSzeh40• Empathy, your secret weapon in designing for the web: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MPo3kSzeh40

Read:• Designing for brains: http://www.slideshare.net/MarissaEpstein/designing-for-brains-the-psychology-of-user-experience?qid=3f5024ac-9166-4f24-9bbd-cba9da7f6c32&v=&b=&from_search=11• The secret psychology of online persuasion: http://www.slideshare.net/nathalienahai/the-secret-psychology-of-online-persuasion• Gestalt principles: https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2014/03/design-principles-visual-perception-and-the-principles-of-gestalt/• what is beautiful is usable: http://www.ise.bgu.ac.il/faculty/noam/papers/00_nt_ask_di_iwc.pdf• 100 things every designer need to know about people: http://www.amazon.com/Things-Designer-People-Voices-Matter/dp/0321767535/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455463790&sr=8-1&keywords=100+things+every+designer+needs+to+know+about+people• Psychology for designers: https://www.fivesimplesteps.com/products/psychology-for-designers• The jam research: https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Iyengar%20%26%20Lepper%20(2000).pdf

THANK YOUMaor Shabbat

Visual designer & UX Architect