2 min read UX

Behavioral design

The success of a product design is often measured by the experiences it offers users. With the ever-increasing competition in the digital world, you can create exceptional user experiences to stand out from the crowd.

The pshycology behind exceptional UX

By understanding how users think and behave, you can create a product design that not only meets their needs but also exceed their expectations.

People are lazy or overwhelmed

  • People will do the least amount of work possible to get a task done
  • Progressive disclosure is a good way to create engagement
  • Use affordance to show the action possibilities to the user. If something is clickable ensure it looks like it's clickable
  • Conduct user research to find out what features people really need. Giving people more than they need just clutters up the experience
  • Provide defaults. Defaults let people do less work to get the job done

People have limitations

  • People can only keep up their attention for 7 to 10 minutes, then they lose interest
  • People cannot multi-task (Not at least in full focus). Don't expect them to
  • People prefer short line lengths, but read better with longer ones.
  • Make it easy to scan the information

People make mistakes

  • Anticipate what mistakes people will do and try to prevent them
  • The best error message is no message at all
  • If the results of an error are severe then use a confirmation before acting on the user's action.
  • Make it easy to undo an action
  • If a task is error-prone, break it up into smaller chunks
  • If the user makes an error and you correct it, show what you did

Human memory is complicated

People reconstruct memories meaning they are constantly changing. Observe them in action rather than take their word for it.

  • Memory degrades quickly. Don't make people remember things from one task to another
  • Save memory effort with recognizable patterns and symbols
  • Apply consistent markers in the navigation to boost memorability.
  • Stimulate different types of memory. Combine icons with a copy to boost usability

Attention

  • People are programmed to pay attention to anything that is different or novel
  • Peripheral vision processes emotional information and images of danger faster than central vision
  • Peripheral vision decides where people look next
  • There is a special part of the brain for faces (Fusiform Facial Area)
  • Change blindness is when a person misses changes in their visual field
  • Use senses to grab attention, such as colours, simple shapes, orientations, sizes, fonts, motion and sound. But only one at a time.
  • People are easily distracted by animations and videos

People crave information

Dopamine makes people seek stimulation such as learning new information

  • Having more information than they can process makes people feel in control
  • People need to know what is going on

Unconscious processing

  • Most mental processing occurs unconsciously
  • The old brain makes or has input on most of our decision
  • The emotional brain is affected by pictures (of people) and stories
  • People committing to a small action are much more likely to later commit to a larger action
  • You can frame an emotional state or response without people being aware

People create mental models

  • People always have a mental model in place about a certain object or task
  • The mental model may make it easy or hard to use a product
  • Try and match the conceptual model of the product to the user's mental model
  • Metaphors help users "get" a conceptual model

Visual system

  • Colours are interpreted differently depending on culture and gender
  • People dislike drastic changes. Make changes slowly over time
  • Make things stand out to bypass people's sensory adaptation