How UX designers can use simple psychology to create better products
Well designed products have a tendency to fit so seamlessly into our lives, it’s as if they were made just for us. As for the not-so-well-designed, we’re quick to be rid of them and onto finding the next replacement. How can some products be so intuitive it feels like second nature to use, and others just clunky, tedious, and tiring? The answer lies in how well the designer understands the user.
One of the things I find interesting about UX design is that it often overlaps with a heap of other disciplines, particularly human psychology. It just makes a lot of sense. As UX designers, our main purpose is to not only know their users but to also use that understanding to construct and produce a satisfactory experience for when they interact with our product. In order to understand users, designers typically employ a combination of user research and psychology. In this article, I’m going to be exploring five ideas in psychology and how they can be applied in UX Design.
But first, what’s UX?
Just in case you’re new to or unfamiliar with UX and what it is, fear not! I’m here to provide a handy little overview.
UX (User Experience) design is the process of enhancing user satisfaction with a product by improving the usability, accessibility, and desirability provided in the interaction with it. UX Design is present in a vast majority of the little details in the things we use every single day, even beyond our the digital cocoons of our devices. The buttons with contrasting colors used in websites and apps? UX. Placing audio controls directly on car steering wheels? Yep, UX. Split-screen features, coffee shop loyalty cards, customer service representative protocols. UX, UX, UX. All of these things fall under the umbrella of UX because they are part of a specifically designed experience and meant to evoke satisfaction of the user by the brand employing it. Even more simply, it’s understanding the intended audience and using that understanding to fulfill their needs in a way that will keep them coming back to us.
Psychology is a powerful tool in understanding users
UX Designers will often employ the design thinking process when trying to build a product, and one of the central steps of design thinking is establishing empathy for the intended user. The process is used by companies and teams all over the world, with minor adjustments but always the same core steps:
We can also look to marketing and its use of design to better understand how psychology can be applied not only to customers but to users as well. By understanding how the human brain functions we can infer how our designs will be perceived by the average person. From there, we’re able to make adjustments to our existing products in order to improve the way they accomplish user goals and meet user needs.
Research can be used to understand user behavior, habits, and needs, but without some knowledge of psychology it can be difficult to draw conclusions from the collected observations in a way that will improve products in a meaningful way. Using psychology, we can learn general patterns that are characteristic of people as a whole as well as specific demographics and use them consciously to understand the process of human cognition.
Considering Cognitive Load
One of the major theories that UX designers should aim to understand is cognitive load, known as the amount of thought needed to exercise in order to complete a specific task. Cognitive load refers to using resources of working memory, a cognitive system that has a limited capacity with which it is responsible for holding information for processing.
But how is this relevant to UX? Humans are now processing more information per day than ever before. In 2015, it was total of 34GB of information per day solely from leisure time, according to Daniel J. Levitin’s article, “Why It’s So Hard To Pay Attention, Explained By Science.” In 2011, data scientists calculated that Americans took in five times as much information as they did in 1986 — and I’m willing to bet all of us in 2019 are taking in much more than that. Levitin goes on to explain that our brains can only process a limited amount of information despite the barrage of stuff that is thrown at us every single day, and it’s caused our brains to be constantly overwhelmed.
Reducing cognitive load produces direct benefit to both the user and the product developers. Hick’s Law tells us that the more choices a person is presented with, the greater their cognitive load is going to be. As the number of choices increase, it also increases the time it takes for a person to make a decision as a result of weighing all the possible choices that that they have. User attention is a limited cognitive resource, and as designers we need to find ways to spare it as much as possible so that users are able to keep using our products for longer.
So now that we have (hopefully processed) some information about cognitive load, let’s go through some ideas in psychology that we can apply to UX!
I. The principle of least effort
The principle of least effort postulates that people (and animals, and even advanced technologies like AI) will naturally choose the path of least resistance or effort in a given situation. If we look to human evolution, we can observe that the ones who successfully managed to survive were the ones who conserved their energy in the quest for basic needs like food, water, and shelter.
In a more modern context, perhaps we’re looking for a website with some specific information. We click a search result, only to be greeted with a site that looks like a teenager’s myspace profile from 2006. Slightly stunned but already committed, we click on the multicolored links scattered haphazardly around the page, scrounging for what we’re looking for, wondering why there isn’t a navigation bar or a link back to the homepage. Some time passes. We find we’re now lost in the void, frustrated, and we leave the website entirely. We go back to Google, not quite ready to give up. We try a second link, and when the page loads it’s as if a chorus of angels is playing in the back of our minds. It’s clean, well organized, and links directly to the information we’re looking for! See how much better a user might feel being able to accomplish their tasks without having to expend all that time and effort?
Users, and people in general, typically prefer the fastest and easiest way of achieving their intended goal. This is especially true for tedious tasks that require repetition, such as filling in forms and passwords. Filling forms are now typically taken care of for users through auto-fill features in browsers, and passwords can now be stored and retrieved in management services like LastPass or Keychain.
Here are a few ways we can apply this knowledge to UX and make products that feel like less effort to the user:
1. Less is more.
We can reduce the time users spend digging for information by making our text scannable. Long, clunky blocks of text are not the way to go. Humans are visual creatures, so using less text and more imagery can go a long way.
2. I want to go home!
Use clear and visible navigation with universally recognizable wording and icons. If users don’t know where your links are going to take them, they’re probably not going to click on them. When using icons in navigation, make sure they’re relevant to the content you’re linking to.
3. Click here, not there
Make things that are clickable look clickable. You can and should use contrasting colors, outlines, placement, and size to your advantage. Make sure that the user understands what they are supposed to click to accomplish the task they are doing. If you want them to click it, it should be glaringly obvious and not confusing.
4. I need some space
Give your design breathing room. We’re living in an age of clean design and minimalist interfaces, so embrace the empty space. Don’t overcrowd your elements or you’ll risk overwhelming your users.
II. Multitasking
Multitasking is the trend of mentally managing two or more tasks simultaneously with the belief of optimizing productivity. Although it’s a very normalized practice in work culture, it actually doesn’t exist. When we think that we are doing all of these tasks at the same time, what is actually happening is that we are switching between each one as our brain chooses which information to process individually. The prefrontal cortex of the brain conducts focus by helping to ignore distractions and to rapidly switch between tasks, giving the illusion of being able to do multiple things at the same time. It may seem like we’re able to do more than one thing at once, but really the tasks are being executed in sequence, switching as needed.
The negative effect of “multitasking” for the sake of productivity is that it is actually quite counterproductive. As Paul Atchley describes in an article for Harvard Business Review, multitaskers “do less and miss information.” Switching back and forth between tasks takes a toll on our brains because it takes about a minute to recover our train of thought, which breaks concentration and leaves us unfocused. Efficiency actually drops- as much as 40%. Long term memory and creativity is also said to be negatively impacted.
With how deeply ingrained technology is in most people’s lives nowadays, it becomes harder to avoid distractions and nearly impossible to overcome the problems that arise with mentally overloaded users. In designing user experiences, designers should aim to minimize distractions and focus the user’s attention to one task at a time. For example, a page should only require them to do one task, and no more. We can also find ways to simplify the user’s workflow when using our products and put a limit on the maximum tasks that a user can do at one time. Aim to have users processing only one piece of information at a time, and performing only one action at a time for the best possible interactions.
III. To err is human
We as citizens of the internet are no strangers to running into errors within the applications and programs we use. And as a software engineering student, I have seen more than my fair share of scary red error messages when trying to compile my work. We’re human. We make mistakes. It is as inevitable as working on the wrong layer or placing an element outside of an artboard. Knowing this, UX designers should try to minimize the instances in which a user can encounter an error. We want to prevent mistakes because they can cause pain and frustration to the user, but also because having to fix them can end up costing the company money and costing us designers our time.
How can we prevent errors?
Error prevention can be effective in some cases, and we can begin by using research to predict the mistakes a user might make and then adapt our designs accordingly in order to circumvent these possible issues. If a task is complex or error-prone, it’s recommended that the task be broken up into a series of smaller steps. That way, each step functions as a quality control gateway before the user is allowed to move onto the next step. Another popular method of error prevention is asking users for confirmation before completing important decisions.
So, what about errors that couldn’t be prevented?
Commonly, an error message is displayed to the user when something goes wrong. These messages can have vastly different impacts on users depending on how they are presented. When designing these messages, it helps to use easy to understand language and to communicate in a casual, friendly tone. Explain that an error has occurred, what the error is, how the user can correct it, and where they can go for more help to fix their problem. Many applications circumvent errors by allowing users to undo mistakes as they happen (hello Ctrl+Z, my old friend).
Alternatively, development teams can perform user testing with prototypes before the designs are ready for release to see errors that users may run into or find if there are errors present in the design.
IV. Human memory is unreliable
Be it in a human or in a computer, memory is defined as the ability to encode, store, and retrieve information. When it comes to human memory, it can often be unreliable, especially during cognitive overload. Intuitive UX design should then aim to help modern users by reducing the cognitive load throughout usage of the product such as by doing the remembering for them. Personal details from the user should be stored and once entered, the product should not ask for the same detail again. Important information such as product prices, event dates, and deadlines should be visible from page to page or included all in one place so that the user doesn’t have to switch back and forth to look at the information.
As designers, we should ensure that the users will not have to remember every single step of a task flow and that they will be guided easily through it. The limited capacity of short term memory implies that we should not bombard users with a large amount of information all at once — instead, there are several methods designers can use to direct user attention to the task at hand.
- Distinctiveness — make information stand out amongst the other surrounding elements. This can be done in a variety of ways depending on the medium- highlighting, contrasting color scheme, bold text, the list goes on.
- Primacy — present the most important information first. That’s what the user is most likely to remember.
- Frequency — repeat information as necessary. In a multi-step task flow that spans over many pages, it can help to continuously provide the instructions to the user as they go along.
- Associations — Position objects or information closer together or in groups to suggest relationships. This is also known as “chunking” and actually has been shown to help people retain more information as “chunks,” such as phone numbers.
An example I like is Duolingo:
From just these screens we can observe that they’ve used a number of the above ideas to direct the user’s attention where they want it to be.
V. Humans are social creatures
It’s human nature to be social, and with social media, it takes on an entirely new sort of meaning in our lives. While interacting with content, users tend to want to reach out and share it to their social circle. We are fundamentally driven by the need to belong and to have the approval of our peers. The urge to connect with others is at our core because of its ability to raise our chances of survival. It’s ingrained that if we act in accordance with the beliefs, suggestions, and commands of the collective, that it will help us to reach our goals and increase our sense of belonging when we are able to make connections with others, even if it’s through a screen.
To account for this need, nearly every website and application that knows what’s good for it will provide links for easy social integration and/or sharing. When designing UX, allowing the user to use social sharing without leaving the page, allowing interaction with friends, and camera/photo sharing are all effective ways to create an enjoyable user experience for your product.
When we take into consideration the necessity for a social outlet within a website or application, we allow for greater social interconnectedness. This in turn enables users themselves to help direct traffic back to our products through what is literally free advertisement. Users are also able to refer to each other for guidance and advice through features such as ratings and reviews, which add credibility to products or services being sold, or comments sections and forums, which allow for discussions about particular topics. On Spotify, users can share public playlists they’ve created, follow other users, and see what they’re listening to in real time. These features give people the awareness of a community and also foster a sense of belonging to it when they participate.
Parting thoughts
For designers, it can seem like understanding users is an endless task due to the ever changing nature of our work. One day, we’re creating a calendar for a student and the next, a system to track electricity usage for local governments. It feels as if our work can open us up to building an understanding of such a wide variety of people, through not only observations but through studying psychology as well. I went into my internship knowing not one thing about UX and really only cared about whether the apps I was designing looked good, but I’ve learned that good design has far more depth and potential than that. Effective design that comes from understanding users, and more importantly, people, has the power to impact and shape the future.
