Psychology lessons for UX design
Psychology is integrated into every step of the user experience (UX) design process. Understanding a few key principles of how people think can help you design digital products that work better for your users.
People are skeptical about putting out effort, time, or money. We're already familiar with the cost-benefit principle, which says that people weigh the potential value they get against what it'll cost them. As a UX designer, it's our job to foreground the benefit over the cost. To do so, we can use a related psychological concept called reciprocation. This basically means people will trust you and be happier to put out effort for you if you do something for them. So our goal should always be to demonstrate the value of a product or a feature before requiring anything of users, not after.
Let users explore your app or site before requiring them to login. Research has proven that forcing people to login make people run screaming, so delay the "Create Account" prompt until you've got users convinced it'll be worth it. Delay asking users to allow notifications, share their location, or give personal information until its needed. These requests shouldn't be the first interaction our users have with your product.
Ever read overly detailed instructions and lose track of what's what? Or get a headache filling out a form that's too complex? You're not alone. There's a reason why less than 10% of Americans bother trying to interpret IRS forms to file their own taxes. People can only use so much brain power at once. We have a limited cognitive load. As designers, we can reduce users' stress by taking this limited cognitive load into account.
Split detailed information into bite sized chunks and revealing it only when it's necessary. We can use this with on boarding, setting up a feed, or e-commerce check out. Design relies heavily on a set of psychological principles called Gestalt principles to guide users through pages and screens more easily. Get to know these principles and use them to help users navigate.