100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
Insights into the psychological underpinnings of good design.
Summary of 7 Key Points
Key Points
- How vision and perception affect design
- Design principles based on psychology
- The impact of typography and color on user experience
- Cognitive and emotional responses to designs
- Optimizing design for memory retention
- Incorporating social proof in design
- Designing for decision-making processes
key point 1 of 7
How vision and perception affect design
The human visual system is a complex mechanism that significantly impacts how we interpret design. It’s not just about what we see; it’s about how our brains interpret it. A large part of it is due to the fact that our eyes are drawn to certain visual cues. These cues include elements like contrast, size, repetition, and patterns. For instance, when a design employs a dramatic contrast, it attracts our eyes and compels us to focus on the contrasting elements…Read&Listen More
key point 2 of 7
Design principles based on psychology
The perspective emphasises that every designer should understand the psychological tendencies of their audience. The nuances of human psychology play a crucial role in shaping the effectiveness of any design. This perspective encourages designers to understand how different people perceive varied elements of design differently, influencing their interactions and experiences. This knowledge can guide the designers to make more effective design decisions, leading to improved user engagement and experience…Read&Listen More
key point 3 of 7
The impact of typography and color on user experience
Typography and color are powerful elements in design that significantly impact user experience. Typography, in particular, can strongly influence the readability and legibility of a design. The choice of a font can bring out certain emotions and memories among users. Serif fonts, for instance, are perceived as traditional and formal, while sans-serif fonts are seen as modern and clean. The weight, spacing, and size of the font can also affect how users interpret and interact with a design. A well-executed typography can give a design clarity, making it easier for users to understand and navigate through the information…Read&Listen More
key point 4 of 7
Cognitive and emotional responses to designs
Designs influence cognitive responses by affecting how we process and interpret information. For instance, the use of color, layout, and typography can enhance or hinder our ability to understand and remember information. Favorable designs make use of human cognitive biases and heuristics, such as the Gestalt principles of perception, to improve comprehension and recall. Negative designs, on the other hand, can lead to cognitive overload, causing confusion and frustration. ..Read&Listen More
key point 5 of 7
Optimizing design for memory retention
Optimizing design for memory retention involves understanding how the human memory works. Humans have both a long-term memory and a short-term memory with different capacities and functionalities. Short-term memory can hold around seven chunks of information for about 20 seconds, after which the information is either discarded or transferred to long-term memory. This is why chunking, or breaking down information into smaller, manageable units, is an effective design strategy for improving memory retention…Read&Listen More
key point 6 of 7
Incorporating social proof in design
Social proof is a psychological and social phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior in a given situation. According to the book, incorporating social proof in design is a powerful strategy that can greatly influence the way users interact with a product or system. This is because people are inherently social creatures who often look to others for cues on how to behave, especially in situations where they are unsure of what to do. By showing users that others are using and benefiting from a product or system, designers can create a sense of trust and encourage users to engage with it…Read&Listen More
key point 7 of 7
Designing for decision-making processes
Understanding human decision-making processes is a crucial aspect of design. It involves recognizing that humans are not purely rational creatures, but rather, beings driven by emotions, experiences, cognitive biases, and subconscious elements. While we might believe that our decisions are well-considered, research shows that most of them are automatic, based on cursory information and intuition. This realization can significantly impact how designers approach their work, encouraging them to create interfaces that are intuitively understood and emotionally resonant…Read&Listen More