Cognitive Psychology and UX Design

Introduction

• Speaker: Emilia Ciardi, UX and product manager at IGT, London
• Topic: Leveraging cognitive psychology to understand behaviors in UX design
• Contact details provided for follow-up

Cognitive Psychology Basics

• Cognition: Brain processes a vast amount of signals and perceptions simultaneously.
• Decision-Making: Often semi-automatic and influenced by numerous environmental factors.

Dual Process Theory

• Introduced by William James, further developed by Daniel Kahneman.
• System 1 (Intuition): Fast, automatic, emotional, uses heuristics.
  • Prone to errors and biases.
• System 2 (Reflection): Slow, analytical, deliberate, rational.

Heuristics and Biases in Decision-Making

• Heuristics: Decision-making shortcuts for efficiency.
  • Not always optimal, can lead to cognitive biases.
• Cognitive Biases: Systematic errors in thinking.
  • Example: Blind Spot Bias - unable to see one's own biases.

Implications for UX Design

Heuristic System and UX

• Heuristical Fluency: Preference for designs requiring less mental effort.
  • Simple, clear designs perceived as more valuable.
  • Important to reduce cognitive load for higher perceived value.

Design Tools

• Principles of Gestalt Psychology for visual perception:
  • Size, color, contrast, negative space, proximity, repetition, texture, typography.
• Page Scan Patterns: F-pattern and Z-pattern for content layout.

Cognitive Biases in Design

• Visual aesthetics affect usability perception.
  • Usability Aesthetic Effect: Beautiful design perceived as more usable.
• Importance of first impressions and emotional response.

Priming in UX

• Priming: Exposure to a stimulus influences subsequent behavior.
  • Colors, images, and fonts have significant priming effects.
• Prototypicality: Adherence to expected visual imagery for credibility.

Peak-End Rule

• Memories focus on peak moments and the end of an experience.
  • Strategies to create positive peak moments and reduce negative ones.

Loss Aversion

• Loss Aversion: Pain of losing outweighs pleasure of gaining.
  • Used in free trials and product ownership feelings.
  • Variants: FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), scarcity, and urgency tactics.

Designer Biases

• Maslow's Hammer: Over-reliance on familiar tools/methods.
• Confirmation Bias: Focus on information that confirms pre-existing beliefs.
• False Consensus: Overestimating how many share our views.
• Congruence Bias: Testing only what confirms current assumptions.
• Experimenter's Bias: Research outcomes influenced by expectations.

Mitigating Biases in UX

• Acknowledge biases and continually learn to counteract them.
• User Testing: Key to grounding designs in real user needs.
• Research and Objectivity: Essential for effective design.

Conclusion

• Continual improvement in UX design is essential.
• Encourage deeper exploration into cognitive psychology and UX design.

Recommended Reading

• Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" for understanding biases in decision-making.