Cognitive Psychology in UX Design

Sep 9, 2024

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.