The 4 Essential Physiological Principles Every User Experience Designer Needs to Know
If you are reading this you probably making something for someone else. It could be a product, service or experience. The thing itself in a way is not as relevant but whatever it is be aware of the implicit message that you are sending across.
This can be hard, because they come from pre-conceived ideas and they way we all view the world. However it is these items in particular that influence how much we like someone or not, whether we come back to the product or if something just looks a bit off but we cannot quite understand why.
Let’s look at some of these here
What we think vs what we see
We all have preconceived notions about colors and their meanings. For example, red is often associated with dominance and aggression.
That’s why so many sports teams use red as their primary color, or why so many countries have the colour in their flag.
Other times, it can be used as a colour of love — think Valentines day- confusing I know, but it is the context that's important here.
When used in an app, red may be eye-catching, but it may also be perceived as negative or alarming. One way to mitigate this is to play a bit with the exact shade and ask opinion from a few people.
Here are some other colour associations:
- Red: passion, love, anger, energy, excitement
- Orange: warmth, creativity, enthusiasm, adventure
- Yellow: happiness, optimism, sunshine, caution, intellect
- Green: nature, growth, harmony, balance, health
- Blue: calmness, trust, wisdom, loyalty, stability
- Purple: royalty, luxury, creativity, mystery, spirituality
- Pink: femininity, sweetness, innocence, romance
- Brown: earthiness, simplicity, reliability, stability
- Gray: neutrality, sophistication, elegance, seriousness
- Black: power, sophistication, mystery, death
- White: purity, innocence, cleanliness, new beginnings.
Keep in mind that what we think about a colour may not always align with what we see. Different cultures may have different associations with colours, and individual experiences may also play a role in how a color is perceived.
Isolation effect
When presented with multiple similar options, our brains tend to group them together and may not remember each individual item. This is where the isolation effect comes in.
When one item is different from the rest, it is more likely to be remembered.
This is why brands spend s much on packaging, which if you are an eco-conscious consumer- as me-you might dislike. However it does work- in a sea of grey products, you will remember the one that's different.
It can be colour.
It can also be a name.
Think FCUK- the name is literally why the brand blew up.
You can apply this to your products or the website, for example to call-to-action buttons. By making the button visually different from the rest of the interface, users are more likely to notice it and take action.
This can be achieved through the use of color, shape, size, or placement. Remember to strike a balance between making the button stand out and keeping it consistent with the overall design aesthetic- ie the ‘brand’.
Serial position
aka don't hide the best points in the middle!
When presented with a list of items, we are more likely to remember the first and last few items.
This can be applied in most areas of life. Such as the next time you are trying to convince anyone of anything. In interface design, this principle can be applied to the placement of important information or call-to-action buttons.
For example, if an interface has multiple call-to-action buttons, placing the most important button on the side can increase its visibility and likelihood of being clicked. Dont
Hick’s law
The more options we have, the longer it takes for us to make a decision.
Sometimes it is nice not to have a thousand options or buttons to click through to go to the next step. I know there were forms I’ve given up with forms upon seeing that I was on question 4 out of 100. Always remember that the attention span is rapidly shrinking for us all.
One way to apply this principle is through progressive disclosure. This involves hiding advanced options or features until the user needs them.
This reduces the number of options presented to the user at once and allows them to focus on the task at hand. Another way to apply this principle is through the use of filters or categories to narrow down options and simplify the decision-making process.
Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts?
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