Let’s imagine the following scenarios: 1) a psychologist is in a session with a patient, and 2) a UX professional is in an interview with a user. The challenge for the reader is: who said the phrases “And how does that make you feel?”, “Is there anything else you would like to share?” “There are no right or wrong answers”?
Did you answer “Both”? You’re right! These phrases are a tiny and illustrative example of how Psychology and UX have things in common. It’s not a coincidence that the main point where both disciplines intersect is in their target: people.
Psychologists work with and for their patients, and UX professionals work with and for their users. Therefore, knowing how to apply some psychological principles to UX is valuable and enriching.
Before we understand how these areas intersect, it is essential to define them. UX is the discipline that considers the aspects that define our experience as users of products and services (digital or not). Psychology is the discipline that studies our behavior and mental processes, where scientific methods are used to investigate and understand how people think and act.
Introductions were made, so let’s explore some psychology principles and understand how to apply them in UX. We will cover the following principles:
– Cognitive load
– Perception
– Motivation
Psychologists initially introduced cognitive load to describe the mental effort required to learn something new. In practical UX terms, when a user enters a disorganized website full of information and options, their brain goes into action, trying to make sense of the chaos they encounter. The famous “Hick’s Law” tells us that the time needed to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.
Google’s homepage is an excellent example of the evolution of a UI (user interface) that required more significant cognitive effort on the part of users to something simple and immediate.
What can we apply in UX? We can reduce the number of choices presented to users in the flows and wireframes we design, and when we test these designs, we should consider the amount of time it takes to process the information and perform tasks.
Perception is the organization, identification, and interpretation of the environment that surrounds us. Gestalt, which means something like “shape” in German, is a psychological approach applied to UX that describes how people group similar elements, recognize patterns, and simplify complex images. Working with “shapes,” such as buttons, cards, or banners, helps us understand how our users can interpret what we design.
What can we apply in UX? Having the principles “in our pocket” and understanding how information and content are organized can help convey the message we want to users and simplify their understanding.
Motivation is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behavior. BJ Fogg, a behavioral scientist, developed a model that determines that behavior occurs when these three co-occur: motivation, ability, and trigger. Let’s imagine a user excited about going on a trip who accesses a flight booking website but finds a confusing website. They don’t even know where to click. In this scenario, they may not take an action.
What can we apply in UX? We can facilitate user interaction with our UI by offering resources necessary to carry out desired actions, such as noticeable and accessible CTAs (call-to-action).
Applying psychological aspects in UX can help us create more user-friendly, intuitive, and satisfying products and services. Therefore, by applying psychological knowledge to UX, we open the door to a more user-centered approach oriented towards the success of our stakeholders (users included)!
