WEB DESIGN

USABILITY
LECTURE 12

SYED MUHAMMAD JUNAID HASSAN

A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY
PRINCIPLES IN UX DESIGN

• Understanding user behavior is paramount when designing any type of product,

be it digital or traditional.
• The way people perceive certain things will affect how they interact with
them, the pleasure that is driven from said action, or the overall experience they
have. 
• Before diving into the actual development of a digital product, UX designers
need to plan their every step by maintaining a user-centered perspective.
• They need to think like the users, identify their needs and what stimulates a
particular action or reaction.
A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO PSYCHOLOGY
PRINCIPLES IN UX DESIGN

• For that, there is one single type of science that we can use
– psychology. 
• This does not mean you need a master’s degree in behavioral
science to deliver great digital experience. 
• But by understanding some of the most basic psychology principles,
you can elevate your design and provide users with enjoyable
experiences
UNDERSTAND THE BASICS
OF HUMAN ATTENTION
• In simple words, attention is the ability to process the
information around us and select what stimuli we react to.
• Sometimes, these reactions happen automatically, like
when someone calls our name, while other times we get to
decide what we want to react to, often called the focus.
• Right now, your brain processes a huge number of stimuli,
such as the light in the room, the sounds we hear, or the
voice in your head that reads these words.
UNDERSTAND THE BASICS
OF HUMAN ATTENTION
• However, your decision at that particular moment might be to
focus on the voice. 
• When it comes to visual attention, there are two ways people
can choose to direct it.
• The first one, spatial attention, refers to focusing on a
particular region, such as the main page.
• The second one, feature-based attention, dives even deeper
and shifts focus to one single element; a particular color or
word, for example. 
UNDERSTAND THE BASICS
OF HUMAN ATTENTION
• But attention is a limited resource, which means UX
designers need to focus on not overloading the mind. 
• This brings us to Hick’s Law, which states that the more
choices someone has, the higher the cognitive load.
• To put it simply; the more choices you give to a user, the
harder it will be for them to decide which action to take.
UNDERSTAND THE BASICS
OF HUMAN ATTENTION
• On the other hand; limited, but more clear options, will
lead to a much better user experience and drive
satisfaction. 
• However, there comes a time when you need to feature a
large number of options, and you can’t afford to cut
back on any of them.
• In this case, you can break the process up into steps
similar to that of the menu bar of an eCommerce store.
GESTALT LAWS OF
PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION
• Commonly referred to as the Gestalt Principles, these laws present
the fact that human minds tend to group elements in certain ways,
for a much easier way of processing stimuli around us.
• Basically, the mind does this to help break up complex schemes or
images.
• Try looking at these Rainmeter skins for example
• 20 Amazing Rainmeter Skins In 2020 (techgyo.com)
GESTALT LAWS OF
PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION
• how designers managed to group different elements on the desktop
for better UX. 
• Since every person is different, you might be tempted to think that
the way we group these elements is different or random.
GESTALT LAWS OF
PERCEPTUAL ORGANIZATION
• In reality, they all fall under 5 principles:
• Proximity: This principle refers to the fact that we tend to group elements that are
close to each other and perceive them as one single item
• Similarity: Elements that look alike, probably because of color, shape, or some other
feature, are tend to be grouped together
• Continuity: Our minds are designed to follow paths. So, you can use the principle of
continuity to guide the user towards a certain element on a page.
• Closure: Our brain is used to process a whole image better than multiple bits. So even
though an element is missing, you will still perceive the bigger picture as an entire unit
• Connectedness: The simplest out of all 5 principles - this refers to the fact that we
have a tendency to group items that are connected, kind of like a big painting
fragmented into three separate sections.
WE FAVOR WHAT WE FIND FAMILIAR

• Another psychology principle, called Jakob’s Law suggests

the fact that people tend to favor experiences they find
familiar.
• How can we leverage this to deliver a good UX design?
• Well, it means that people are more likely to react positively
to websites or apps that look similar to those they have been
using before. 
• However, this does not mean you should go ahead and copy
Uber’s interface if you are designing a rideshare app.
WE FAVOR WHAT WE FIND FAMILIAR

• It only means that you may want to keep the same

principles.
• To apply Jakob’s Law, you need to first identify the leaders
of the industry and see what elements they have in common.
• Think of it as a spin on a traditional recipe.
• A hamburger without a bun and a patty is no longer a
hamburger, but this does not mean you can’t add lettuce,
cheese, or your secret sauce to it. 
WE FAVOR WHAT WE FIND FAMILIAR

• By keeping the key elements together that users are

familiar with, you can avoid confusion and succeed
in meeting user expectations. 
• Paper writing sites, for example, focus on
maintaining a few basic elements, such as the type of
services they provide, samples, and contact
information as visible as possible, because these are
the main features that people look out for. 
WE FAVOR WHAT WE FIND FAMILIAR

• Don’t fear that keeping a familiar structure will limit

your chances to provide innovative features.
• By conducting market research, you will be able to
identify the areas in which can do something
different.
GET FAMILIAR WITH UX
WRITING
• Besides images and other visually pleasing elements, effective UX
designs need to correctly incorporate texts also. 
• While we might be used to guide ourselves based on graphic
elements, such as icons and pictures; the text helps with call-to-
action. 
• Try to imagine an app that is solely based on graphic elements.
• No written information, no guidelines, no help menu, nothing.
GET FAMILIAR WITH UX
WRITING
• Would it be easy for you to navigate through it? But, most
importantly, would it be easy for someone else who is not
as tech-savvy as you are, to work their way around it?
• The text needs to be incorporated into the development
process since its early stages, to ensure they blend and go
well with the rest of the design elements.
• Otherwise, developers might have to rectify the initial
design to ensure that it fits the text elements.
REFERENCES

https://www.srijan.net/blog/a-beginners-guide-to-psychology-principles-in-ux-design