psychology and the perfect design by @mrjoe
DESCRIPTION
In this talk, Joe will take you on a journey to find the holy grail we are all looking for: the “perfect” design. We’ll look at a practical strategy that uses psychology to produce the ideal design for those tricky user experience design problems we face everyday. What exactly is the perfect design? Well, that’s what you will find out in the session. We’ll look at the three aspects that define the perfect design and how you can make it work in your projects.TRANSCRIPT
Psychology and the perfect design
Joe Leech @mrjoeWebdagene , Oslo, October 2014
Hello, I’m @mrjoe but you can call me
Joe.I’ve been doing UX for 10 years
I work for cxpartners a UX agency and I work with people like Disney, Marriott & theTrainline.
I studied Neuroscience, which was really hard.MSc Human Communication and computing, more on that later.
£5.3 billion
goes through the stuff I designed every year. (scary).
PsychologyForDesigners.com
‘perfect design’
I want to talk about the perfect design.
Here is what you get if you type perfect design into Google image search.
Not what I’d call the perfect design
#p4d @mrjoe
Today I’m going to talk to you about the brain.
Specifically three parts of it and how if we talk to each we can create the perfect design.
anybody recognise this city? I want to tell you a story about Buenos Aires. I have been twice.
This is the machine. it ate my card.
The second time it happened. I also took a photo. What I didn’t realise until I was putting this talk together. It’s same damn ATM!
I thought, how can I use psychology to understand why this happened and to stop it happening again.
Get Cash
Enter Card
Remove Card
Enter PIN
Select amount
This is order of steps for an ATM in the UK.
Get Cash
This is the thing we start with in our head. One this is done the task is over.
Get Cash
Enter Card
Remove Card
Enter PIN
Select amount
Here’s the flow for an ATM in Argentina.
Get Cash
Enter Card
Remove Card
Enter PIN
Select amount
Enter Card
Remove Card
Get Cash
Enter PIN
Select amount
Compared to a UK one, see the problem. The Goal State is reached before the end of the process. Therefore my brain tells me that we have reached the end, I can leave now, and I do but without my card.
We build Mental Models
of how the world works and apply them
to new situations
Enter Card
Remove Card
Get Cash
Enter PIN
Select amount
Enter Card
Remove Card
Get Cash
Enter PIN
Select amount
Enter Card
Remove Card
Get Cash
Enter PIN
Select amount
Enter Card
Remove Card
Get Cash
Enter PIN
Select amount
ATMS work differently across the world. But notice the commonality. The Goal State is at the end of the process. Meaning bad errors are avoided, it does make the the process different and we can’t use the ATM on autopilot
Cruising.So how does this relate to digital design I hear you ask. We don’t design ATMs.
I worked for Saga holiday, vacations for the over 60s. In this case ocean cruising.
This was the online flow SAGA had before we started.
We did some research and watched how these people would book a cruise holiday. (and yes that is a wig, but not the actual people we spoke to)
We spent a few days listening to calls and customer service issues.
We spent time trying understand the order of steps, and information needed at each each step to reach the Goal State
Remember that line at the top, how the website worked. Well after the research we talked to SAGA about how it did work, and…
This was how people were using the current website. Jumping backwards and forwards, and almost always having to pick up the phone to ask a question, the result, very few online bookings. Web analytics might spot this..
The next bit was the easy bit. We took what we new and showed each step and the information required to move to the next step. Easy if you have done the research, if you have the data. Web analytics will never give you this.
#p4d @mrjoe
Thinking (cognition)
This is the part of the brain we use when we think.
The Cerebral cortex. Used for thinking, learning, processing
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There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking. Thomas Edison
27
Or people are fundamentally lazy.
#p4d @mrjoe
the brain uses 20%
of total energy
£43,654 transactionthe largest transaction through something I’ve designed
(scary).
The result…
1. Match the mental model.
The perfect design
This paper, from 2000. ATM experiment.
The same interaction, two scenarios. One plain green text on black screen. One with a layer of design. The designed version was perceived as being easier to use.
This is beautiful one believe it or not (it’s in Hebrew)
Another project I’ve worked on for Ritz Carlton. What an image.
beauty evokes
emotion
Watch the sun setting beyond the Indian Ocean from the
comfort of your own roof top balcony
words evoke
emotion
#p4d @mrjoe
Thinking (cognition)
Emotion
This is the amygdala part of the Limbic System, it controls Emotion
It has deeper more profound effect on us. It’s connections and hormones permeate throughout the brain, having an effect on everything we are doing.
Emotion effects everything we do, both positive and negative.
1. Match the mental model
2. Evoke emotion
The perfect design
#p4d @mrjoe
Thinking (cognition)
Instinct
EmotionInstinct:
The Hypothalamus & Brain stem.
They control: Breathing, eating, sleeping, heart rate, sexual arousal = Instinct, we are unaware of it
#p4d @mrjoe
Let me tell you a story, recognise this movie?
I was good at computers, kids at school, the Johnson Gang, asked me to help them hack ATMs. Needless to say, I was useless at it.
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http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/17/article-2145759-1321F42E000005DC-318_634x531.jpg
Here’s what happened. They couldn’t hack the ATM so they just stole it.
#p4d @mrjoe
Thinking (cognition)
Emotion
Fusiform Gyrus
Instinct
#p4d @mrjoe http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X07000116
A study, if you want to know how to read an academic paper, buy my book.
#p4d @mrjoe http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X07000116
So what did the paper show?
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Men spent more time, and had a higher probability of, looking at female faces.
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had more first looks towards, spent more time, & had a higher probability of, looking at
Women
genitals.
#p4d @mrjoe
#p4d @mrjoe
Thinking (cognition)
Emotion
Instinct
Here’s the thing. Designing for the instinctual part of the brain is almost impossible. Adding pictures of faces, genitals or anything to try to nudge or persuade is not going to get you very far.
1. Match the mental model.2. Evoke emotion.
The perfect design
3. Ummm...
Do steps one and two and you’ll have a great design. As for persuasive design, nudging, gamification and other trickery, let me call bullshit on that. If you have to use those theories to sell an average product. You’ll be better improving the product that trying to trick. You might get tiny incremental improvements but it won’t get you a perfect design.
Follow @mrjoe
PsychologyForDesigners.com