Designers! 📢 Use Visual Psychology to Guide Users Through Your Interface!

This was supposed to be my first article on Design in Medium. But, I waited until I learned more so that I could make articles which could be read in 5 minutes or so for that occasional dose.

I used to scroll through reels and posts on social media platforms at first but later on I found that it can be a good source to boost your knowledge in any field you are interested in. And I started collating those pieces which I found interesting and decided to share them with all.

Are UX designers supposed to be pro-psychologists? Mmm… not really, but it is always good to know the psychological aspects to empathize with users well.

So without overextending let’s cut to the chase and try to understand some commonly used user behavior and mental model aspects in applications.

Disclaimer: My articles are going to be in the simplest language and I’ve no intention to make them heavy in any manner (in case you came here expecting that).

Peak End Rule

Ever experienced an offboarding process within a platform with a positive note in the end? That’s what the peak-end rule talks about.

People often evaluate their past experiences primarily based on the peaks (both positive and negative) and their endings. Therefore, ensuring a seamless offboarding process is crucial for maintaining a positive reputation.

Even if individuals depart, their ability to recommend your product to others for years to come hinges on their final interaction.

E.g. In Airbnb, guests are prompted to leave a review and provide feedback after they check out. This is an opportunity for users to reflect on their overall experience, including the peaks they encountered and the quality of their stay.

Always end on a good note.

Endowment Effect

The Endowment effect is closely related to multiple aspects like loss aversion, user engagement and loyalty, pricing and value perception etc.

There is often a tendency among users to be resistant to changes or updates to a product or interface that they have become accustomed to. And that’s why despite being beneficial users often don’t prefer any price hikes or change to another similar product if they don’t find it as worthwhile as the one they are familiar with.

Users once used to a product feel like they own it in some way and making changes in price or any app updates might make them feel reluctant towards the product.

However, it can be used to enhance engagement and loyalty by providing personalization or customization options or personal profiles, or the ability to save preferences can all contribute to this sense of ownership and enhance the overall user experience.

The IKEA effect

Engaging users in the creation or customization of a product increases users’ attachment, satisfaction, and perceived value of the outcome.

Just like the IKEA effect — where it says investing time, effort and personal involvement enhances the attachment and perceived value of a product (IKEA does that and hence the name).

When developing a new feature, incorporating a feedback mechanism is crucial. User input provides invaluable insights for enhancing your product.

Mental associations

Remember the second rule in heuristic evaluation rules by Jakob Nielsen? It says the design should speak the language users are familiar with. And why is it like that? — It will help users to connect with the product.

Our brains naturally form connections (associations) to comprehend the information we encounter, and we find comfort when it aligns with our existing mental frameworks (cognitive dissonance).

The trolley or shopping bag icon used to represent a cart is the best example.

Familiarity bias

When introducing a new feature it is always a better option to go along with the existing UX patterns and visuals which will help users to accept the change more smoothly.

You might have experienced the UI changes happening often on Instagram. Some users find it frustrating, but in a way them trying to introduce it slowly and making sure users are familiarised with it makes it better for some to adapt to the change.

3:30:3 Rule / The Rule of Three

This is interesting yet important to keep in mind whenever you design or even write some articles or blog posts. It is considered one of the key factors to improve the conversion rate. The three 3 numbers represent the following:

1. The first 3 in the ratio say it takes 3 seconds to grab the attention of a person.
2. Once the initial attention has been captured, it takes 30 seconds to engage the user in the content.
3. If a user finds it useful, interesting, and easy to get what they are looking for, they’ll continue with the content for an average of 3 minutes.

An article on A/B testing that caught my attention which follows the rule is this. Check it out!

The Thumb-Zone test

This test deals with that “safe zone” in a mobile where we feel comfortable while interacting with it. First coined by Steven Hoober, he found that 49% of people hold their phones with one hand and that 75% use their thumbs to get tasks done easily.

Now that’s what the test “tests” if important elements are accessible with the help of our thumb.

Although there are no ground rules on the positioning of important tasks, it is a recommended way to place CTAs, swipe gestures, etc. closer to the bottom or most reachable zone for both left-handed and right-handed people.

So, now you have the answers to questions like “Why is the navigation bar in apps are placed at the bottom and why important links for navigation are placed in it”, don’t you?

Von Restorff Effect

Wonder why most of the online course platforms highlight their “Enroll” button among other course details?

When multiple objects are present, the one that differs from the rest will most likely be remembered. This is the main reason why all CTAs are highlighted from the rest of the actions as they are always and must be highlighted so that users can remember it and won’t have difficulty finding it while navigating through an app or website.

P.S. It’s most likely to be remembered hence think before deciding your CTA.

Serial Position Effect

Users tend to remember the first and last items in a series. If you would have noticed people often sing the first few words and last words of the first stanza in a song. Now you know why 😌

This is the reason why in the mobile bottom navigation bar the most important items are kept on the left and right sides.

Law of Proximity

Objects that are near or proximate to each other tend to be grouped. Our brain can easily associate objects close to each other better than with objects spaced far apart.

That is the reason why cards even without boundaries are often considered a group due to the right proximity between the elements involved in it.

The Professional Mourner

This is something I learned recently. During the offboarding process in a platform, It’s quite a common approach designers take to create an interface with a sad face illustration and copy.

But did you know using human emotions to make someone feel bad is an inadequate exaggeration? Come on! we all know when we leave a platform it’s for a reason right?

Nevertheless, there are products which use this trick to look “more human,” but in reality, it’s manipulative.

Although you can suggest some good options present in the applications or give a good amount of discount (Did some famous brand come into your mind?), a simple goodbye would do the trick.

Food for thought — When you recognize people and their work in a positive way it’ll motivate both ends.

So, if you like the article, you know the drill 👏🏻

Happy New Year 2024 folks!