Design with sense

In a world characterised by digital interfaces and visual communication, understanding the mental processes behind users' decisions is crucial. Design is not only a question of aesthetic expression, but also a question of functionality and psychological impact. If we understand why people click or don't click on certain elements, we can create more effective and user-friendly designs.

Every click that a user makes is the result of a complex interplay of mental processes. From the choice of colour to the placement of buttons, every design detail influences the user's decisions.
Cognitive psychology contains many exciting principles that help us to unravel and understand these mental processes. 

We like to assume that humans make logical decisions and weigh up all options against each other. However, it has been clearly shown that this is not the case. We use rules of thumb and approximations to make complex decisions quickly and efficiently. We also all have our preferences and experiences that we bring with us and that influence our behaviour.

Heuristics encompass precisely those principles that we use to take mental shortcuts in order to make complex judgements and decisions more quickly. However, systematic errors and cognitive distortions can also occur. Although these cannot be controlled, they are predictable and can be used to create better designs for users. 

Confirmation bias

Users tend to search for, interpret, favour and remember information that confirms their previous beliefs or values. In UX design, this means that users may favour features or content that match their existing preferences, which can lead to biased interaction.

Presentation bias

This bias means that users develop a preference for things that are familiar to them. In UX design, taking advantage of this bias can lead designers to choose familiar patterns and interactions to increase usability and improve acceptance.

Decision paralysis

Too many options can overwhelm users and prevent them from making a decision. In design, this can be mitigated by reducing the number of choices or highlighting recommended options to simplify the decision-making process.

In addition to heuristics and cognitive distortions, there are also Gestalt principles, also known as Gestalt laws. They are basic rules or theories in psychology that describe how people perceive and organise visual elements in order to recognise a whole. Two simple examples are:

Law of Common Region

Elements are perceived as groups if they share an area with a clearly defined boundary.

Low of Proximity

Objects that are close together or in close proximity to each other tend to be perceived as a group.

By understanding these principles and exploring the human subconscious, designers can ensure that their solutions are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also functional and user-friendly. By putting users at the centre of their considerations and working closely with them, designers can create products and services with real added value that meet the needs of their end users. Ultimately, human-centred design is the key to successful and sustainable solutions that improve and enrich people's lives.