UX Psychology

UX Psychology Substack explores the intersection of user experience design and psychology. It covers analyzing user data, enhancing user experiences through psychological principles, the impact of automation, cultural considerations in UX, emotional aspects of design, UX research methodologies, adapting UX for diverse populations, addressing cognitive biases, and the integration of AI in UX. It aims to enhance the design process by applying psychological insights.

User Experience Design Psychological Principles Qualitative and Quantitative Research Automation in User Experience Cultural Aspects of UX Emotional Design AI and Machine Learning Cognitive Biases Dark Patterns Inclusive Design Digital Product Design User Research

The hottest Substack posts of UX Psychology

And their main takeaways

The Dunning-Kruger Effect: Cognitive Bias or Statistical Artefact?

218 implied HN points • 16 Feb 24
🔬 Science Cognitive Bias Psychology Statistics User Experience Awareness
  1. The Dunning-Kruger effect explains how people with lower ability often overestimate their competence, while highly skilled individuals tend to underestimate their capabilities.
  2. The disconnect between competence and metacompetence judgments is seen not only in psychology but also in areas like aviation, memory, and medical skills. It can impact product development and UX teams by highlighting the challenge of relying on feedback from less competent individuals.
  3. Debate continues on whether the Dunning-Kruger effect is purely a statistical artefact or a psychological phenomenon. Regardless, it prompts the need for critical self-awareness, peer review, and continuous growth to mitigate its impact in fields like UX.

Bridging the Gap: Navigating the Curse of Knowledge in UX

178 implied HN points • 23 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Cognitive Biases Research Design Expertise
  1. The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias where experts find it hard to imagine not knowing what they know, this can impact different fields, including UX.
  2. Cognitive biases like the curse of knowledge stem from how our brains process and remember information, leading to errors in thinking and decision-making.
  3. To overcome the curse of knowledge, involve users in the design process, seek feedback from colleagues, and communicate in plain language to ensure better collaboration and user experience.

Enhancing Employee Experience through UX

238 implied HN points • 02 Feb 24
💼 Business UX Employee Experience User Research
  1. It is crucial to integrate UX principles into the employee experience to enhance engagement and productivity in the workplace.
  2. By applying UX methodologies like user research, iterative design, and usability testing, organizations can create environments that prioritize employee needs and well-being.
  3. UX professionals can play key roles in optimizing the employee experience by leading research, advising on best practices, and educating workplace teams on UX skills and mindsets.

The Automation Paradox: How More Tech Can Mean More Human Challenges

297 implied HN points • 12 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Automation UX Design Autonomous Vehicles Language Models
  1. Increased automation can lead to unexpected complications for human tasks, creating a paradox where reliance on technology may actually hinder human performance.
  2. The 'Irony of Automation' highlights unintended consequences like automation not reducing human workload, requiring more complex skills for operators, and leading to decreased vigilance.
  3. Strategies like enhancing monitoring systems, maintaining manual and cognitive skills, and thoughtful interface design are crucial for addressing the challenges posed by automation and keeping human factors in focus.

From Intentions to Actions: Achieving Goals with Implementation Intentions

297 implied HN points • 05 Jan 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Psychology Goal setting Research Habits Self-Improvement
  1. Form implementation intentions to bridge the gap between intentions and actions by creating specific if-then plans linking cues to goal-directed behaviors.
  2. Research shows that forming if-then plans can significantly increase the likelihood of achieving goals in various areas such as health, consumer choices, and personal goals.
  3. To apply implementation intentions, choose specific goals, identify situational cues, specify goal-directed responses, form if-then plan statements, and commit to following through.
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

The Role of Mood in User Experience Design

218 implied HN points • 19 Jan 24
🕹 Technology Design User Experience Ethics
  1. Understanding user mood is crucial in user experience design as it influences interactions over time.
  2. Moods can be monitored, expressed, and regulated in UX design to create more personalized and empathetic experiences.
  3. Implementing mood-focused strategies requires considering ethical challenges, personalization opportunities, and continuous testing.

The Future of Design? Using AI to Enhance Human Cognition and Creativity

119 implied HN points • 09 Feb 24
🕹 Technology AI Design Metacognition UX
  1. Monitoring emotional reactions in design using AI and biosensors can promote self-reflection and enhance creativity in UX work.
  2. The Multi-Self tool combines EEG sensors and machine learning to provide real-time feedback on emotional responses during design tasks.
  3. Designers showed varying responses to AI-based emotional feedback, with novices relying on it more for guidance while experts often trusted their own judgment.

Online Reviews: An Untapped Resource for UX Research?

119 implied HN points • 26 Jan 24
🕹 Technology UX Research Data Analysis User Feedback Competitor Analysis Ethical considerations
  1. Online reviews offer easy access to real user feedback, going beyond predefined questions and providing insights into user profiles and product features that traditional research may miss.
  2. Large datasets from online reviews allow for analysis at a vast scale, enabling the discovery of weak signals affecting small user subsets that traditional research could overlook, especially in companies with limited research budgets.
  3. Sentiment analysis of online reviews can uncover user frustrations, needs, and pain points, helping identify where experiences fall short of expectations and providing insights into specific features and aspects of the user experience.

Beyond Five Seconds: Rethinking First Impressions in UX

238 implied HN points • 08 Dec 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Research Cognitive abilities User Experience
  1. First impressions are crucial in UX and can influence user engagement throughout their interaction with an interface.
  2. Traditional 'five-second tests' in UX may not account for variations in users' cognitive abilities and the complexity of visual designs.
  3. To enhance UX design, consider customizing testing based on cognitive abilities, evaluating visual complexity, and rethinking the standard 'five-second rule.'

Embracing Asynchronous Communication in UX Teams

138 implied HN points • 22 Dec 23
🕹 Technology Communication Remote work Collaboration Inclusivity Efficiency
  1. Asynchronous communication can combat Zoom fatigue by reducing the need for excessive meetings and allowing for more focused work time.
  2. Benefits of asynchronous communication include inclusivity, clearer communication, efficiency with meeting reduction, and wider audience engagement.
  3. Challenges of asynchronous communication include adjustment to a new way of working, time and effort for content creation, cultural shifts within organizations, and potential for information overload.

Words Matter: How Terminology Affects User Responses to AI System Failures

198 implied HN points • 17 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI User Experience Trust Research
  1. The specific terminology used to describe AI systems significantly impacts user perceptions and expectations.
  2. Research shows that labeling a system as 'AI' versus 'algorithmic' affects trust, satisfaction, and acceptance after errors.
  3. Transparency, explainability, and careful terminology choices are essential in maintaining user trust and satisfaction with AI systems.

Beyond Functionality: Measuring the Social Dimension of User Experience

218 implied HN points • 13 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Social Interaction Research User engagement Product Development
  1. Measurements of user experience are expanding beyond just functionality and usability to include social dimensions, reflecting the importance of catering to users' social needs and interactions in digital products.
  2. Key social factors like self-expression, social learning, relatedness, communication, and social approval significantly impact user engagement, highlighting the need to address these aspects in UX design.
  3. Newly developed Social UX Scales, such as Identification, Social Interaction, Social Stimulation, and Social Acceptance, offer tools to effectively measure and improve social aspects of modern technology experiences.

Designing Usable Toggle Switches: Applying UX Research Insights

198 implied HN points • 20 Oct 23
🕹 Technology UX Design User Experience Research
  1. Toggle switches in user interfaces should provide immediate visual feedback when clicked to show the state change.
  2. Clear and familiar labels like 'On/Off' are crucial for toggle switches to avoid confusion. Avoid using unfamiliar terms or questions as labels.
  3. Use color effectively with 'On' typically in green or blue and position it on the right side. Negative or ambiguous toggle text should be avoided.

The Use of Scarcity Cues in E-Commerce: Impact on User Experience and Trust

218 implied HN points • 05 Oct 23
💼 Business E-commerce User Experience Psychology Marketing Research
  1. Online retailers often use scarcity cues like countdown timers and limited quantity messages to create urgency, but research suggests they can harm user experience and trust.
  2. Psychological theories show that scarcity can make products seem more valuable, yet artificial scarcity cues in marketing can annoy users and erode trust.
  3. Recent research found that scarcity cues, especially time-based ones, can lead to negative emotions, frustration, and reduced user trust, highlighting the need for transparent and verifiable messaging in e-commerce.

Using Psychology to Improve User Onboarding

377 implied HN points • 14 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Experience Decision-making
  1. Leverage psychology in user onboarding to create informative, enjoyable, and memorable experiences.
  2. Utilize the Zeigarnik effect by using progress meters, reminders, and allowing partial profile completion to keep users engaged.
  3. Decrease complexity with Hicks' law by reducing choices, highlighting easy options, and using progressive onboarding to improve decision-making and enhance user experience.

The Challenge to Human Creativity: Can AI Surpass Humans in Divergent Thinking?

218 implied HN points • 28 Sep 23
🔬 Science Artificial Intelligence Creativity Research Technology Human-Machine Interaction
  1. Artificial intelligence (AI) is challenging the notion that creativity is solely a human trait, with recent AI systems showcasing high-quality artistic and literary works.
  2. Comparisons between human and AI creativity, particularly in divergent thinking, demonstrate that while AI excels in some aspects, highly creative humans can still make surprising connections between concepts.
  3. Creative professionals like designers, artists, and writers may find that while AI can outperform average human creative thinking, uniquely human qualities such as intuition, emotional expressiveness, and cultural embeddedness continue to set humans apart in pushing creative boundaries.

Designing Digital Products for Older Adults

218 implied HN points • 21 Sep 23
🪑 Design User Experience Aging
  1. Designing digital products for older adults is crucial as their population grows and technology becomes more integrated into daily life.
  2. Age-related changes in vision, hearing, dexterity, processing speed, working memory, attention, and executive function must be considered when designing inclusive digital experiences for older adults.
  3. To create more inclusive digital experiences for older adults, simplify interfaces, support recognition over recall, offer clear wayfinding cues, minimize required steps, and provide feedback and error recovery options.

Creating Inclusive AI: A Strengths-Based Approach to Accessible Design

138 implied HN points • 10 Nov 23
🕹 Technology AI User Research Frameworks Methodology
  1. Designing AI systems using a strengths-based approach can empower users across a wide array of abilities, rather than highlighting deficits.
  2. Key frameworks like Universal Design, Ability-Based Design, and Design for User Empowerment help create more accessible and empowering intelligent systems.
  3. Using qualitative research methods like co-design and long-term engagement can provide deeper insights into diverse user experiences, enhancing the design process.

Analysing Qualitative User Data

396 implied HN points • 26 May 23
🔬 Science Data Analysis User Insights
  1. Qualitative data analysis involves examining non-numerical data, like interviews or observations, to find patterns and insights. This process requires a more nuanced approach compared to quantitative data analysis.
  2. Qualitative coding offers benefits like unveiling new insights, enhancing study validity, and providing contextual understanding of users' behaviors and motivations.
  3. There are different types of qualitative data analysis methods such as content analysis, thematic analysis, discourse analysis, and grounded theory. Choosing the right method depends on your research question, the type of data collected, and available resources.

Navigating Uncertainty: Fostering Innovation in Times of Change

138 implied HN points • 27 Oct 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Uncertainty Psychology Research Strategies Personal Growth
  1. Uncertainty can lead to stress and anxiety, impacting individual and team performance.
  2. Reframing uncertainty positively can spark creativity, growth, and better adaptation to change.
  3. Strategies for managing uncertainty include focusing on what can be controlled, embracing experimentation, celebrating small wins, fostering psychological safety, transparent communication, and reminding of organizational purpose.

Uncovering the Unspoken: Using Implicit Measures to Understand User Experience

79 implied HN points • 15 Dec 23
🕹 Technology UX Research
  1. UX researchers can benefit from using implicit measures in addition to explicit ones to gain a more comprehensive understanding of user experience.
  2. Explicit measures in UX research have limitations as they rely on users' self-reports, which may not capture unconscious processes influencing behaviors.
  3. Dual process theories suggest that both implicit, associative reactions and explicit, rational evaluations shape attitudes, leading to a better understanding of user perspectives in technology and experiences.

From Challenges to Opportunities: Insights into the Neurodiverse Experience in UX

99 implied HN points • 24 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Neurodiversity UX Design Innovation Career
  1. Neurodiversity refers to a natural variation in how people think, perceive, and learn, and includes conditions like autism, ADHD, and dyslexia.
  2. Neurodivergent individuals can struggle with employment due to sensory sensitivity, social difficulties, and executive functioning challenges, but with the right support, they can thrive professionally and bring unique value.
  3. In the field of UX, neurodiverse perspectives can offer diverse skills and innovation, but individual assessment and customized support are crucial for success as each person's strengths and challenges vary.

The UX Recruitment Struggle Is Real: How to Find Participants

238 implied HN points • 21 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Research Recruitment User Experience Strategies
  1. Finding the right participants for UX research can be a major challenge, hindering the effectiveness of your study.
  2. Being resourceful in recruiting participants is key - leverage niche communities, engage with customer-facing teams, and consider using professional panels.
  3. When facing internal roadblocks, start small to showcase the value of UX research, analyze indirect user touchpoints, and conduct desk research or UX audits as alternative solutions.

Part 1: AI Use Among UX Professionals

198 implied HN points • 17 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI UX Tools Data Analysis Ethics
  1. Artificial Intelligence is significantly impacting User Experience (UX) by providing new tools and methods for research and design.
  2. UX professionals have varying levels of AI knowledge and usage, with concerns including potential errors, biases, and job security.
  3. Even though many UX professionals are incorporating AI into their work, there is still caution and a desire to ensure responsible AI use and human augmentation.

The Role of Personality and Cognitive Ability in the Measurement of Usability

158 implied HN points • 08 Sep 23
🔬 Science Psychology Personality Traits User Experience
  1. The usability of a product varies among individuals based on their knowledge, experience, and attitudes, not just a fixed attribute.
  2. Personality traits like emotional stability, openness to experience, and conscientiousness play a significant role in shaping subjective usability ratings.
  3. Cognitive ability did not have a significant impact on usability ratings, indicating that individual personality traits are stronger predictors.

Prospective Memory and UX

317 implied HN points • 04 May 23
🔬 Science UX Design Human behavior Research
  1. Prospective memory is the ability to remember to do something in the future. It's crucial for daily tasks like attending meetings or taking medication.
  2. There are two main types of prospective memory: event-based (triggered by cues) and time-based (triggered by specific times). Distractions or cognitive load can lead to failures in remembering to do a task at the right time.
  3. Designing interfaces with visual cues, gamification, habit formation, contextual design, and cognitive offloading can improve users' prospective memory performance and create more engaging experiences.

Part 2: Examining UX Professionals' Attitudes Towards AI

138 implied HN points • 14 Sep 23
🕹 Technology UX AI Research Tools
  1. UX professionals generally have a positive outlook on incorporating AI into their work, emphasizing the importance of AI enhancing human potential rather than overshadowing it.
  2. Even though most UX professionals display a positive attitude towards AI, there is still a degree of caution evident.
  3. Individuals with higher self-reported AI knowledge tend to have more favorable attitudes towards AI and use AI tools more frequently in their work.

Making Sense of the ChatGPT User Experience

158 implied HN points • 25 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI User Experience Research Conversational AI
  1. Conversational AI tools like ChatGPT are transforming human-computer interaction by enabling natural language conversations on various topics.
  2. Studies show that features enhancing productivity and enjoyment, while ensuring accuracy, play a crucial role in shaping user experiences with ChatGPT.
  3. While ChatGPT offers benefits like enhanced productivity and user satisfaction compared to traditional methods, there are also notable risks like misinformation that need to be addressed through thoughtful design and transparency.

Feeling the Design

238 implied HN points • 05 Jun 23
🪑 Design Emotion Attention Product Design User Experience Aesthetics
  1. Emotions significantly impact user attention and decision-making. We can design products that resonate with users by considering their emotional states.
  2. Balancing functionality and aesthetics is crucial in design. Negative emotions may lead users to focus on functionality, while positive emotions may draw them to aesthetics.
  3. Design strategies that consider emotional mapping, create emotional peaks, and provide feedback can enhance user experience and engagement.

Deepfake Personas in UX

198 implied HN points • 06 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX AI Deepfake Multimedia User Experience
  1. Traditional personas are being enhanced with deepfake technology to create more dynamic representations of end-users.
  2. A study compared deepfake personas with classic and narrative personas in terms of empathy, credibility, and more, showing that deepfakes were perceived less favorably due to the uncanny valley effect.
  3. While deepfake personas are not yet widely accepted in UX, there is a small group of users who see potential value in them, hinting at possible scenarios where they might be beneficial.

Nostalgia in UX Design

158 implied HN points • 11 Aug 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Research
  1. Nostalgia has evolved from being seen as a medical ailment to a cultural touchstone, becoming more relevant today in marketing and design.
  2. Nostalgia offers psychological comfort during distressing times, increasing well-being, optimism, and a sense of meaning in life.
  3. When incorporating nostalgia into UX design, it's essential to understand the audience, innovate while evoking the past, ensure coherence, and avoid the potential pitfalls of manipulation and inhibiting innovation.

The Effect of Culture in UX

258 implied HN points • 12 May 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Cultural differences User Research Iconography Language
  1. Understanding cultural differences is crucial in UX design to cater to diverse user needs globally.
  2. Cultural dimensions like individualism-collectivism, high-vs-low context communication, and power distance can significantly impact user behavior and preferences.
  3. Incorporating cultural sensitivity in design through research, inclusive elements, and collaboration with local experts can enhance user experience for a diverse global audience.

Do People Prefer Curved Lines?

218 implied HN points • 30 Mar 23
🔬 Science Psychology Design Perception Cognition User Experience
  1. Research indicates that people generally prefer curved lines over straight or angular ones due to associations with grace and gentleness.
  2. Preference for curves is not just psychological, but has roots in our perception of safety and nurture, related to our evolutionary past.
  3. In design, understanding people's preference for curved lines can help create more visually appealing and effective products, but individual factors like personality and culture also play a role.

The Creator's Blind Spot

158 implied HN points • 28 Jun 23
🕹 Technology AI Psychology Product Development UX Research
  1. Understanding the psychology of AI creators is crucial as they may have an overly optimistic view of their own creations, known as the Inventor's Bias Effect.
  2. Inventors may view their products more positively due to personal identification with their creations, indicating biased decision-making.
  3. The importance of diverse input in decision-making processes to prevent overblown expectations about fairness and efficiency in AI tools.

Exploring Social Loafing in Human-Computer Teams

59 implied HN points • 03 Nov 23
🔬 Science Human-computer interaction Psychology Artificial Intelligence Research Methods Technology
  1. Social loafing in human-computer teams can lead to reduced human effort over time, even if participants report consistent effort and engagement.
  2. Humans may rely excessively on dependable robotic or AI teammates, potentially impairing human attentiveness and performance.
  3. Mitigating the effects of social loafing in human-computer teams can involve strategies such as establishing individual accountability, validating robot or AI performance, and designing robots/AI to provide motivation to human teammates.

Lost in Navigation: Overcoming the Paradox of Choice in UX Design

99 implied HN points • 01 Sep 23
🕹 Technology UX Design Psychology User Research
  1. Providing more choices in user interfaces does not always lead to better decisions due to the paradox of choice - too many options can lead to decision overload and poorer choices.
  2. Choice paralysis in UX occurs when users are overwhelmed with options, leading to inaction or abandonment of tasks - simplifying navigation options can help prevent this.
  3. Hick's Law states that decision time increases with the number of choices available, emphasizing the importance of streamlining navigation design to reduce cognitive effort and aid decision-making for users.

Striking the Right Balance: Anthropomorphism in AI Assistants

119 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🕹 Technology AI User Experience Design Research
  1. Incorporating anthropomorphic design elements can improve user experience and satisfaction with AI systems. Humanlike voices and natural conversational abilities in chatbots lead to more positive user perceptions and emotional connections.
  2. Not all humanlike cues in AI elicit positive reactions - some may cause unease or revulsion. Factors like the uncanny valley effect and privacy risks need to be considered when designing anthropomorphic AI.
  3. Emotional and auditory anthropomorphic cues like humor and natural-sounding voices can increase user satisfaction and strengthen connections. These cues are more impactful for entertainment purposes than utilitarian tasks with AI assistants.

Uncovering Hidden Insights: Eye Tracking and Mouse Tracking for UX Research

119 implied HN points • 28 Jul 23
🕹 Technology UX Research User Behavior
  1. Traditional UX research methods focus on qualitative data from interviews, surveys, and tests, but new approaches like eye tracking and mouse tracking offer deeper insights into unconscious user behaviors.
  2. Eye tracking technology maps users' gaze on screens, providing insights into attention, distractions, and navigation patterns, although it can be costly and requires specialized equipment.
  3. Mouse tracking records hand movements and decision-making processes, complementing eye tracking data to reveal user interactions and uncover hidden pain points in interfaces.

The Gamification of Creativity: Unlocking Potential in the Workplace

39 implied HN points • 01 Dec 23
💼 Business Creativity Motivation Incentives Research Innovation
  1. Consider implementing gamification with elements like points, badges, and leaderboards to boost creativity more effectively than relying solely on monetary rewards.
  2. When motivating for creativity, excess monetary rewards may not yield better results. Focus on fostering meaning, autonomy, and purpose in tasks instead.
  3. Applying moderate pressure through aspects like performance penalties or time constraints can increase focus, effort, and creative output when used thoughtfully.

Dark Patterns: using human psychology to manipulate users

198 implied HN points • 02 Feb 23
🕹 Technology UX Design User Experience Manipulation Psychology
  1. Dark patterns in UX are manipulative design tactics used to influence user behavior for the benefit of the company, often at the expense of the user's experience and trust.
  2. Dark patterns have different categories like asymmetrical, covert, restrictive, and deceptive, which aim to coerce and deceive users into unintended decisions.
  3. To combat dark patterns, designers should prioritize user transparency, education, testing with real users, and compliance with ethical design guidelines and regulations.