We overestimate creativity. I have met enough people who associate creativity more with a gift of nature than with a repetitive exercise of thinking, observation and testing. Enough of many to realize it's not just an isolated case.
In this article you will find some elements extracted from psychology so that you will better understand the "creativity" behind designing the user experience.
From the beginning we should keep Don Norman's exhortation:
We must design for people the way they are, not the way we wish them to be.
As a designer it becomes crucial to understand the annoyances of the users, so that you have the information necessary to build solutions compatible with their problems. The process includes understanding the consumer / user behavior and empathizing with it, so you move on to creating a platform that increases productivity. Complicated tasks, solved in a short time through simple steps. At the opposite end, one mistake you could make would be to UX design the image of the ideal client and create for it. I mean for the client in your mind, not for the real one.
You will better understand the user's perception, after completing the 5 lessons on psychology and design.
1. Robert Browing used the expression in a poem in 1855.
Rohe adopted it in 1947 in architecture. We use it today in design. We are talking about "Less is More".
... and even if "maximalism" (which sounds pretty awful) has appeared, let's not forget that there is only one reaction. Minimalism reaction.
Imagine that you are in a restaurant and you want to choose a preparation from 1000. Reading what each one contains (or just checking the offer) will consume you time and make it difficult to choose. A menu with 20 country-specific dishes would be a wise choice. The same in design.
Even though giving users a wide range of options seems to be the winning option, in reality people process a limited amount of information at one time.
More options mean more time for thinking and thus delaying the decision.
A professional designer should keep in mind a simple rule: people come to a site with a specific purpose. Understand that purpose, avoid unnecessary texts, links, images and buttons. Awake as early as possible the moment of "Aha" offering clear content and intuitive navigation.
2. Keep the most important information.
In a study conducted by Nielsen Norman Group on a web page with 45, 237 visitors, it was found that most people tend to read only 20% of the text of the page. On sites with high content, they spend an additional 4 seconds for every 100 extra words.
People reading every word on the web page should follow the following strategy:
· Keywords highlighted
· Significant subtitles
· Lists marked with bullets
· Each paragraph is accompanied by an idea
· It starts with the conclusion
· Remember that only half or less of the number of words matters.
3. Consciously use colors
Colors are the beautiful way in which people identify and differentiate similar objects. Psychologically, colors are providers of emotions. The human mind perceives or creates colors using the visual part of the brain. In general, designers use colors to capture users' attention. It gives them a way to connect them with the brand of the product. The time of purchase and the decision depends on the colors used in the application.
But how can color psychology help a UX Designer to create a better UX strategy?
There is a significant difference in gender preferences. Men prefer bolder colors, and women choose delicate colors. Both sides mostly accept the color blue.
This helps us to understand more about why blue is the most common color in large company logos, websites and other types of applications.
However, this should not be the only factor in color decision. Equally important is the behavior and preferences of the niche you chose to activate.
4. Group the elements according to similarities
Psychological factors also intervene here. The eye tends to perceive similar elements in a design as a complete form even if those elements are separate.
In the image above you can distinguish 2 groups: Top Stories and Most Read. Both groups display the same items: items. They are part of a whole, but Top Stories being the largest part and showing the author's name in a different color, the user's attention will be directed to this section of the page.
5. Group the information
We talk very often about creating an intuitive design.
What does intuitive design really mean?
There are sites that have a "spread" menu. A common example: categories that could become subcategories. A study conducted by Hubspot found that "visitors value more finding information as easily as attractive or fancy." Build hierarchies and organize information.
To know more, click here.
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