100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
by Susan Weinschenk
“This book is a must-read for anyone involved in designing interactive experiences. Susan Weinschenk has distilled decades of research into a book that is both engaging and actionable. You’ll find yourself referring back to it time and time again.”
“This book is a treasure trove of insights and recommendations based on solid scientific research. Susan Weinschenk provides practical advice for designers, backed up by real-world examples and research studies. I highly recommend this book to anyone involved in designing technology products.”
"100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People" by Susan Weinschenk is a valuable guide for designers, providing them with insights into human behavior that are essential for designing effective products, interfaces, and experiences. The book covers a wide range of topics, including perception, attention, memory, decision-making, motivation, emotions, and social behavior.
One of the key insights from the book is that people have limited attention spans. People can only focus on a few things at a time, and their attention is easily diverted by distractions. Therefore, designers need to make sure that the most important information and actions are easy to find and use, and that distractions are minimized.
Another important insight is that people are highly visual creatures. The human brain processes visual information faster and more efficiently than any other type of information. Therefore, designers need to pay close attention to the visual aspects of their designs, including the use of color, contrast, typography, and layout.
The book also highlights the importance of simplicity in design. Research has shown that people prefer simplicity in their interactions with technology. They want products and interfaces that are easy to use, intuitive, and don't require a lot of mental effort to understand. Designers can achieve this by simplifying their designs, reducing clutter, and making sure that the most important information is easy to find.
Emotions play a significant role in decision-making and behavior, and designers can use this to their advantage by creating products and interfaces that evoke positive emotions. However, designers also need to be aware of the negative emotions that their designs may evoke and work to minimize them.
The book also emphasizes the importance of giving people a sense of control in their interactions with technology. People like to feel that they are in control of what they see, hear, and do, and designers can provide this by giving them options, allowing them to customize their experiences, and providing feedback on their actions.
People have different learning styles, and designers need to accommodate these styles by using a variety of presentation formats, such as text, images, video, and interactive elements.
Social norms play a powerful role in shaping human behavior, and designers can use social norms to encourage desirable behaviors, such as sharing, liking, and commenting on social media. Rewards and feedback also motivate people to engage with products and interfaces, and designers can use these to their advantage.
Finally, the book emphasizes the importance of designing interfaces that don't overload people's working memory. People have a limited working memory, which means that they can only process a few pieces of information at a time, and designers need to be aware of this limitation.
Overall, "100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know about People" is a valuable resource for designers who want to create products and interfaces that are effective and engaging. By understanding the principles of human behavior outlined in the book, designers can create designs that are both functional and user-friendly.
Below are the biggest takeaways from the book:
People have limited attention spans
One of the most important insights for designers is that people have limited attention spans. People can only focus on a few things at a time, and their attention is easily diverted by distractions. Therefore, designers need to make sure that the most important information and actions are easy to find and use, and that distractions are minimized.
People are visual creatures
Another key insight is that people are highly visual creatures. The human brain processes visual information faster and more efficiently than any other type of information. Therefore, designers need to pay close attention to the visual aspects of their designs, including the use of color, contrast, typography, and layout.
People prefer simplicity
Research has shown that people prefer simplicity in their interactions with technology. They want products and interfaces that are easy to use, intuitive, and don't require a lot of mental effort to understand. Designers can achieve this by simplifying their designs, reducing clutter, and making sure that the most important information is easy to find.
People are influenced by their emotions
Emotions play a significant role in decision-making and behavior. Designers can use this to their advantage by creating products and interfaces that evoke positive emotions, such as pleasure, satisfaction, and joy. At the same time, designers need to be aware of the negative emotions that their designs may evoke, such as frustration, anger, and anxiety.
People like to be in control
People like to feel that they are in control of their interactions with technology. They want to be able to choose what they see, hear, and do. Designers can give people a sense of control by providing them with options, allowing them to customize their experiences, and giving them feedback on their actions.
People have different learning styles
People have different learning styles, and they learn best when information is presented in a way that matches their preferred style. Some people are visual learners, while others are auditory or kinesthetic learners. Designers can accommodate different learning styles by using a variety of presentation formats, such as text, images, video, and interactive elements.
People are influenced by social norms
Social norms play a powerful role in shaping human behavior. People are more likely to do something if they believe that it is the norm, and they are more likely to comply with requests if they come from someone who is perceived as an authority figure. Designers can use social norms to encourage desirable behaviors, such as sharing, liking, and commenting on social media.
People are motivated by rewards and feedback
People are motivated by rewards and feedback. They like to feel that their actions are making a difference, and they enjoy being recognized for their efforts. Designers can use rewards and feedback to motivate users to engage with their products and interfaces, such as badges, points, and leaderboards.
People have a limited working memory
Working memory is the part of the brain that is responsible for holding and processing information in the short term. People have a limited working memory, which means that they can only process a few pieces of information at a time. Designers need to be aware of this limitation and design interfaces that don't overload people's working memory.
People make decisions based on heuristics
Heuristics are mental shortcuts that people use to make decisions quickly and efficiently. Designers can use heuristics to their advantage.
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