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100 MORE Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Name: 100 MORE Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People
Author: Susan Weinschenk
ISBN: 9780134196121

by Susan Weinschenk

September 2015

Beginner

288 pages

6h 18m

English

New Riders

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Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Dedication
About the Author
Contents
The Designer As Behavioral Scientist
How People See
1 People Prefer Curved ShapesDoes the Couch Have Curves?Does the Balance of the Image Matter?Curves Stimulate the Brain2 People Prefer SymmetryShow Me your DNAIs Symmetry Only for Mars (For Men)?Is There any Advantage to Using Asymmetry?3 Some People Have an Extra Color ConeBack to the Amazing DiscoveryFunctional Tetrachromats are Rare4 Peripheral Vision Determines where Central Vision Should LookBut Isn’t Multitasking a Myth?A Quick Definition of Central and Peripheral VisionEyes Take Lots of Visual Samples at the Same TimePeripheral Vision Calls the ShotsTwo Visions are Better Than OneDon’t Base Every Design Decision on Eye-Tracking StudiesPay Attention to Peripheral Vision5 Peripheral Vision Sees Danger and Processes Emotions FasterA Test of Fearful FacesDesign with Fear and Danger in Mind6 Peripheral Vision is Like a Low-Resolution ImagePeripheral Vision is BlurryHow Peripheral Vision Won a Design CompetitionWhen Less is MoreDesigning for Both Vision StatesA Surprising Guideline for Designing for Screen Size7 Emotion vs. Gaze Direction: Emotion WinsThe Influence of Gaze DirectionIs Looking the Same as Taking Action?8 Direct Gaze can Backfire9 People Decide About a Design in a Split SecondTesting Infographics Instead of WebsitesDesigning for an Audience
How People Think and Remember
10 People use Two Kinds of ThinkingSystem 1 And System 2 ThinkingSystem 1 is the Normal ModeThe Opposite of “Don’t Make Me Think”Design for Errors11 Some Memories Change EasilyAutobiographical MemoriesStrong Emotions Make Strong MemoriesTen Years LaterCan Memories be Erased?12 Repetition Strengthens Some MemoriesMemorizing FactsLearning Motor SkillsSensory MemoryDesign and Semantic, Muscle, and Sensory Memory13 Music Evokes Memories and MoodsMusic and MoodPeople Respond in a Similar Way
How People Decide
14 People Make Decisions with System 1 (Truthiness) ThinkingRepetition Makes People Trust Their GutPhoto + Information = Truthiness15 People Choose What’s BrightestExogenous vs. Endogenous Influencers16 When Faced with a Complex Decision, People Follow Their FeelingsLogic or Feelings?Satisfaction and ConfidenceWhat About Giving Time for Deliberation?Decisions for Designers About Information vs. FeelingsThe Big Mistake that Most People Make17 The Pupils Dilate During a Difficult Decision18 Confidence Triggers DecisionsThe Effects of Evidence and Elapsed TimeCan the Decision be Sped Up?Little Chunks and Lots of FeedbackGet People to Take a Physical Action19 The Surprising Effects of Stress on Decision MakingThe Complicated Relationship Between Stress and Decision MakingThe Interesting Gender TwistImplications of Stress for Design20 People Make Decisions at Certain Calendar Events21 People Make Decisions Based on Specific MemoriesAnd the Answer Is...22 Brain Activity Predicts Decisions Before They’re Consciously MadeNot Just for Motor Movement

How People Read and Interpret Information
23 If Text is Hard to Read, the Material is Easier to LearnThe Interesting Twist of DisfluencySo, What’s a Designer to do About Fonts?24 Nouns Spur Action More Than Verbs Spur ActionTo Vote? Or to be a Voter?Invoking a Group Identity25 Homophones Can Prime BehaviorPriming with HomophonesPeople Subvocalize When ReadingSuppressing Homophone ActivationThe Cognitive Load GotchaEmbedded Homophones Have the Same Priming EffectHomophone Activation is UnconsciousAn Ethical Dilemma?26 People Read Only 60 Percent of an Online ArticleClicking Doesn’t Mean ReadingSharing Doesn’t Equal Reading27 Reading Online May not be ReadingNeuroplasticity and ReadingSkimming and Scanning vs. ReadingDesigning for Skimming and Scanning is Best Practice, Right?It’s not ReadingDesigning for Skimming and ScanningReading is Changing = Brains are Changing28 The Multisensory Experience of Physical Books is Important to ReadingThe Multisensory Experience of Physical BooksThe Navigation and Mental Map of a BookLimited Navigation Impairs ComprehensionScreens are Harder on the EyesWill People Just Get Used to it?The Role of the Designer29 People are Ready to Move on From “Old” MediaVideo and Audio AlternativesAny Visual Plus AudioThere are Other Choices
How People are Influenced by Stories
30 The Brain is More Active with StoriesAnd with Emotional Chemicals, TooStories and Your ProductStories and the Design Process31 Dramatic Arc Stories Change Brain ChemicalsCommon Stories and PlotsThe Seven Plots32 Stories Focus AttentionTension in Storyboards33 People’S Self-Stories Affect Their Behavior34 Small Steps Can Change Self-StoriesA Crack in the Self-StoryThe Crack WidensEncouraging a new Self-Story35 A Public Commitment Leads to Stronger Self-StoriesSurveys, Reviews, and Testimonials36 Change the Story and you Will Change the BehaviorLet People Discover a New Story
How People Relate to Other People and to Technology
37 Emotions are ContagiousMimicry and EmotionsFlaws in the Facebook Contagion Study38 People Don’t Like Video AdsPeople Don’t Like Brand Logos39 Joy and Surprise Grab and Hold Attention in Video Ads40 Surprise, But Not Shock, Encourages SharingExtroversion, Egocentricity, and Sharing41 Oxytocin is the Bonding ChemicalThe Bonding ChemicalSynchronous Behavior and CooperationDesigning for Synchronous Interactions42 When People Feel Connected, They Work HarderThe Social Facilitation Effect43 Devices with Alerts Lower Cognitive PerformancePavlovian Conditioned Responses44 Cell Phones Nearby Negatively Affect Person-to-Person CommunicationEstablishing Project Relationships45 People Trust Machines That Have Some Human-Like CharacteristicsAnthropomorphism and TrustBeware of the Uncanny Valley46 People can Feel Empathy for Machines
How Creativity Influences Design
47 Everyone can be CreativeMyths About Creativity48 Creativity Starts with the Executive Attention NetworkBrain Networks, not StructuresThe Executive Attention NetworkAsk the Right Question49 To Be Creative, Engage the Brain’s Default NetworkThe Brain Isn’t Really at RestThe Default Network’s Role in Creativity50 Induce an “Aha” MomentThe MonitorThree Networks Working Together51 Daydreaming Encourages CreativityProductive vs. PathologicalGetting Over the Bad Rap of Daydreaming52 Sleeping Encourages CreativityBoost Your Creativity by at Least 33 PercentListening to Brain Waves in Sleeping RatsConsolidating Information During SleepThe Connection Between Sleep and Creativity53 Noise and Music Increase CreativityQuiet Isn’t Necessarily a Good ThingDebunking the Mozart EffectMusic and the Default Network54 People are More Creative Within Some ConstraintsSome Constraints Enhance Creativity55 The right Kind of Collaboration Increases CreativityDoing Brainstorming the Right WayBrainwriting as an Antidote to Anchoring56 Being a Perfectionist can Ruin Creative WorkFear of Failure
How People’s Bodies Affect Design
57 People Think and Feel with Their BodiesCatching a Fly BallThe Proof is With the Robots58 People Naturally GestureGesturing to Manipulate a DeviceNatural Gestures Versus Forced Gestures59 People have Physical Limitations Of MovementAugmented and Virtual Reality60 Thumbs can Reach Only so FarThe Myth of One-Handed UseThere is No “Ow” ZoneThe “Top-Left” Standard Must Go61 Distance From the Screen is CriticalIt’S Distance, not Resolution
How People Shop and Buy
62 People Don’t Separate Shopping Online from Shopping in a StoreGoing Omnichannel63 People Spend Less when They use CashThe Lower the Transparency, the More People Spend64 People Commit to Purchases Because of Cognitive DissonancePost-Purchase Cognitive DissonanceCognitive Dissonance and Ratings and Reviews65 Cognitive Dissonance Makes People BuyCreating or Highlighting a Problem66 People are Affected by Arbitrary NumbersPeople Anchor on NumbersNumber Order Effects67 Online Shopping Increases AnticipationExcitement and AnticipationIt’s all About Unpredictability and AnticipationAnticipation and Online ShoppingInstant Gratification Isn’t Always the AnswerWhy Free Overnight Shipping may not be the Answer
How Generations, Geography, and Gender Influence Design
68 Everyone Uses Smartphones for News and Important Life Events69 Generational Differences in Smartphone Use Depend on the Activity70 If the Task Takes Less than 5 Minutes, People Will Use Their Smartphones71 Not Everyone with a Cell Phone Has a SmartphoneSharing Phones72 In Many Countries, Women Lack Online Access73 Gamers are All Ages and All Genders74 What People Find Visually Appealing Depends on Age, Gender, and Geography75 People Want Fewer Choices as They Get Older76 The Mental Model of “Online” and “Offline” is Different for Different Generations77 Over Half of the People Over Age 65 in the US use the InternetNot a Real SurpriseNo Gender Differences for use in the US78 People Over 40 Have Presbyopia79 The Color Blue Fades With Age80 Nearly 100 Million People Over Age 65 Have Hearing Problems81 Motor Skills don’T Decline Until the Mid-60s82 Older People May not Have Answers to Those Security QuestionsI Don’t Have Answers to Any of the Questions83 As People Age, They Become Less Confident About Their Own Memories84 Generation Z Will Account for 40 Percent of all Consumers in 202085 More Than One-Third of 1-Year-Olds can use a Touch Screen86 When Toddlers Laugh, they Learn More
How People Interact with Interfaces and Devices
87 People Want to Skim and Scan Videos88 People Interact with CarouselsBut Wait, there’s More89 People Scroll90 People Can’t Even Talk to the Car While Driving91 People Don’t Always Engage more When you’ve Used “Gamification”92 Games can Improve Perceptual LearningVideo Games can Increase Perceptual LearningEven Adults can Create New Neuron StructuresStrategy Games Increase Cognitive FlexibilityCognitive Flexibility is Trainable93 People Need Fewer ChoicesRemoving Unnecessary ChoicesGoing Beyond PersonalizationHere’s Your Coffee you didn’t Order94 People Want Devices to Monitor Their Health95 People will Increasingly have Devices Implanted to Monitor and Intervene in Their Health96 People can Control Technology with Their BrainsMind Reading?97 People will Adapt to Multi-Modal InterfacesSilly or Smart?98 People will Embrace Mixed RealityInteracting with Mixed Reality99 Over 645 Million People Have Visual or Auditory Impairments100 People Process Sensory Data UnconsciouslyPeople Can Best Process Big Data UnconsciouslyA Sensory Room
References
Index

Content preview from 100 MORE Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

How People Think and Remember

Some people say that humans are irrational and illogical. Logic and rationality are not the brain’s normal mode. This chapter looks at how people usually think and examines some of the newest research on how memories are formed and retrieved.

10 People use Two Kinds of Thinking

Try for 30 seconds to multiply these two numbers in your head, not using pen and paper or a calculator:

17 x 24

It’s difficult to do in your head—most people I ask this of give up in a few minutes. It’s just too hard.

Here’s another task. Look at the photo in Figure 10.1 and decide what it’s a photo of.

FIGURE 10.1 What is this a photo of? ...

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100 Things: Every Designer Needs to Know About People

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100 MORE Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

by Susan Weinschenk