Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

134 Peak-End Rule

People remember and judge an experience based on its most intense moment and its end.

The peak-end rule is a cognitive bias that influences how people remember past experiences. An experience is defined as any event with a clear beginning and end. The peak refers to the moment that elicits the strongest emotional response in an experience, positive or negative; and the end refers to the conclusion of that experience. The peaks and the ends of experiences are overweighted in how we recall and feel about the experience as a whole.1

The peak-end rule should be considered in conjunction with serial position effects, which indicate that first, last, and different experiences are the most likely to be recalled and influence judgment. ...