Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

098 Interference Effects

Things that trigger conflicting thought processes, reducing reaction and thinking efficiency.

Interference effects occur when nonessential mental processes are triggered and interfere with essential mental processes, increasing errors and slowing performance. Nonessential mental processes can be triggered by conflicting meanings, distractions in the environment, and memories that are irrelevant to the task at hand.1

Common types of interference effects include:

• Stroop interference — Two aspects of a design are incongruous and trigger competing mental processes. For example, a green “stop” button triggers a mental process for “go”, which is incongruous with its function.
• Distraction interference — Visual clutter or ...