10 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, [Part 1 of 2]

I recently read 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People. The book provides a great introduction to a variety of topics in psychology and how we can apply psychology to design. The author Susan Weinschenk includes academic research, stories and visuals to explain each point in a way that is both entertaining and insightful.

While I was reading her 27th chapter in the book I came across this gem:

“People process information better in bite-sized chunks.”

Having a background in teaching, I couldn’t agree more. However, I felt that her book could have been “chunked” better. I decided to make an attempt at it.

My first intention was to boil her 100 points down into 10. I then realized that even 10 points are beyond what our brain can process at any given time. So, I further split it up into two parts.

Part one will detail the first 5 of 10 things every designer should know about people that I was able to synthesize after reading Weinschenk’s book. Part two will detail the second 5.

Part 1

1. Seeing
2. Reading
3. Remembering
4. Thinking
5. Focusing

1. We see what we already know

The data says:

• We interpret everything we see around us based on our past experiences and background knowledge
• Our brain makes guesses about what we can and cannot do with objects
• We make a lot of misinterpretations based on what we see

Design Application:

• Research what your target users are used to seeing, and design using patterns and models based on their experience

2. We understand what we read because of context and background knowledge

The data says:

• Reading is a meaning-making process. Our brains recognize letters to form words, words to form sentences, and sentences to form paragraphs
• We make meaning while we read based on our background knowledge and the context provided in the text
• Reading is easier when information is chunked into bite-sized pieces
• The typography that designers choose to use needs to be accessible for all audiences

Design Application:

• Research how your target user reads, what they already know, and what they need to know
• Use words that they will understand and provide context that will help them with comprehension
• Use typography that is legible and hierarchical
• Keep each line of text between 50–70 characters in length

3. It takes a lot of effort to remember things, and we are often wrong

The data says:

• Remembering things takes a lot of effort
• Our memories are often wrong
• Recognition is cognitively much easier, faster, and more accurate than remembering

Design Application:

• Design in a way that doesn’t force your target user to have to remember information
• If you need users to remember information try to design for the recall of information rather than the memorization of it
• If it’s absolutely necessary, ask user’s to remember no more than four pieces of information at once

4. We think better when information is broken down into small chunks and presented as a story

The data says:

• Our brains are better at synthesizing information when it’s presented in story form, matches our mental models, and requires little mental processing.

Design Application:

• Learn your user’s mental model and match your design’s conceptual model to it
• When presenting information to your users, do it in story form and bite-sized chunks

5. We aren’t very good at focusing our attention

The data says:

• Our attention spans are very limited

Design Application:

• Understand the context in which your user is focusing and eliminate as many distractions as possible from the task your user is focused on
• Avoid allowing a user to multitask as best you can
• Make sure errors are obvious

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In my next article, I’ll share with you the last 5 of 10 things that every designer should know about people based on Susan Weinschenk’s book.

If you want to read more of my articles, you can do so here. And to learn more about me and my work you can head to julesdylan.com.