Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
As a designer approaches the psychological aspects of a product, the first thing to keep
in mind is simplicity. Psychologist Susan Weinschenk has written a list of basic principles
covering the psychology of design. Her first is: “People don't want to work and think more
than they have to.” Designed products should be easy to use and produce the expected res-
ult. Her list also reminds us that people make mistakes and have limitations. With this point
in mind, the designer should make the product as forgiving as possible. A product should
never require actions that the average user isn't capable of doing.
This doesn't mean that every designer must shape every product to the lowest common
denominator. If you come up with new and improved software for reading MRI scans, you
don't do it with the expectation that an untrained volunteer will be doing the scan. Think
of a person who has the training to operate the current software. Consider the knowledge
and background necessary to use your design. If the people who will be using your product
are already accustomed to navigation through complicated routines, simplicity remains an
ongoing principle but you also have the freedom to design something more complex. Your
users will still have limitations but they will also have the necessary skills to have a suc-
cessful experience with your product. They will still make mistakes, but if you've adapted
your design to their abilities, they will also have the knowledge and context to correct their
errors.
The main thing is to design a product that does what people want it to do. Scanners,
travel apps, smart phones and smart ovens all have one thing in common: they perform
functions that we need and/or desire. Products are for people and people will use them to
do things with other people. The traveler is flying off to see friends, or lie on a beach, or
attend a business conference. All her potential destinations are likely to involve others. The
cook's roast is for his whole family. The technician is doing the MRI on a patient. The in-
formation on his screen will go to doctors and other medical personnel. As Weinschenk
writes: “People will always use technology to be social. This has been true for thousands
of years.”
Though a habit loop has only three components—cue, routine and reward—those com-
ponents aren't always simple. The most common area for complication is the routine. Even
the simplest routine involves a task or function, and there is often more than one. We all do
many routine tasks every day. Some are so basic, and learned so early, that many of us don't
even recall how we learned them. Tying one's shoes is a good example. For a small child
this is complex. She has to learn to differentiate which shoe goes on which foot. When the
shoes are on, she then has to pull the laces snug, tie a particular kind of knot somewhat sim-
ilar to the one used on a ribbon in gift-wrapping. Many kids struggle with this but virtually
all of them learn it, quickly making it into a routine that will last a lifetime.
