This document summarizes Joe Leech's talk on using psychology to create perfect designs. It discusses how designs should match people's mental models of how processes work by following logical step-by-step flows. It also explains how designs can evoke emotion through vivid language and imagery. While instinctual parts of the brain cannot be directly designed for, matching mental models and evoking emotion can lead to great designs without unnecessary trickery.

1. Psychology and the
perfect design
Joe Leech @mrjoeWebdagene , Oslo, October 2014

2. Hello, I’m @mrjoe
but you can call me
Joe.
I’ve been doing UX for 10 years
I work with people like Disney, Marriott & theTrainline.
I studied Neuroscience, which was really hard.MSc Human Communication
and computing, more on that later.

3. £5.3
billiongoes through the stuff I designed every year.
(scary).

4. PsychologyForDesigners.com

5. ‘perfect design’
I want to talk about the perfect
design.
Here is what you get if you type
perfect design into Google image
search.
Not what I’d call the perfect design

6. #p4d @mrjoe
Today I’m going to talk to you about
the brain.
Specifically three parts of it and how
if we talk to each we can create the
perfect design.

7. anybody recognise this city? I want to
tell you a story about Buenos Aires. I
have been twice.

8. This is the machine. it ate my card.

9. The second time it happened. I also
took a photo. What I didn’t realise
until I was putting this talk together.
It’s same damn ATM!
I thought, how can I use psychology
to understand why this happened
and to stop it happening again.

10. Get
Cash
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
This is order of steps for an ATM in the
UK.

11. Get
Cash
This is the thing we start with in our head. One this
is done the task is over.

13. Get
Cash
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Here’s the flow for an ATM in Argentina.

14. Get
Cash
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Get
Cash
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Compared to a UK one, see the problem. The Goal State is reached before
the end of the process. Therefore my brain tells me that we have reached
the end, I can leave now, and I do but without my card.

15. We build
Mental Models
of how the world
works and apply them
to new situations

16. Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Get
Cash
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Get
Cash
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Get
Cash
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
Enter
Card
Remove
Card
Get
Cash
Enter
PIN
Select
amount
ATMS work differently across the world. But notice the commonality. The
Goal State is at the end of the process. Meaning bad errors are avoided, it
does make the the process different and we can’t use the ATM on autopilot

17. Cruising.
So how does this relate to digital design I hear you ask. We don’t design
ATMs.

18. I worked for Saga holiday, vacations for the over 60s. In this case ocean
cruising.

19. This was the online flow SAGA had before we started.

20. We did some research and watched how these people would book a cruise
holiday. (and yes that is a wig, but not the actual people we spoke to)

21. We spent a few days listening to calls and customer service issues.

22. We spent time trying understand the order of steps, and information
needed at each each step to reach the Goal State

23. Remember that line at the top, how the website worked. Well after the
research we talked to SAGA about how it did work, and…

24. This was how people were using the current website. Jumping backwards
and forwards, and almost always having to pick up the phone to ask a
question, the result, very few online bookings. Web analytics might spot
this..

25. The next bit was the easy bit. We took what we new and showed each step
and the information required to move to the next step. Easy if you have
done the research, if you have the data. Web analytics will never give you
this.

26. #p4d @mrjoe
Thinking
(cognition)
This is the part of the brain we use when we think.
The Cerebral cortex. Used for thinking, learning, processing

27. #p4d @mrjoe
There is no
expedient to
which a man
will not go to
avoid the labor
of thinking.
Thomas Edison
27
Or people are fundamentally lazy.

28. #p4d @mrjoe
the brain
uses 20%
of total
energy

29. £40K
transactionthe largest transaction through something I’ve designed
(scary).
The result…

30. 1. Match the mental
model.
The perfect design

31. This paper, from 2000. ATM experiment.
The same interaction, two scenarios. One plain green text on black screen.
One with a layer of design. The designed version was perceived as being
easier to use.

32. This is beautiful one believe it or not (it’s in Hebrew)

33. Another project I’ve worked on for Ritz Carlton. What an image.

34. beauty
evokes
emotion

35. Watch the sun setting beyond
the Indian Ocean from the
comfort of your own roof top
balcony

36. words
evoke
emotion

37. #p4d @mrjoe
Thinking
(cognition)
Emotion
This is the amygdala part of the Limbic System, it controls Emotion
It has deeper more profound effect on us. It’s connections and hormones
permeate throughout the brain, having an effect on everything we are
doing.
Emotion effects everything we do, both positive and negative.

38. 1. Match the mental
model
2. Evoke emotion
The perfect design

39. #p4d @mrjoe
Thinking
(cognition)
Instinct
Emotion
Instinct:
The Hypothalamus &
Brain stem.
They control: Breathing,
eating, sleeping, heart
rate, sexual arousal =
Instinct, we are
unaware of it

40. #p4d @mrjoe
Let me tell you a story,
recognise this movie?
I was good at
computers, kids at
school, the Johnson
Gang, asked me to help
them hack ATMs.
Needless to say, I was
useless at it.

41. #p4d @mrjoe
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/05/17/
article-2145759-1321F42E000005DC-318_634x5
31.jpg
Here’s what happened.
They couldn’t hack the
ATM so they just stole it.

42. #p4d @mrjoe
Thinking
(cognition)
Emotion
Fusiform
Gyrus
Instinct

43. #p4d @mrjoehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X07000116
A study, if you want to
know how to read an
academic paper, buy my
book.

44. #p4d @mrjoehttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0018506X07000116
So what did the paper
show?

45. #p4d @mrjoe
Men spent more time, and
had a higher
probability of, looking
at female faces.

46. #p4d @mrjoe
had more first looks
towards, spent more
time, & had a higher
probability of,
looking at
Women
genitals.

47. #p4d @mrjoe

48. #p4d @mrjoe
Thinking
(cognition)
Emotion
Instinct
Here’s the thing. Designing for the
instinctual part of the brain is almost
impossible. Adding pictures of faces,
genitals or anything to try to nudge or
persuade is not going to get you very
far.

49. 1. Match the mental model.
2. Evoke emotion.
The perfect design
3. Ummm...
Do steps one and two and you’ll have a great design. As for persuasive
design, nudging, gamification and other trickery, let me call bullshit on
that. If you have to use those theories to sell an average product. You’ll be
better improving the product that trying to trick.
You might get tiny incremental improvements but it won’t get you a perfect
design.

50. Follow @mrjoe
PsychologyForDesigners.com