100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People

Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
DEDICATION
Contents
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF DESIGN
HOW PEOPLE SEE
	1 WHAT YOU SEE ISN’T WHAT YOUR BRAIN GETS
	2 PERIPHERAL VISION IS USED MORE THAN CENTRAL VISION TO GET THE GIST OF WHAT YOU SEE
	3 PEOPLE IDENTIFY OBJECTS BY RECOGNIZING PATTERNS
	4 THERE’S A SPECIAL PART OF THE BRAIN JUST FOR RECOGNIZING FACES
	5 THERE’S A SPECIAL PART OF THE BRAIN FOR PROCESSING SIMPLE VISUAL FEATURES
	6 PEOPLE SCAN SCREENS BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE AND EXPECTATIONS
	7 PEOPLE SEE CUES THAT TELL THEM WHAT TO DO WITH AN OBJECT
	8 PEOPLE CAN MISS CHANGES IN THEIR VISUAL FIELDS
	9 PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT THINGS THAT ARE CLOSE TOGETHER BELONG TOGETHER
	10 RED AND BLUE TOGETHER ARE HARD ON THE EYES
	11 NINE PERCENT OF MEN AND ONE-HALF PERCENT OF WOMEN ARE COLOR-BLIND
	12 COLORS MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT CULTURES
HOW PEOPLE READ
	13 IT’S A MYTH THAT WORDS IN ALL CAPS ARE INHERENTLY HARD TO READ
	14 READING AND COMPREHENDING ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS
	15 PATTERN RECOGNITION HELPS PEOPLE IDENTIFY LETTERS IN DIFFERENT FONTS
	16 FONT SIZE MATTERS
	17 READING A SCREEN IS HARDER THAN READING PAPER
	18 PEOPLE READ FASTER WITH A LONGER LINE LENGTH, BUT THEY PREFER A SHORTER LINE LENGTH
HOW PEOPLE REMEMBER
	19 SHORT-TERM MEMORY IS LIMITED
	20 PEOPLE REMEMBER ONLY FOUR ITEMS AT ONCE
	21 PEOPLE HAVE TO USE INFORMATION TO MAKE IT STICK
	22 IT’S EASIER TO RECOGNIZE INFORMATION THAN RECALL IT
	23 MEMORY TAKES A LOT OF MENTAL RESOURCES
	24 PEOPLE RECONSTRUCT MEMORIES EACH TIME THEY REMEMBER THEM
	25 IT’S A GOOD THING THAT PEOPLE FORGET
	26 THE MOST VIVID MEMORIES ARE WRONG
HOW PEOPLE THINK
	27 PEOPLE PROCESS INFORMATION BETTER IN BITE-SIZED CHUNKS
	28 SOME TYPES OF MENTAL PROCESSING ARE MORE CHALLENGING THAN OTHERS
	29 MINDS WANDER 30 PERCENT OF THE TIME
	30 THE MORE UNCERTAIN PEOPLE ARE, THE MORE THEY DEFEND THEIR IDEAS
	31 PEOPLE CREATE MENTAL MODELS
	32 PEOPLE INTERACT WITH CONCEPTUAL MODELS
	33 PEOPLE PROCESS INFORMATION BEST IN STORY FORM
	34 PEOPLE LEARN BEST FROM EXAMPLES
	35 PEOPLE ARE DRIVEN TO CREATE CATEGORIES
	36 TIME IS RELATIVE
	37 PEOPLE SCREEN OUT INFORMATION THAT DOESN’T FIT THEIR BELIEFS
	38 PEOPLE CAN BE IN A FLOW STATE
	39 CULTURE AFFECTS HOW PEOPLE THINK
HOW PEOPLE FOCUS THEIR ATTENTION
	40 ATTENTION IS SELECTIVE
	41 PEOPLE HABITUATE TO INFORMATION
	42 WELL-PRACTICED SKILLS DON’T REQUIRE CONSCIOUS ATTENTION
	43 EXPECTATIONS OF FREQUENCY AFFECT ATTENTION
	44 SUSTAINED ATTENTION LASTS ABOUT 10 MINUTES
	45 PEOPLE PAY ATTENTION ONLY TO SALIENT CUES
	46 PEOPLE ARE WORSE AT MULTITASKING THAN THEY THINK
	47 DANGER, FOOD, SEX, MOVEMENT, FACES, AND STORIES GET THE MOST ATTENTION
	48 LOUD NOISES STARTLE AND GET ATTENTION
	49 FOR PEOPLE TO PAY ATTENTION TO SOMETHING, THEY MUST FIRST PERCEIVE IT
WHAT MOTIVATES PEOPLE
	50 PEOPLE ARE MORE MOTIVATED AS THEY GET CLOSER TO A GOAL
	51 VARIABLE REWARDS ARE POWERFUL
	52 DOPAMINE STIMULATES THE SEEKING OF INFORMATION
	53 UNPREDICTABILITY KEEPS PEOPLE SEARCHING
	54 PEOPLE ARE MORE MOTIVATED BY INTRINSIC REWARDS THAN BY EXTRINSIC REWARDS
	55 PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED BY PROGRESS, MASTERY, AND CONTROL
	56 PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED BY SOCIAL NORMS
	57 PEOPLE ARE INHERENTLY LAZY
	58 PEOPLE WILL LOOK FOR SHORTCUTS ONLY IF THE SHORTCUTS ARE EASY
	59 PEOPLE ASSUME IT’S YOU, NOT THE SITUATION
	60 FORMING OR CHANGING A HABIT IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK
	61 PEOPLE ARE MORE MOTIVATED TO COMPETE WHEN THERE ARE FEWER COMPETITORS
	62 PEOPLE ARE MOTIVATED BY AUTONOMY
PEOPLE ARE SOCIAL ANIMALS
	63 THE “STRONG TIE” GROUP SIZE LIMIT IS 150 PEOPLE
	64 PEOPLE ARE HARD WIRED FOR IMITATION AND EMPATHY
	65 DOING THINGS TOGETHER BONDS PEOPLE TOGETHER
	66 PEOPLE EXPECT ONLINE INTERACTIONS TO FOLLOW SOCIAL RULES
	67 PEOPLE LIE TO DIFFERING DEGREES DEPENDING ON THE MEDIUM
	68 SPEAKERS’ BRAINS AND LISTENERS’ BRAINS SYNC UP DURING COMMUNICATION
	69 THE BRAIN RESPONDS UNIQUELY TO PEOPLE YOU KNOW PERSONALLY
	70 LAUGHTER BONDS PEOPLE TOGETHER
	71 PEOPLE CAN TELL WHEN A SMILE IS REAL OR FAKE MORE ACCURATELY WITH VIDEO
HOW PEOPLE FEEL
	72 SOME EMOTIONS MAY BE UNIVERSAL
	73 POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT A GROUP CAN LEAD TO GROUPTHINK
	74 STORIES AND ANECDOTES PERSUADE MORE THAN DATA ALONE
	75 IF PEOPLE CAN’T FEEL, THEN THEY CAN’T DECIDE
	76 PEOPLE ARE PROGRAMMED TO ENJOY SURPRISES
	77 PEOPLE ARE HAPPIER WHEN THEY’RE BUSY
	78 PASTORAL SCENES MAKE PEOPLE HAPPY
	79 PEOPLE USE “LOOK AND FEEL” AS THEIR FIRST INDICATOR OF TRUST
	80 LISTENING TO MUSIC RELEASES DOPAMINE IN THE BRAIN
	81 THE MORE DIFFICULT SOMETHING IS TO ACHIEVE, THE MORE PEOPLE LIKE IT
	82 PEOPLE OVERESTIMATE REACTIONS TO FUTURE EVENTS
	83 PEOPLE FEEL MORE POSITIVE BEFORE AND AFTER AN EVENT THAN DURING IT
	84 PEOPLE WANT WHAT IS FAMILIAR WHEN THEY’RE SAD OR SCARED
PEOPLE MAKE MISTAKES
	85 PEOPLE WILL ALWAYS MAKE MISTAKES; THERE IS NO FAIL-SAFE PRODUCT
	86 PEOPLE MAKE ERRORS WHEN THEY ARE UNDER STRESS
	87 NOT ALL MISTAKES ARE BAD
	88 PEOPLE MAKE PREDICTABLE TYPES OF ERRORS
	89 PEOPLE USE DIFFERENT ERROR STRATEGIES
HOW PEOPLE DECIDE
	90 PEOPLE MAKE MOST DECISIONS UNCONSCIOUSLY
	91 THE UNCONSCIOUS KNOWS FIRST
	92 PEOPLE WANT MORE CHOICES AND INFORMATION THAN THEY CAN PROCESS
	93 PEOPLE THINK CHOICE EQUALS CONTROL
	94 PEOPLE MAY CARE ABOUT TIME MORE THAN THEY CARE ABOUT MONEY
	95 MOOD INFLUENCES THE DECISION- MAKING PROCESS
	96 YOU CAN ENGINEER BETTER GROUP DECISIONS
	97 PEOPLE MAKE HABIT-BASED DECISIONS OR VALUE-BASED DECISIONS, BUT NOT BOTH AT THE SAME TIME
	98 WHEN PEOPLE ARE UNCERTAIN, THEY LET OTHERS DECIDE WHAT TO DO
	99 PEOPLE THINK OTHERS ARE MORE EASILY INFLUENCED THAN THEY ARE THEMSELVES
	100 PEOPLE VALUE A PRODUCT MORE HIGHLY WHEN IT’S PHYSICALLY IN FRONT OF THEM
REFERENCES
INDEX
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