Awareness for the Human Factor
In UX design, the concept of the human factor, which emerged during the world wars, emphasises the adaptation of design to human capabilities. Originally, the focus lay on the adaptation of humans to machines. This changed with „aviation psychology“ during the wars, when untrained soldiers suddenly had to learn to fly. Human factors had to be taken into account in the development of aircrafts – in this case, the human factors were the different abilities of the pilots.
Human Factors in Design
- Impatience
- Limited Memory
- Needing Analogies
- Limited Concentration
- Changes in Need
- Needing Motivation
- Prejudices
- Fears
- Making Errors
- Misjudgment
In the field of UX design, understanding human factors such as impatience, limited memory and the need for motivation is crucial. These elements influence how we design products for better user interaction. The TL;DR* (Too Long; Didn’t Read) in emails is a perfect example of this. It accommodates our preference for short, to the point information and recognises the human characteristics of limited attention and the desire for quick comprehension. This design approach helps to create more efficient and user-friendly interfaces.
Examples for Psychological Concepts
- Mental Models
- Feedback Loops
- Emotions (Nostalgia)
Understanding psychological concepts such as mental models and feedback loops is also crucial for UX design. Mental models are our internal expectations of how things work, for example the expectation that a door will open into another room and not into a brick wall. Feedback loops are the reactions to our actions, for example that a light will switch on when a switch is flipped. These concepts help to create intuitive user experiences. In addition, utilising emotions such as nostalgia can improve user engagement, showing how human factors can play a role in design.
Examples for Psychological Principles
- Von Restorff Effect (Isolation Effect)
- Serial Position Effect
- Hick’s Law
In UX psychology, principles like the Von Restorff Effect, Serial Position Effect, and Hick’s Law play crucial roles. The Von Restorff Effect explains why unique items among similar ones stand out, influencing for example how call-to-action buttons are designed. The Serial Position Effect shows our tendency to remember the first and last items in a list, guiding the layout of navigation bars. And Hick’s Law states that more choices increase decision time, a factor to consider when designing user interfaces. These principles can help to create user-friendly and efficient UX designs.
Human Factors as Opportunities
rather than Limitations
Recognising human factors as opportunities rather than limitations can significantly improve the design of the user experience. While these factors present challenges, they also open doors for creativity and innovation. Good UX design does not exploit or overwhelm the user, but seeks to empower and encourage them. By integrating psychology, creativity and empathy into the design, what initially appears to be a limitation can turn into a significant advantage and improve the overall user experience.
* TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) is a brief summary that often appears at the beginning of longer emails. It is designed to address common human tendencies such as impatience and limited concentration by summarising the main points of an email without excessive detail. This concept recognises that people often prefer quick, easily digestible information, especially in busy or information-heavy environments. By providing a brief overview, TL;DR respects the reader’s time and attention, making it a thoughtful and efficient feature in communication design.