Good design starts with an understanding of psychology

Just some facts

When it comes to design, we all have personal taste influenced by our culture, education, religion, where we are living, and what we’ve experienced in life.

That’s what we call subjectivity.

We also all have human instinct, and with that the way we perceive and process the world around us, along with how we behave.

That’s what we call psychology. Psychology is objectively observable. It influences our perception of design and impacts the choices we make as users and customers. That’s why I think of it as a science we should study before we ever design anything.

When the internet was born, designers simply tried to make websites beautiful.

This is no longer true.

The value of design doesn’t have to be proven anymore in the digital industry, and it’s not because designers always make pretty visuals on the web. It’s because now, designers understand the impact of psychology and use it as a tool to create products that are more intuitive, coherent, and still lovable.

One thing I learned while working as a designer in Australia is that many digital agencies from “the old time” are now turning into consultancy agencies specializing in UX and conversion rate optimization. Why? Because testing teaches us how to anticipate and act on human behaviours.

When users feel a positive emotion just by looking at your product, it puts their brain in a relaxed state. They naturally feel confident with the product, understood and safe. This might seem obvious, but the important scientific takeaway is that a relaxed brain is more attentive and functions more efficiently. Within the context of digital design, this state enables your users to learn and handle your product more smoothly.

And by the way, every time users interact with your product or experience, they are subconsciously hoping it will satisfy the values below. They ask themselves if this product is:

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