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UX Design Patterns

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The Psychology of Design Patterns

4:32 with Anwar Montasir

Studies suggest that users form first impressions of a web page in only fifty milliseconds. That means that in half the time it takes to blink your eye, users have formed gut reactions about what this site is about, how to navigate the site, and whether they can trust it. And if the behavior of the web page fails to match the user’s initial expectations, users tend to bail out and look for an alternative. But why is that? Why do users form such quick assumptions about the behavior of websites and applications? And why do users grow frustrated when their expectations aren’t met? An examination of user psychology can help answer that question.

Vocabulary

  • System 1 Thinking: Fast Thinking (automatic, instinctive, emotional)

  • System 2 Thinking: Slow Thinking (deliberate, logical)

  • Heuristics: mental shortcuts used in problem-solving that prize quick, satisfactory solutions over slow, optimal ones.

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    Study suggests that users form first impressions of a web page 0:00
    in only 50 milliseconds. 0:04
    That means that in half the time it takes to blink your eye, 0:07
    users have formed gut reactions about what this site is about, 0:10
    how to navigate the site, and whether they can trust it. 0:14
    And if the behavior of the web page fails to match the user's 0:18
    initial expectations, users tend to bail out and look for an alternative. 0:22
    But why is that? 0:28
    Why do users form such quick assumptions about the behavior 0:29
    of websites and applications? 0:33
    And why do users grow frustrated when their expectations aren't met? 0:35
    An examination of user psychology can help answer that question. 0:40
    In his 2011 book, Thinking Fast and Slow, 0:45
    Nobel laureate Daniel Kahneman describes two different 0:49
    types of thinking performed by the human brain. 0:53
    System 1 thinking is fast thinking. 0:59
    It's automatic, instinctive, and emotional. 1:01
    We use fast thinking when solving a simple math problem like 2+2, 1:05
    driving a car down an empty road, or 1:10
    reacting with delight to a video of kittens wrestling. 1:13
    System 2 thinking is slow thinking. 1:17
    It's deliberate and logical, and it's a lot more work for your brain. 1:19
    We use slow thinking when solving harder math problems 1:24
    like 16 times 29 or parallel parking in a tight space. 1:28
    How do these two systems of thinking influence our behavior as web users? 1:33
    Imagine visiting an unfamiliar news website. 1:39
    We could scroll carefully down the page, read every line of text and 1:43
    weigh our options before deciding what to click. 1:47
    That would involve system 2 thinking and it would be completely exhausting. 1:51
    Most of us don't navigate the web this way, though, because we don't need to. 1:56
    Instead we use system 1 thinking to make a series of unconscious judgments 2:01
    in the first 50 milliseconds, about things like 2:06
    What is this site called? 2:10
    How can I search? 2:12
    How can I browse? 2:14
    Is it a news site? 2:15
    Does it look trustworthy? 2:17
    Sometimes our first impression is negative, and we look for 2:19
    another news source. 2:23
    This happens when we can't figure out how to search or browse, or 2:24
    when our gut tells us the site can't be trusted. 2:29
    If our first impression is positive, we'll then begin scanning headings, 2:32
    subheadings, and images, looking for 2:37
    the first clickable news item that matches our interests. 2:39
    Once that first news article loads, 2:43
    we're still not ready to switch to slow thinking. 2:45
    We quickly scan the page, making sure the article does in fact interest us. 2:49
    If it doesn't, we'll click the back button and try a different article. 2:54
    So do web users ever use slow thinking? 2:59
    Sometimes. If we're comparing two products on an e-commerce 3:02
    site and deciding which one to buy, 3:06
    or filling out details on a credit card form, we tend to slow down. 3:08
    And if you're filling out your taxes online, that requires a 3:13
    lot of slow thinking. 3:16
    But most of our web browsing time is spent in fast thinking mode. 3:18
    It's efficient. 3:23
    We're good at it. 3:24
    And as we saw in the example of the news website, if we click on 3:25
    the wrong link, the consequences tend to be pretty minor. 3:30
    Unless the website is loading extremely slowly, we just back 3:33
    up and try another link until we find an article worth reading. 3:36
    UX researchers often use the term heuristics to describe the fast 3:42
    thinking behavior of web users. 3:46
    Heuristics are mental shortcuts used in problem solving, 3:51
    prizing quick, satisfactory solutions over slow, optimal ones. 3:56
    While slowing down and 4:01
    carefully considering each click might lead to more accurate 4:02
    browsing, in most situations it's not worth it to use a slower, 4:06
    more mentally exhausting approach. 4:11
    And one of the key heuristics web users rely 4:13
    upon to navigate the web quickly is pattern recognition. 4:17
    Structuring web content in a manner that's consistent with other sites users 4:21
    have seen allows them to cruise through your website or 4:26
    app with a minimum of slow thinking. 4:29

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