UX Psychology: Understanding User Behavior for Better Design

In UI UX design, we need to always keep in mind that every new project that we have is addressed to a certain persona. As a designer, you dedicate all your time to delivering and building what you think offers a great user experience to a certain target audience. 

And, let’s be honest, failing to deliver the best user experience might come as a surprise if you have put all your dedication into a project. So, why can this happen?

Well, humans tend to have different behaviors, and, most often, our minds change too quickly and leading to a rather more overwhelming situation. And, our users might have the same experience when it comes to this, as well. More so, based on the colors, themes, fonts, and every little detail, our design can influence all potential users in a certain way. 

On a more serious note, to become a better designer, you will need to pay more attention to UI UX design psychology to become more analytical and see how your design and the elements used might influence your potential users. 

To understand human behavior, you need to pay attention to one of the next common human behavior mechanisms:

1. Cognitive Load

When it comes to the amount of information that can be offered to your potential users, you need to keep in mind that less can sometimes be more. Users most of the time have a limited capacity to understand and process information, so make sure to stick with the relevant one. To prevent overload, designers should simplify their designs and have more structured content that helps users see more clearly the main focus points. The history of design has proven how essential this is.

2. Visual Perception

There is no surprise from the fact that users tend to be attracted to what is beautiful. Colors, contrast, and even hierarchy need to be tackled carefully to have a visually appealing web or app design. 

3. Information Architecture

Like in a supermarket, users or customers already expect to see and have a specific place where they find what is needed. They expect a certain architecture and, for a design to be seen and enjoyed by potential clients, we need to be able to deliver this certain look from our design.

4. Gestalt Principles

Our human brains tend to organize visual elements into meaningful groups, so understanding principles like the ones from Gestalt, proximity, similarity, and closure can guide users into a better design and help create a more cohesive and comprehensible one. 

5. User Flow

Another observed pattern when it comes to the behavior that users tend to have is to follow patterns when navigating a website or app. By observing these behavioral patterns, designers can also create an intuitive pattern and reduce friction points. 

6. Emotional Design

And, as expected, emotional design could not have been missed from this list. Emotions leave a big print on decision-making, so you need to leverage elements such as colors and imagery to your advantage and evoke specific emotions that can be aligned to your goals.

However, when it comes to understanding the psychology of your users better, you also need to take into account the cognitive bias. Designers can also leverage those biases so they can create the best user experience. And, some of those cognitive biases include: confirmation bias, anchoring bias, social proof, and loss aversion.

1. Confirmation Bias

People tend to seek out information that confirms their existing beliefs. Use this to your advantage by highlighting the positive aspects of your product or service, aligning with users’ expectations.

2. Anchoring Bias

Users often rely heavily on the first piece of information they encounter. Presenting critical information early on in the user journey can help guide decisions and improve engagement.

3. Social Proof

Users are influenced by the behavior of others. Incorporating elements like reviews, ratings, and testimonials can build trust and credibility for your product or service.

4. Loss Aversion

People are more motivated by the fear of losing something than the potential to gain something. Framing actions as preventing loss can encourage users to take specific actions, such as making a purchase or signing up.

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The bottom line is that embracing cognitive principles and cognitive biases can create interfaces that are remembered and bring higher user satisfaction. So, when starting out a new project, next time keep in mind that all users are different and you need to take a step back and try to understand how you can deliver the best user experience for most or all of them. And, understanding the psychology behind your work will prove to be efficient when building the user experience. 

So, next time you are starting a project, think about the study of psychology, and you will have meaningful user-centric solutions. 

We at uinkits understand the importance of great user experiences and creating amazing UI designs. That’s why we’ve developed a Figma UI Kit with design components that include these essential UI elements that enable you to design intuitive and user-friendly interfaces effortlessly.

“You press the button, we do the rest.” – Kodak.

Inspired by this iconic tagline from Kodak, we believe in simplifying the design process for you. Our Figma UI Kit, uinkits, is a complete design system with UI components that allows you, as a UI UX designer, to create your products as quickly as pressing a button.

Our design system includes UI components, icons, variables, cards, buttons and everything you need for your design process. All you have to do is take your UI design component needed, and you’re ready to use it in your designs!