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We all know that psychology is a powerful tool. When used correctly, it can help us understand human behaviour and improve the user experience of digital products.
In this blog post, we will discuss 5 principles of UX psychology that you can use to create a better user experience for your website, app or e-commerce shop.
Before we dive into the psychological principles, we must always ensure that the users we are targeting have been identified as accurately as possible. In user experience, the better we know the target group and understand their needs, pain points, etc., the more targeted we can apply psychological principles. We achieve this, for example, through user interviews, persona definition or market research.
To identify the needs and pain points of the target groups, we focus on the following questions:
- Need: What is the target group's goal in the context of the digital product?
- Pain point: What pain does the product cause the target group?
- Motivation: What brings the target group to the product?
- Interaction: What is the easiest interaction for the target group?
- Reward: What is the reward for the interaction and does it fulfil the target group?
01. communication of value proposition before interaction
People often consider the cost-benefit principle before investing effort, time or money in something. For an optimised user experience, it is important to focus on the potential value that users receive.
In the UX of digital products, you can draw on a related psychological concept called reciprocity. This means that people are more willing to trust and engage if something has been done for them beforehand. In the digital context, the value of a product or function should therefore be demonstrated and presented before something is asked of the user - not after.
User experience example: Guest checkout & user registration
The great value of a guest checkout should be sufficiently well known these days (The $300 Million Button). However, if the aim of the B2B online shop is to increase the conversion rate as well as the targeted expansion of customer registrations, care should be taken to ensure that the individual benefits of registration are communicated in advance.
Other pain points (such as eternally long registration forms) can be specifically removed via micro-UX wordings, which can also lead to an increase in registrations.
02 Clear user guidance instead of overwhelming users
You've probably tried to read an overly detailed set of instructions and lost track of what you're doing, or cancelled when filling out an overly complex form.
Humans can only utilise a certain amount of brain power at once; we have a limited cognitive load. Interacting with digital products is very important to us humans and therefore it is also crucial that our information is processed in a limited amount.
This is according to Miller's Law, which states that the average person can only memorise 7 +/- 2 objects. When designing a digital product, the focus should therefore be on reducing the cognitive load so that the customer or user is expected to do as little as possible.
User experience example: Breaking down information
Detailed information is broken down into smaller sections to make it easier for users to process, understand and memorise. This can be used, for example, during onboarding, setting up a feed or during checkout in e-commerce.
User interface design is generally based on a series of psychological principles, the so-called Gestalt principles. These principles make it easier for users to navigate digital interfaces, for example.
03 Reduce the user's workload
The easier you make it for your users, the better. This principle - known as Fitts' Law - is important, especially if you want users to take action, for example to register on the website. So make sure that the sign-up process is as simple as possible and only asks for the information you absolutely need.
Whilst this is a very intuitive point, it is also supported by research. In the UX industry, all aspects that require users to think or do work are referred to as interaction costs - which is an apt term because it reminds us of the cost-benefit idea.
User experience example: Information input & call-to-actions
Simple information input: It is never an advantage if users have to select their location from a drop-down list of 130 countries. Think carefully about the controls you offer and choose the right controls for each piece of information.
Fitt's Law can also be applied to conversion rate optimisation: All important call-to-actions should look similar, be well positioned and have a reasonable size. This way, they can be interacted with without much work.
04 Simple and familiar - exposure effect
We humans can actually only cope with very few changes. Our past experience teaches us that new products should work in a similar way to those we already know. The so-called exposure effect, for example, tells us that familiar words, environments and ideas have a calming effect. User-friendly and appealing environments are therefore very important for an optimised user experience.
Jakob's Law also states that users spend the majority of their time on other websites and online shops. This means that they are already familiar with a certain functionality and usability. Users therefore transfer their expectations of other digital products and expect similar websites and e-commerce shops to function in the same way as all the other websites they already know. By utilising mental models, we can create user experiences that allow users to focus on their tasks instead of learning new models.
User Experience Example: Usability Pattern & Innovation
Use common usability patterns: Take a look at a few of your favourite websites or online shops. Often functions such as search, chat and navigation menus look quite similar. This is because these established methods work well and users know how to use them.
Innovation is worthwhile if there is a need for it. If there is a clear reason to do something different (usually based on user testing), then it is better to have a single meaningful innovation than many others.
05 keep an eye on the end - The Peak End Rule
The Peak End Rule is a principle from psychology which states that people do not judge the quality of an experience based on the average, but primarily on the peaks and the end. This rule applies to both positive and negative experiences. Digital user experience and product design should take this principle into account: Users do not evaluate our products based on the totality of their experiences, but on peaks and the end. It is therefore crucial that our products leave a strong impression - preferably with a positive "peak" experience at the end.
To apply the peak-end rule in practice, two questions need to be answered:
What are the peaks of the user experience?
How can the end of the user experience be improved?
User experience example: Success Messages & IKEA
Typical end phases in e-commerce, for example, are the completion of the checkout process or a digital booking. Wordings should match the customer's brand and (if possible) create added value via functions such as direct links, tracking tools, progress bars or other services.
Or take a look at IKEA and offer your customers a digital hot dog at the end of the shopping experience :-)
To summarise, it can be said that the user experience on websites, apps and online shops can be significantly improved by taking psychological principles into account. The first step is always to understand how users think and feel in order to create a more user-friendly and pleasant digital experience for them.
You want a better User Experience?
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