Principles to Improve User Experience

I wrote the book on consumer psychology... literally. Here are 10 principles you need to know to build a winning digital product. After helping companies like Adobe, Nike, Xerox, and Intel unlock over $100 million in additional revenue at The Good, I've seen firsthand that optimization is about understanding the psychological "why" behind consumer decisions... not just implementing random tactics. In my book "Behind The Click," I explore how these psychological principles influence the entire digital journey. Here are 10 key principles that can transform your digital product: ↳ Anchoring Bias In just half a second, users determine whether your website is right for them, and this impression becomes the reference for every decision that follows. ↳ Serial Positioning Effect Users best remember the first and last items in a series and struggle with middle items. Place your most important navigation items at the beginning and end of your menu to maximize visibility and recall. ↳ Choice Overload When customers face too many options, they become overwhelmed and often leave without making any choice at all. The more choices customers have, the harder it is to decide and the less confident they feel in their decision. ↳ Availability Heuristic Customers rely on information that comes to mind quickly when making decisions. They often don't read every word on your page — they scan for what seems relevant. Make critical information impossible to miss. ↳ Framing Effect It's not what information you present, it's how you present it. You can either say your product has a "10% failure rate" or a "90% success rate." Same information, drastically different perception. ↳ Action Bias People would rather take action than do nothing. Your customers already know they want to act, that's why they're here. Your job is to remove any roadblocks standing in their way. ↳ Ikea Effect People feel more attached to items they've created themselves. The more opportunity customers have to customize their experience, the stronger sense of ownership they'll have, even before purchasing. ↳ Loss Aversion The discomfort we feel from a loss is more intense than the joy of an equivalent gain. Offer guarantees that directly address customer fears, like lifetime warranties or hassle-free returns, to counteract this anxiety. ↳ Decoy Effect Strategic pricing creates a "Goldilocks effect" where your target product isn't too big, isn't too small, but feels "just right." The middle option often converts best, regardless of the actual prices, because it feels like the sensible choice. ↳ Google Effect People tend to forget information they know they can easily find again. Rather than hiding critical details in an FAQ page, repeat key information throughout the customer journey where it's relevant. Understanding these principles doesn't mean manipulating customers. It means creating digital experiences that work *with* how humans naturally think, not against it.

For a long time, I resisted boiling my guidance on interface writing down to a set of “principles”, because context matters so much, and design principles are often misunderstood and misapplied. But then I started teaching a UX writing course, and, well, I needed a set of principles. I found that many lists of UX writing principles focus on qualities of the writing itself, such as concision, friendliness, or formality. Those types of things tend to exist on a spectrum, and are informed by context, so I don’t find it valuable to provide overarching guidance about them. Instead, I've tried to create a list that's more about how to approach your work as an interface writer. As I'm fond of saying, best practices are a last resort. The meta principle not articulated in this list is that you should always apply your best judgment as a professional craftsperson. But anyway, here’s what I’ll be sharing in class later today: I. Prioritize Usability Your words should help users accomplish what they are there to accomplish. II. Work, and Write, Incrementally Follow the ‘Rule of One’. One task per screen. One idea per headline or paragraph. One action that a button performs. One setting that a checkbox controls. III. Prefer Consistent Terminology When you choose words for buttons, menus, and controls, you are, in a way, naming them. Names should stay the same throughout the experience. For instance, ‘Settings’ should always be ‘Settings’, and not also ‘Preferences’. (This is a good rule to break, however, if using the exact same term would be confusing in a specific instance.) IV. Be Specific Using specific words for paths and actions builds trust with your users. For instance: Clone, Copy, Duplicate, and Make a Copy are related, but not perfect synonyms. Using the most specific word possible for an action helps you avoid conflicts with other terms. V. Rely on Patterns Unlike most writing, it’s okay to repeat yourself in interface copy.  In the same way that a design system has visual and layout patterns for common components, your writing can and should use similar patterns for similar actions and activities. -- There’s more to it than that, of course, but those will get you pretty far.

𝗟𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘂𝗺𝗮-𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻. Last week, I shared some powerful insights from Rachel Edwards. Today, I’m sharing some of my own work, specifically, how we can apply trauma-informed principles to the way we design content. I’ve adapted seven principles from established models in trauma-informed care and architecture that I believe can guide content designers in creating safer, more inclusive experiences. In this post, I’ve pulled together real product examples to show how approachable this work can be, and why it leads to better outcomes for everyone. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗗 𝗮𝗿𝗲: 𝗦𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Foster a sense of security by avoiding aggressive language, reducing surprises, and keeping experiences consistent. 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Build confidence with clear, honest communication about policies, data, and expectations. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 Empower users by giving them options and letting them shape their experience. 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 Support autonomy by offering clear paths to recover from mistakes and make decisions. 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 Create inclusive spaces that support connection and belonging. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 Respect and reflect diverse identities, histories, and lived experiences. 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 Design content that meets users where they are, with room for different needs and preferences. Trauma-informed design isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being thoughtful. And it often starts with the words we choose ♥️. Wanna learn more? The link to my full article on this topic is in the comments. #TraumaInformedDesign #ContentDesign #UXWriting #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility #DesignWithCare #ContentStrategy

Genius UX Laws to design great products. I just found a fantastic, free collection of Laws of UX. They can help us: → Come up with better product ideas. → Come up with better hypotheses. → Analyze and understand any usability issues. The top 8: 1. Aesthetic-Usability Effect Users perceive designs that are aesthetically pleasing as more usable. Product teams should recognize this effect, particularly when testing user prototypes. 2. Doherty Threshold Productivity peaks when interactions between a computer and its users occur in less than 400 milliseconds. You can enhance the perceived speed of your product with techniques like animations or progress indicators. Also, try to search for posts on LinkedIn. LinkedIn quickly displays an empty skeleton with animations before getting any response from the server. 3. Von Restorff Effect In a group of similar items, the one that stands out is most remembered. A common approach highlights one “primary action” the user is encouraged to take. 4. Goal-Gradient Effect Users’ motivation increases as they get closer to completing a task. You can encourage users by showing them how close to the end they are with the help of progress bars or checklists. You can also consider presenting an illusion of progress, such as starting from 20% or moving the bar regardless of whether the progress can be determined. 5. Hick’s Law The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Reduce options when quick decisions matter. Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps. 6. Miller’s Law The average person can only keep 7 (+-2) items in their working memory. Focus on breaking down information into manageable chunks. For example, in the jobs section, LinkedIn displays 5 icons in the top menu, 7 links in the left menu, and 7 suggested job searches in the middle. 7. Peak-End Rule People remember the most intense point and the end of an experience more than the entire journey. Product teams should focus on enhancing the high-impact moments and the final step of the user experience. For example, HubSpot celebrates creating an account with animated confetti. 8. Postel’s Law Be liberal in what you accept and conservative in what you send. Let's say you have a form that requires a phone number. Forcing users to use a specific format might cause frustration. Yet, it’s a widespread mistake. Credit: Jon Jablonski! ***** If you found this useful, consider reposting ♻️ to your network. 👉 P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you'll love my newsletter - a 3-minute breakdown of the proven design playbooks and strategies behind the world’s greatest companies. Join 211,000+ design nerds from companies like Google, Meta, Atlassian, and Netflix: https://lnkd.in/grUNykbT #design #careers #leadership

Your competition is stealing your customers right now because they understand one thing you don't. Understanding your customers fully = building products people actually want to use. That's the goal. To get there, you can either: - Rely on your gut instinct and assumptions. - Actually learn what your customers need, think, and want. Just carry out these daily tasks: 1. Talk to your customers directly -  ↳ Give them easy ways to provide feedback through uninstall surveys, reviews, or customer support channels.  ↳ Reach out to power users and start conversations. Many customers actively want to help improve your product. 2. Make feedback frictionless -  ↳ Customers won't go out of their way to give feedback, so reduce friction with quick surveys after key interactions, in-app prompts for feature requests, open-ended responses in support tickets, and direct access to a real person. 3. Observe how customers actually use your product -  ↳ Data tells a different story than surveys.  ↳ Use analytics to see what features people use most, where they drop off during onboarding, and what actions lead to churn vs. retention. 4. Test and iterate based on customer input -  ↳ When feedback patterns emerge, act on them.  ↳ If feature requests keep coming up, prioritize them.  ↳ If customers are confused about a function, improve the UX. 5. Build relationships with your best customers -  ↳ Your most engaged users can become your best resource.  ↳ Keep in touch with them, get their input on new features, and make them feel heard. I had a user who loved our product so much that they actively shared feedback and even tested features before launch. They'll hop on a Zoom call with just 15 minutes notice. Now all you have to do is commit to customer research, and you'll build products people actually want to use. As you progress, incorporate: - Regular customer interviews - User testing sessions - Data analysis routines It's more effective than building in isolation based on assumptions. ♻️ Repost if you agree ➕ Follow me Blaine Vess for more

if you're building product, experiences or community, don't forget you're building for humans, not numbers. three principles of human psychology you should know as a builder: 🏋️cognitive load theory🏋️ users have limited cognitive resources, and software design should aim to minimize cognitive load to enhance usability. simplify interfaces, minimize distractions, and provide clear and concise instructions. 👭social proof👭 people are influenced by the actions and opinions of others. incorporate elements such as user reviews, ratings, and social media integrations to encourage conversion and set expectations. 😍emotional design😍 humans have feelings, and those feelings play a big role in shaping user behavior. evoke positive emotions in your users such as joy, satisfaction, and delight through elements like color, typography, imagery, and micro-interactions to drive conversion and affinity. what other psychology-based frameworks do you keep in mind when building?

Design decisions benefit more from behavioral user experience metrics. Involving your audience in the design process gives you real-time feedback on key aspects of their experience. Tools like Helio can help you capture valuable insights that improve your business KPIs, guided by user experience metrics. Using usability tests and surveys lets you quickly gather qualitative and quantitative user feedback. Behavioral data collected early in the design process helps you understand a design's success. Emotional indicators are usually trailing, as confusion or lack of clarity can lead to drops in sentiment and feelings. Here’s the user feedback you can collect to help refine your design decisions with stakeholders: Usability → Makes sure users can easily and quickly use the product to do what they want. Comprehension → Ensures users understand the product, how it works, and what it can do for them. Engagement → Tracks how often and how long users interact with the product, showing their interest and involvement. Desirability → Checks how attractive and appealing the product is to users, affecting their initial and ongoing interest. Viability → This examines whether the design is practical, sustainable, and aligned with business goals for long-term success. Completion → Measures how often users successfully finish tasks or reach goals, showing how effective the product is. Sentiment → Collects overall feelings and attitudes about the product to understand user satisfaction and loyalty. Feeling → Describes users' emotions when using the product, which can affect their overall experience and willingness to stick around. Response Time → Measures how quickly users responds, affecting user satisfaction and perceived performance. Reaction → Captures users' immediate emotional responses, providing quick insights into their first impressions and perceptions. Considering user experience in each design decision offers many benefits: It makes decisions clearer for stakeholders, speeds up decision-making, quickly identifies user pain points, and establishes a baseline for ongoing improvement. We use these metrics to help us improve business results using iterative design and continuous research. What are your thoughts? #productdesign #productdiscovery #userresearch #uxresearch

Imagine this: you’re filling out a survey and come across a question instructing you to answer 1 for Yes and 0 for No. As if that wasn't bad enough, the instructions are at the top of the page, and when you scroll to answer some of the questions, you’ve lost sight of what 1 and 0 means. Why is this an accessibility fail? Memory Burden: Not everyone can remember instructions after scrolling, especially those with cognitive disabilities or short-term memory challenges. Screen Readers: For people using assistive technologies, the separation between the instructions and the input field creates confusion. By the time they navigate to the input, the context might be lost. Universal Design: It’s frustrating and time-consuming to repeatedly scroll up and down to confirm what the numbers mean. You can improve this type of survey by: 1. Placing clear labels next to each input (e.g., "1 = Yes, 0 = No"). 2. Better yet, use intuitive design and replace numbers with a combo box or radio buttons labeled "Yes" and "No." 3. Group the questions by topic. 4. Use headers and field groups to break them up for screen reader users. 5. Only display five or six at a time so people don't get overwhelmed and bail out. 6. Ensure instructions remain visible or are repeated near the question for easy reference. Accessibility isn’t just a "nice to have." It’s critical to ensure everyone can participate. Don’t let bad design create barriers and invalidate your survey results. Alt: A screen shot of a survey containing numerous questions with an instructing you to answer 1 for Yes and 0 for No. The instruction is written at the top and it gets lost when you scroll down to answer other questions. #AccessibilityFailFriday #AccessibilityMatters #InclusiveDesign #UXBestPractices #DigitalAccessibility

Ever wondered why some systems make users feel like they need a PhD to operate them? Let's fix that. Many tech leaders think they know what users want, but often, they're missing the mark. It's time to stop designing for awards and start designing for your users. Here's how to create a truly user-friendly system: 1. Easy-to-Navigate Streets 🏙️ Imagine your software as a bustling city. A good city has clear street signs, and your software should too. Users shouldn't need GPS to find what they need. Make navigation intuitive. A well-planned grid beats a confusing tangle of alleys any day. Engagement ROI: Investing $1 in UX design can yield a $100 return. That's a 9,900% ROI! (Source: Forrester) 2. Efficient Public Transit 🚇 In cities and software, quick travel matters. Your system should be as fast as an express train. Make it run faster and simpler. Let users complete tasks before their coffee goes cold. 3. Helpful City Services 🏥 Every city faces issues. In software, they're bugs and errors. Handle them like a responsive city hall. Don't just say "Road Closed." Explain the detour and when it'll be fixed. Be the helpful mayor, not the grumpy bureaucrat. Cost Savings: Fixing design issues in development is 100x more expensive than addressing them during design. (Source: IBM) 4. Customizable Neighborhoods 🏘️ Some folks prefer downtown, others the suburbs. Let users customize their experience. It's like letting them choose their ideal neighborhood in your digital city. They'll feel more at home and stay longer. 5. Listen to the Locals 👥 Residents know their city best. Your users are the locals of your software city. Watch how they navigate. Listen to their feedback. Use their input to build a better user experience. Conversion Boost: A well-designed UI can boost website conversion rates by up to 200%, with UX improvements driving increases up to 400%. (Source: Forrester) Continuous Urban Planning 🏗️ Great cities evolve. So should your software. Keep refining based on user feedback. It's like urban renewal – consistent improvements lead to a thriving cityscape. Your goal isn't to build the tallest skyscraper. It's to create a place where users feel at home. When they can navigate your system as easily as their favorite city block, you've succeeded. Next time you're designing a system, think like an urban planner. Would YOU enjoy living in this digital city? If not, it might be time to revise those blueprints. What's your take on creating user-friendly systems? Share your best 'user-friendly' experience in the comments below. Think about a system you use regularly. What one change would make it significantly more user-friendly for you?

People overcomplicate UX. If you're a founder or a UX pro: Avoid: ↳ Endless mockups and Figma prototypes with no feedback ↳ Getting lost in jargon that confuses, not clarifies ↳ Designing for aesthetics alone, without user validation ↳ Skipping the basics to chase trends and shiny new tools Instead: ↳ Start by understanding your users’ pain points deeply ↳ Get real feedback early and often—don’t assume ↳ Prioritize simple, clear user flows over flashy features ↳ Focus on making the experience intuitive and accessible Build on a solid foundation. UX doesn’t need to be complex—it just needs to work. Remember we're not playing a Tetris game, there are real users that need our help. --- PS: How have you overcomplicated UX in the past? Follow me, John Balboa. I swear I'm friendly and I won't detach your components.