User Behaviors and Using UX

The behaviors of a human brain are complex and if we have uncovered what our users think and how they feel we can design the most optimal product for them. Everyone is aware that first impressions matter. But for product design first impressions affect users’ perception of aesthetics, usability, and credibility of a website. First impressions are ‘make’ or ‘break’. User Experience Designers must analyze and research the users, if they want to achieve an overall successful product for their target audience and fulfill a business need. There are many books and studies on cognitive process and how UX should relate to it, but having an overview of is a beneficial tool to use for any designer.

In the following information I am going to break down the three most important perceptions that users have in creating an opinion or judgement on a particular product. Noted in the scholarly journal First Impressions Matter: How Designers Can Support Hans’ Automatic Cognitive Processing, published by The Nielson Norman Group, the article approaches this complex issue in an in-depth look into visceral reactions and how users perceive relevance, credibility, and usability.

Visual cognitive process:

• If a website is aesthetically pleasing, users will tend to remember the site as more usable than it actually was.

• A decision on aesthetics is made as early as 50 milliseconds into visiting a site, and rarely changes if you give people more time. UX should design high attention grabbing things at page load and create uniform design throughout to hold onto the attention for the duration of the visit to a site.

• People are forgiving of beautiful designs that have poor usability than sites with less visually pleasing aesthetics and high usability.

• Negative aesthetic impressions can cause visual chaos. UX can avoid two CTA’s (call to action) and style them so the priority is clearer. UX can also limit colors, fonts, and keep the contrast up.

• Visual confusion happens if the layout is not predictable. UX can solve this by using grids to visually balance out the content.

Credibility cognitive process:

• Moving ads can be perceived as annoying, so it will diminish the credibility of the site. The UX research should identify this issue and then design accordingly.

• Spelling errors or inappropriate content for the demographic of the target audience can automatically turn off your viewer. UX can solve this by conducting research and identifying the correct target audience per the design.

• On page load if there is a pop up to register or sign up for something it creates mistrust, neediness, suspicion and visual annoyance. UX can still incorporate this feature in the design but it takes time to build trust, and finding the right timing can be studied and tested to solve the user need.

Relevance cognitive process:

• If users are not able use a shortcut to finding information, they find the site less relevant to them. This reaction is instant. Users want to rapidly identify the information relevant for a task. UX can solve this by using eye tracking and usability testing in order to studying its results and design for the user.

• Users can identify irrelevant information faster than relevant information. If there is confusion as to what might be relevant they will just ignore the info altogether.

• Good to remember: first impressions are quick and mostly accurate, but not entirely fool-proof. Emphasis on journey mapping can help solve UX needs. You can anticipate user needs and save time, energy and money, on content that will be ignored in the blink of an eye.

• Making a site more relevant includes understanding the mindsets and attitudes of various audiences; identify their primary goals and how they might try to accomplish them. UX uses user personas to solve this need.

In conclusion, humans cognitive processing happens before we are even aware of it. This process of thinking forms our initial opinions, judgement, and reactions in design. This perception also aides our memory of the product when we recall it later on. There are many books and studies on cognitive process and how UX should relate to it, but having an overview of the user behaviors is a beneficial tool to use for any designer. It is important to focus on visuals, credibility, and relevance of your product from your target user to gain more insight and make it the best it can be for your user.