In today’s world of information overload, it is essential to minimize the mental effort required to interact with a system. This effort, known as mental interaction cost, includes the cognitive effort involved in interacting with a system, considering timing, clarity, and user context. It can be broken down into three components: attention, memory, and conceptual models. Attention is related to the visibility and discovery of key elements, memory involves maintaining consistent and recognizable interaction patterns, and conceptual models focus on creating associations and cues for users through design models. By considering these components, user experience designers can create interfaces that are more intuitive and less mentally taxing for users. This is essential for optimizing user satisfaction and efficiency.
Designing for Behavior Change
Fogg Behavior Model
In order to enhance user experience, it is crucial to have a deep understanding of and the ability to influence user behavior. The Fogg Behavior Model serves as a framework for comprehending how behavior is influenced by three key elements:
- Motivation (Low or High): This provides a reason for someone to engage in a task.
- Ability (Hard or Easy to do): This determines how feasible it is for people to complete a task.
- Triggers: These are environmental or internal prompts that encourage a person to take action. Examples include onboarding tips, call-to-action buttons, and notifications.
The behavior occurs when users have both motivation and ability. If motivation is low, increasing ability can help. Here are some strategies we can apply the Fogg Behavior Model in our design initiatives:
Simplifying Interfaces
- Reduce the complexity of tasks by breaking them down into simpler steps.
- Ensure that users can easily understand and complete actions with minimal effort.
Increasing Motivation
- Use persuasive design techniques to improve user engagement.
- Highlight benefits and value to maintain high motivation levels.
Effective Triggers
- Design clear and timely notifications that prompt users at the right moment.
- Utilize easy-to-find and understandable CTA buttons.
Cognitive Overload: The “Black Box” Scenario
It’s important for designers to recognize that our brains can only process so much information at once. When users are presented with an overwhelming amount of choices or information, they can become confused and feel stuck. This becomes even more challenging with “black box” interfaces, which are like magic tricks – the user triggers an action without understanding how or why it happens. When users don’t have a clear understanding of how things work, it makes it even more difficult for them to make sense of the information being presented to them.
Remember this: The most important aspect here is feedback. Whenever you take an action, the system should respond with a clear thumbs up, thumbs down, or something in between. This feedback should be immediate, easy to understand, and appropriate for the situation.
You should prioritize clear and concise messages. For example, instead of simply displaying a green checkmark, a message could say, “Your file has been uploaded successfully.”
Handling cognitive load
Cognitive load refers to the mental effort required to complete a task. It is important to reduce cognitive load in order to improve efficiency. This can be achieved by simplifying interfaces, removing unnecessary elements, and providing immediate feedback.
Amber Case’s principles of “calm technologies” seamlessly integrate into everyday life, offering functionality in a non-intrusive manner and promoting a harmonious relationship between humans and technology.
Principles of Calm Technology
To create effective user interfaces, it is important to understand and apply the core principles of calm technology.
These principles guide designers in developing systems that seamlessly integrate into users’ lives, optimizing functionality without overwhelming them.
- Clarity in communication: Ensure that the interface effectively communicates its purpose and functionality, using clear text, icons, and symbols.
- Consistency and recognizable patterns: Maintain consistent layout, colors, and typography to help users apply their prior knowledge and create an intuitive user experience.
- Responsive feedback: Provide appropriate feedback for every user action, whether through simple animations or more complex messages, to ensure that users understand that their actions have been acknowledged.
- Minimizing cognitive load: Simplify processes, reduce the amount of presented information, and highlight key elements to help users focus on the most important aspects.
- Predictability and intuition: Follow design conventions and use familiar elements to align with users’ mental models.
- Flexibility and efficiency of use: Cater to both novice and experienced users by offering customizable interfaces and shortcuts to increase efficiency.
