I think quite a few people would be interested in exploring more about the intersection of cognitive psychology and user experience design. We’ve got a couple of threads getting going on related topics, such as Cognitive bias and UX, Cognitive psychology in information architecture, and Dark patterns and persuasive design.
Here’s a quick list of my ‘go to’ tools and resources to kick things off:
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. One the best books ever written on psychology. How people make decisions, view the world. An essential read.
- Psychology for Designers by Joe Leech. A primer on Psychology outlining all you need to know to get started with psychology from the different types of psychology to finding and applying psychology theories to your design problems.
- Universal Principles of Design offers a clear overview of 115 key theories and their application within design. A very handy book, and one that I refer to constantly.
- 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People by Susan Weinschenk. Just what it says on the label. Lots of theories applied to design.
- Mental Notes card deck from Stephen P. Anderson are a set of cards that highlight a psychology insight and suggests a way of using that in design. A second edition is in the works.
- Persuasive Patterns card deck by Anders Toxboe, 54 insights from psychology, presented in a manner easily referenced and used as a brainstorming tool:
What other resources and tools do you find useful for intentionally including psychology in your design work?