A Cognitive Sciences Reading List for Designers: A Full-Stack Perspective

As a full-stack developer and designer, I‘ve come to appreciate the profound impact that a grounding in cognitive science can have on the quality and effectiveness of the digital experiences we create. From the database schemas we design, to the APIs we specify, to the pixels we push – at every layer of the stack, there are opportunities to align our decisions with the fundamental workings of the human mind.

In this post, I‘ll share a curated reading list that has been instrumental in shaping my own understanding of cognition as it relates to design. We‘ll dive into four key areas – perception and attention, memory and learning, decision making and judgment, and language and communication – and explore how insights from cognitive science can inform our work as designers and developers.

Perception and Attention

Whenever we engage with a digital interface, our experience is fundamentally mediated by our perceptual and attentional systems. By understanding the capabilities and limitations of human visual processing, we can design interfaces that are more easily perceived, interpreted and navigated.

One key concept that every designer should internalize is the idea of pre-attentive processing. As Colin Ware explains in his book Visual Thinking for Design, certain visual properties like color, size, motion and orientation can be detected very rapidly and effortlessly by the human visual system, before the conscious mind even gets involved. Leveraging pre-attentive attributes judiciously in our designs can help guide attention to the most important elements on a page.

An example of how pre-attentive attributes like color and shape can guide attention. Source: Coglode

Another key insight from the study of perception is the importance of Gestalt principles. As designers, we can use properties like proximity, similarity, continuity, and closure to visually group related elements, establish hierarchy, and create more coherent, easily comprehensible layouts.

The Gestalt principles of perception describe how our minds tend to organize and interpret visual information. Source: Interaction Design Foundation

A study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon found that websites designed in accordance with Gestalt principles were rated as significantly more aesthetically appealing and usable than those that violated these principles (Coursaris, Swierenga, & Watrall, 2008). As Andy Rutledge, designer and author of Design Professionalism, puts it: "Gestalt principles are a primary tool for interface and user experience design. Without them, a design will lack the hierarchy, contrast and harmony necessary for an intuitive, comfortable and productive user experience."

Memory and Learning

Whenever a user interacts with a digital system, they are relying on their memory to make sense of the interface and recall how to perform tasks. Designing with an understanding of human memory can make our applications easier to learn, use and master.

One of the most important distinctions in the study of memory is between short-term (or working) memory and long-term memory. As explained in Designing with the Mind in Mind by Jeff Johnson, short-term memory is extremely limited in capacity (traditionally estimated at 7 ± 2 items) and duration (around 10-15 seconds, if the information isn‘t actively rehearsed). Long-term memory, on the other hand, is vast and enduring, but takes more effort to encode and retrieve.

The multi-store model of human memory. Source: Lumen Learning

As designers, we need to be mindful of the limitations of short-term memory and avoid overloading users with too much new information at once. Techniques like chunking (grouping related pieces of information), progressive disclosure (presenting information in small, digestible chunks), and recognition over recall (e.g., using menus instead of command lines) can all help mitigate the limits of working memory.

When it comes to supporting long-term memory and learning, we can draw on principles from the cognitive science of learning. For example, the principle of spaced repetition suggests that learning is most effective when the same material is revisited at increasing intervals over time. The popular language learning app Duolingo leverages this principle by using algorithms to optimize the timing of item repetition for each user.

Duolingo uses spaced repetition to optimize language learning. Source: Duolingo

Another key principle is the importance of active, engaged learning. As the authors of e-Learning and the Science of Instruction point out, "Learning is not a spectator sport. It requires the active participation of the learner." Designers can foster active learning by providing opportunities for practice, feedback, reflection, and self-explanation within their interfaces and learning experiences.

Decision Making and Judgment

Every interaction with a digital system involves some form of decision making on the part of the user. Understanding the cognitive biases and heuristics that influence human judgment can help us design choice architectures that support better decisions.

One of the most well-known cognitive biases is the anchoring effect – the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions. This bias can be leveraged for good or for ill in design. For example, the default options in a sign-up form or the recommended products on an e-commerce site can serve as anchors that sway users‘ choices.

The anchoring effect can influence users‘ judgments and decisions. Source: Growth.Design

Another important concept from the study of decision making is loss aversion – the idea that people tend to prefer avoiding losses to acquiring equivalent gains. In other words, the pain of losing is psychologically twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining. As designers, we can frame choices in terms of potential losses or gains to influence behavior. For instance, studies have shown that opt-out organ donation policies (where the default is to be a donor) result in significantly higher donation rates than opt-in policies, due to loss aversion.

The impact of default options on organ donation rates. Source: Science

Understanding these cognitive biases allows us to design more persuasive and effective interfaces. However, it also comes with a great responsibility to use these techniques ethically and in the best interest of our users. As Tristan Harris, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, cautions: "When you know how to push people‘s buttons, you have a responsibility to steer things in a direction that‘s aligned with their goals and values."

Language and Communication

As designers and developers, we rely heavily on language to communicate with our users, whether through UI copy, documentation, or conversational interfaces. Grounding our linguistic choices in cognitive principles can make our communication clearer, more efficient, and more persuasive.

One key insight from psycholinguistics is the importance of pragmatics – the study of how context contributes to meaning. The same word or phrase can be interpreted very differently depending on the situation in which it‘s used. As UX writer Kinneret Yifrah explains in Microcopy: The Complete Guide, effective interface copywriting requires a deep understanding of the user‘s context and goals at each point in their journey.

The meaning of a phrase can change drastically based on context. Source: UX Collective

Another important principle from linguistics is the cooperative principle, which suggests that participants in a conversation usually attempt to be informative, truthful, relevant, and clear. Violating these maxims can lead to confusion or mistrust. As designers, we should strive to uphold the cooperative principle in our interfaces by being concise, accurate, and pertinent in our language use.

Grice‘s Maxims describe how people try to cooperate in conversation. Source: Fandom

When it comes to crafting persuasive copy, we can draw on principles from rhetoric and persuasion psychology. One effective technique is the use of social proof, which leverages the human tendency to look to others for cues on how to behave. Testimonials, reviews, and indications of popularity can all serve as powerful forms of social proof.

The use of social proof on Basecamp‘s homepage. Source: Basecamp

Understanding the psychology of language can also help us design more effective conversational interfaces. As Erika Hall, co-founder of Mule Design, points out in Conversational Design, we need to design chatbot interactions around the cooperative principle, social norms, and the limitations of artificial intelligence in order to create more human-like, satisfying conversational experiences.

Conclusion

As designers and developers, we are in the business of shaping how humans interact with technology. The more we understand about the fundamental workings of the human mind, the better equipped we are to design digital experiences that are intuitive, meaningful, and valuable.

The reading list provided here is a starting point – a curated selection of books that have deeply influenced my own thinking and practice as a full-stack developer and designer. But the learning doesn‘t stop there. The field of cognitive science is vast and ever-evolving, and its intersections with the world of design are myriad.

I encourage you to dive into these readings with an open and inquisitive mind. Engage with the material actively. Ponder how the principles and concepts presented can be applied to your own work. Discuss and debate them with your colleagues. And most importantly, experiment with putting these ideas into practice in your own design and development efforts.

As you do so, I think you‘ll find, as I have, that a grounding in cognitive science can be transformative for your work. It provides a powerful lens through which to view the design process, and a rich set of principles to guide your decisions. Ultimately, it equips you to create digital experiences that are more human-centered, more impactful, and more successful.

So dive in, enjoy the learning journey, and put your newfound knowledge to work in shaping the future of human-computer interaction. The mind-expanding rewards await!