What made me read this book?

This was a book on the Georgia Tech reading list for my UX certification program; after networking with people and doing more research on my own, this book appears on practically every single ‘Books UX Designers Should Read’ list so I decided to give it a read.

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In Summary

Susan Weinschenk outlines 100 lessons that designers need to know in order to design for users effectively. This book is a crash course in human behavior and outlines tangible recommendations designers can implement in their designs to make them more effective.

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My Top 8 ‘Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People’

1) ‘It’s a Good Thing That People Forget’ (#25)

People are ALWAYS going to forget! People quickly forget information that isn’t transferred to long-term memory.

Tip: Provide reminders, and a ‘help’ option or easily accessible training

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2) Minds Wander 30% of the Time (#29)

Depending on difficulty, minds will wander - especially if the person could be described as highly creative.

Tip: Provide stimulating content, use progressive disclosure and provide an ‘undo’ option

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3) People Create Mental Models (#31)

In order to design a product that is easy to learn and also ‘delightful,’ research mental models that apply to users.

Tip: Understand mental models of target audience

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4) People are more motivated as they get closer to a goal (#50)

People accelerate a certain behavior as they progress closer to a goal

Tip: Acknowledge that motivation/purchases will decrease after a goal is reached (rewards programs, etc.)

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5) People expect online interactions to follow social rules (#66)

Follow real-world social rules in the digital world.

Tip: Don’t immediately ask for information without letting user interact with product

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6) People want what is familiar when they’re sad or scared (#84)

People are less likely to take risks (try new products) when they are feeling strong negative emotions.

Tip: Provide them with familiar options (don’t take things away)

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7) People will always make mistakes; there is no fail-safe product (#85)

People inevitably will make mistakes; provide them with information when they do.

Tip: When writing error messages, include: summary of action, a solution, and an example

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8) People want more choices and information than they can process (#92)

‘The Paradox of Choice’ states that: people always want more choices. However, too many choices becomes debilitating to decision-making and often results in abandonment.

Tip: If possible, limit the number of choices to ~4 options

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Thoughts on the book

This is a high impact, low complexity crash course of human behavior and a great review of an introductory psychology course. Susan Weinschenk does a good job with providing historical context of findings and also great examples to illustrate adjacent, more recent findings. I found the book to be pleasurable to read, educational, and transparent about certain aspects of human behavior that we are still learning about.

Above, I included some of my favorite ‘lessons’ from the book but they were difficult to narrow down! I see why this book appears so often on reading lists; I’ll definitely be checking out the sequel to this book soon!

10/10.