We already have screen size (viewport) responsive design. Now it’s time to get excited about emotionally reactive design. Or is it? — Imagine a media query (the CSS construct that drives responsive design) for happy, sad, anxious, distracted, focused, etc. For now, all we can do is imagine — this is science fiction at this point. Ok, but why? Research has decisively shown that positive emotional reactions are associated with task persistence and task completion…

Try these 8 research-based design principles to create better-suited designs for kids. — The secret is out, kids love using tablets, computers, and mobile phones to play and learn. How can we create the most effective, responsible, and mindful interactions and interfaces for children? Each design is as unique as the communications problem it solves and the audience consuming it. Or at least…

Neurodesgin is an emerging field of design practice that accounts for how our brains are wired to create designs that promote simplicity, emote joy, and drive action. — After publishing the first part of this article, I’ve come across a couple of additional books that help bring resolution to this emerging design field. Thanks to all the folks that wrote and nudged me to write this sequel. Before we dig in, let’s add some context.

To create inclusive and universal designs, among many other things, designers need to better understand Color Vision Deficiency. My wife doesn’t miss an opportunity to remind me that I am “captain literal.” It’s both a curse and a blessing — I think, she disagrees. In a case like this, using the right term matters because “colorblind,” as our colloquial understanding goes, is an absolute misnomer.

Designer or user, our experiences shape how we perceive the world today and tomorrow. Why? Because our brains are lazy. The brain is an evolutionary marvel. But it’s also flawed. Or is it? On the one hand, if the brain processed all the stimuli that pound it, it would be tough to form an intent and direct action. The brain evolved to filter out stimuli that are not as important…

Trust is a powerful force for driving user action. And since aesthetics is a dimension of trust, every designer should try to understand how trust works. — It’s no secret that the best design evokes the most powerful emotions. Talented storytellers skillfully use design attributes like color, hue, form, line, type, shape, texture, size, balance, and contrast to conjure specific feelings. Like a great joke, a tearjerker of a movie, or a terrific story, design inspires us…

What if there was a way, through design, to trigger the release of neurotransmitters that affect how we feel and how we do? Earlier this year, I wrote an article about how designers, through their designs, can deliberately promote the release of dopamine. In this article, I will dig in a bit more to show designers why and how to tap into dopamine to emote joy, promote simplicity, and drive action.

Neurodesgin is an emerging field of design practice that accounts for how our brains are wired to create designs that promote simplicity, emote joy, and drive action. — Since humans are visually dominant, how we perceive and attend visual stimuli should be of particular interest to user experience designers. This is why neurodesign is important. To understand neurodesign, we must first understand many things about so many things. And what better way to learn than by reading? …

Our brains are biologically programmed to unintentionally and automatically attend to human faces. Know how it works to tap into that biology. — A study from the Journal of Experimental Psychology Applied, Suboptimal Exposure to Facial Expressions When Viewing Video Messages From a Small Screen: Effects on Emotion, Attention, and Memory, used facial electromyography (EMG) and respiratory sinus arrhythmia as physiological measures of emotion and attention. …