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Let's discuss the fascinating topic of human cognition and how it relates to product design. The way people think and perceive the world is often distorted by biases and expectations, and can be manipulated by the way information is presented. The Von Restorff effect, and use of the Entasis technique in architecture are examples of how cognitive science can be used to create visually appealing products.
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Creators & Guests
What is š Tiny Improvements?
This is the audio version of š Tiny Improvements: my weekly newsletter sharing one small yet impactful idea for product builders, startup founders, and indiehackers.
It's your cheat code for building products your customers will love. Learn from the CTO of a Y Combinator-backed startup, with past experience at Google, Stripe, and Microsoft.
About me:
I'm Mike Bifulco. I live in Charlotte, North Carolina, where I work as the CTO and co-founder of Craftwork. I'm also a developer advocate, writer, podcaster and serial startup founder. In the past I've worked for Google, Stripe, Microsoft, and Gymnasium. I'm cofounder of APIs You Won't Hate, a the largest community for API Developers on the web.
Mike: This is tiny improvements.
I'm Mike by Foco.
I have really enjoyed learning
about human cognition.
The study of thinking and understanding.
It's all about how we gather process,
remember and use information in order
to make sense of the world around us.
As you might imagine, the way people
do thinking is a broad topic, which
research has only just begun to explore.
The fascinating thing to me about
cognition is that many of the learnings
we can derive from research on human
thought, boil down to simple principles.
For me, at least they always seem to
make so much sense once I've heard them
said out loud, but are often things that
I've never really thought about before.
We tend to think of our interpretation
of the world, around us as something
that works in a straightforward
manner that the world appears to
us in the same way as it truly is.
The truth is that our perception
of the world is often distorted by
our own biases and expectations.
And can also be manipulated by the
way we're presented with information.
For example, research has shown that when
people are asked to remember a list of
items, they tend to remember items that
appear at the beginning of the end of the
list more easily than those in the middle.
So if you need to remember something.
It's best to put it at the
beginning or the end of the list.
Similarly, the Von restaurant effect is
a psychological phenomenon that describes
how people tend to remember things that
are different from the rest of the group.
This week I've been captivated by Entasis.
It's a technique used in architecture that
uses optical illusions to make physical
structures seem more visually balanced.
It involves slightly bulging the sides
of a column or other straight structures
in order to create the illusion
of a taller, straighter structure.
This technique is used to make structures,
appeal more aesthetically pleasing.
You've probably seen in taste
it's used in buildings that use
columns such as the Parthenon.
This is an effect that I've seen
used in visual design as well.
Although I never had a name for it before.
As it works out in tasteless is frequently
used in the design of typefaces.
Fond designers often use Intesa
is to create a subtle optical
illusion that makes the fun appear
more balanced and symmetrical.
Sometimes a character will appear more
visually balanced if it is just slightly
taller than the others around it.
Even though that feels like
it shouldn't be the case.
It's a subtle effect, but
it can make a big difference
in the way the text appears.
From remembering lists to making
typefaces look better, cognition plays
an important role in product design.
By understanding our cognitive
biases and how we perceive the world.
Designers can create products that are
more intuitive and aesthetically pleasing.
Cognitive science is a powerful
tool for product designers and
it can be used in unexpected ways
to create remarkable results.
This has been tiny improvements.
I'm mike by foco