Myth of Paying Attention

Users are not like us — they view the world with a completing different filter. As designers, we’ve trained ourselves to notice every little detail about a design — everything grabs our attention. We assume that users do the same when coming to a site or using an application for the first time. We assume that all those details that took us, as the designers, hours to figure out just right will catch a user’s eye and invoke pleasant thoughts and emotions that go along with facilitating a positive user experience. But, that’s not how our brains work. In fact, the average user will miss almost everything within their field of vision when working with a design for the first time. This phenomenon occurs all the time during usability studies, much to our bewilderment.

Fortunately, recent research within neurological and cognitive science offers some clues to why this behavior occurs. This session will review several concepts that shows how little people actually pay attention to the things they interact with, and will provide some tips and tricks for getting past this mental limitation.

Transcript

1. Brad Nunnally @bnunnally The Myth of Paying Attention Big Design Conference June 2012 #MythAttn
7. We have busy lives We rely on past expectations & habits There are gaps between interactions Mislead by our peers Training Fails
8. Leap is a start
13. But, why does it happen?
17. Change Blindness
19. Would You Notice?
20. Would You Notice?
21. Here’s The Proof
22. Here’s The Proof
27. 2010 http://www.lukew.com/ff/entry.asp?178
30. Selective Attention
44. We’re all a little slow 80 Millisecond Rule Perception occurs before understanding Our minds constructed the “present”
45. It’s all a guessing game Memory + Perception + Expectations = Reality Sometimes part of the equation is wrong Blind Men & The Elephant
48. "I did not see that big red bar at the bottom that says click here for more information" “How did I NOT see that?” “I must have missed that button” “I could have used what?” “Ohh, well that makes sense now that I see it.”
49. Screenshot from PE Usability Testing
50. Screenshot from PE Usability Testing
51. Screenshot from PE Usability Testing
59. Well, technology is a glittering lure. But there's the rare occasion when the public can be engaged on a level beyond flash, if they have a sentimental bond with the product. Don Draper
69. So What? Understanding the limitations of the human brain provide us with an opportunity to create better designs earlier in the process. Allowing for more critical issues to be identified during usability testing.
71. So What? We still have monkey brains It is easy for people to get tripped up by technology Knowing the Brain = Better Design Effectively plan major redesign projects Understand basic human behavior to augment their experiences Utilize the power of choice
72. Online Sources - http://kippt.com/feed/bnunnally/ JhCuSVb708qvLWzpxZ5C/fallacy-talk Photo Sources - http://kippt.com/feed/bnunnally/ JhCuSVb708qvLWzpxZ5C/fallacy-pictures
73. Thank You! Brad Nunnally Lead User Experience Designer Perficient Experience Design Email - brad.nunnally@perficient.com Twitter - @bnunnally SpeakerRate - http://spkr8.com/t/11331