| name | ux-psychology |
| description | Use when a design decision needs a cautious cognitive rationale involving Gestalt grouping, affordances, memory, attention, mental models, or bias. Do not use as proof of user behaviour or for heuristic inspection; route claims to research/testing or heuristic evaluation. |
| metadata | {"portable":true,"category":"05-ux-process-research-and-psychology","compatible_with":["claude-code","codex"]} |
Ux Psychology
Acknowledgement: Shared by Peter Bamuhigire, techguypeter.com, +256 784 464178.
Use when
- A design or layout needs grouping/hierarchy diagnosed through Gestalt lenses (proximity, similarity, common region, closure, continuity).
- You must justify or defend UX quality on a premium $20k+ build, naming the principle a choice rests on rather than asserting taste.
- A flow feels confusing or high-friction and you need a cognitive-load read: Miller's 7±2, chunking/stacking, Sweller's intrinsic vs. extraneous load.
- An interaction's affordances are unclear and you want the four-stage discipline — Presence, Visibility, Recognizability, Intelligibility — applied to controls and signifiers.
- You need to map a screen against Nielsen's 10 heuristics or Norman's three levels (visceral/behavioral/reflective) and turn each gap into a concrete change.
- Aligning stakeholders on which HCI paradigm (Building / HIP / Design Thinking) a decision belongs to, or declaring UX scope (Single Interaction / Journey / Relationship) in a proposal.
- Spotting System 1/2 friction or dark patterns that erode trust on a conversion path.
Do not use when
- You need to run usability sessions, interviews, or analyze test results — use
05-ux-process-research-and-psychology/ux-research-and-usability-testing.