| Mental Model | Description | Application | Use Cases |
|-------------|-------------|-------------|------------|
| 80/20 Rule | A small percentage of inputs causes a large percentage of results | Helps prioritize design efforts and focus on high-impact elements | #productivity #design #optimization |
| Accessibility | Design for usability by the widest possible audience | Ensures products and services can be used by people with diverse abilities | #design #usability #inclusion |
| Advance Organizer | Provide a conceptual framework before introducing details | Improves user understanding and learning of complex systems | #education #ux #information-architecture |
| Aesthetic-Usability Effect | Attractive designs are perceived as easier to use | Guides visual design decisions to improve perceived usability | #design #psychology #ux |
| Affordance | Design elements suggest how they should be used | Creates intuitive interfaces that require minimal instruction | #ux #design #interaction |
| Alignment | Arrange elements for visual harmony and coherence | Improves readability and visual organization | #design #layout #visual |
| Anthropomorphic Form | Human-like forms evoke emotional connections | Creates engaging and relatable interfaces | #design #psychology #emotion |
| Archetypes | Universal symbols influence understanding and behavior | Leverages shared cultural understanding in design | #psychology #culture #design |
| Area Alignment | Align elements by visual weight instead of edges | Creates balanced and harmonious layouts | #design #layout #visual |
| Attractiveness Bias | People favor attractive individuals or things | Influences design decisions for better user engagement | #psychology #design #ux |
| Baby-Face Bias | Baby-like features elicit perceptions of innocence and honesty | Guides character design and branding elements | #psychology #design #branding |
| Biophilia Effect | Nature-rich environments reduce stress and enhance focus | Informs environmental and interface design | #design #psychology #environment |
| Cathedral Effect | High ceilings promote creativity; low ceilings promote focus | Guides spatial design for different purposes | #architecture #psychology #space |
| Chunking | Group information into smaller units for easier processing | Improves information architecture and content organization | #ux #information #cognition |
| Classical Conditioning | Pair a stimulus with a response to influence behavior | Shapes user behavior through consistent design patterns | #psychology #ux #behavior |
| Closure | People perceive incomplete patterns as whole | Creates engaging visual elements with minimal detail | #design #perception #gestalt |
| Cognitive Dissonance | Discomfort from conflicting thoughts motivates change | Guides user interface consistency and error prevention | #psychology #ux #design |
| Color | Evokes emotional responses and aids understanding | Influences mood and guides user attention | #design #psychology #visual |
| Common Fate | Elements moving in the same direction are grouped together | Creates visual relationships through animation and movement | #design #animation #gestalt |
| Comparison | Highlight differences to clarify understanding | Helps users make informed decisions | #ux #information #decision-making |
| Confirmation | Affirm expectations to increase user confidence | Provides feedback and validates user actions | #ux #interaction #feedback |
| Consistency | Uniform design elements improve usability | Creates predictable and learnable interfaces | #design #ux #usability |
| Constancy | Perception remains consistent despite environmental changes | Ensures design works across different contexts | #design #perception #adaptation |
| Constraint | Limit actions to prevent errors and guide behavior | Prevents user errors and guides correct usage | #ux #interaction #safety |
| Control | Balance automation and manual user control | Optimizes user autonomy and system assistance | #ux #interaction #automation |
| Convergence | Align elements to emphasize relatedness | Creates visual hierarchies and relationships | #design #layout #visual |
| Cost-Benefit | Optimize trade-offs between value and cost | Guides design decisions and feature prioritization | #strategy #design #business |
| Defensible Space | Design spaces to promote safety and ownership | Creates comfortable and secure environments | #architecture #psychology #safety |
| Depth of Processing | Information processed deeply is better remembered | Guides content strategy and user engagement | #psychology #content #learning |
| Desire Line | Reflect natural user paths in the design | Creates intuitive navigation and workflows | #ux #navigation #behavior |
| Entry Point | Use clear entry points to guide interaction | Helps users start and navigate processes | #ux #navigation #interaction |
| Errors | Anticipate and mitigate mistakes | Prevents user frustration and improves usability | #ux #safety #interaction |
| Face-ism Ratio | Visual focus on the face affects perceptions of personality | Guides image composition and character design | #design #psychology #visual |
| Feedback Loop | Continuous feedback influences behavior | Creates engaging and responsive interfaces | #ux #interaction #behavior |
| Fitts' Law | The time to target an object depends on its size and distance | Optimizes interface element sizing and placement | #ux #interaction #ergonomics |
| Form Follows Function | Aesthetics should align with intended use | Creates purposeful and effective designs | #design #architecture #function |
| Framing | Presentation influences perception and decisions | Guides content presentation and decision architecture | #psychology #content #decision-making |
| Golden Ratio | Proportions derived from the golden ratio are aesthetically pleasing | Creates visually balanced layouts | #design #visual #mathematics |
| Hierarchy | Organize elements by importance | Guides user attention and information processing | #design #information #layout |
| Highlighting | Use contrast to draw attention to key elements | Directs user focus to important information | #design #visual #attention |
| Immersion | Design environments that captivate and engage users | Creates engaging user experiences | #ux #psychology #engagement |
| Iteration | Repeated refinements improve outcomes | Guides design process and improvement | #process #design #improvement |
| Legibility | Prioritize clarity and readability | Ensures content is easily consumable | #typography #design #accessibility |
| Mental Model | Users form representations to guide their interactions | Aligns design with user expectations | #ux #psychology #cognition |
| Progressive Disclosure | Reveal information incrementally | Prevents cognitive overload and guides learning | #ux #information #learning |
| Recognition Over Recall | Make choices easier by reducing memory reliance | Improves usability through familiar patterns | #ux #cognition #memory |
| Storytelling | Use narrative to engage and communicate | Creates meaningful and memorable experiences | #content #engagement #communication |
| Visibility | Ensure critical elements are visible and accessible | Improves discoverability and usability | #ux #design #accessibility |
| Wayfinding | Help users navigate through environments effectively | Creates clear navigation systems | #ux #navigation #architecture |
from [[readwise.io - Universal Principles of Design|Universal Principles of Design]]
[[Mental model cheatsheet]]
#mental-model #design #usability