Understanding People

Technology and market conditions change so quickly. What worked last year or even last month, may not be applicable today. But one thing remains constant: People. An understanding of how people think — their motivations, biases, way of thinking — can yield “super powers” to designers, marketers, and product builders.

Here is a list of resources, blogs, and books to better understanding the human mind:

Resources

• Cognitive Lode — Playbook of cognitive biases and psych research
• Mental Notes — Bring a little psychology to Web design
• Design Triggers — Pull the trigger on product design decisions
• Wikipedia List of Cognitive Biases — Dozens of cognitive biases explained
• GoodUI — Collection of clever UX patterns and ideas
• User Onboarding — Onboarding teardowns of popular sites and services
• Dark Patterns — Deceptive patterns used to manipulate users

Books

• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products
• The Art of Game Design
• Seductive Interaction Design
• The Power of Habit

Blogs

• NirAndFar.com
• The Psychology of Video Games