Interview: Susan Weinschenk, author of 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, on the psychology behind effective user experience

Episode 93 Interview: Susan Weinschenk, author of 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People, on the psychology behind effective user experience

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Susan Weinschenk - behavioral scientist and best-selling author of 100 Things Every Designer Needs to Know About People. Susan uncovers the science behind attracting attention, boosting memory and explains when to add or remove friction to make your user experience more effective.

Episode Highlights

06:10 – 08:00

Faces and emotion grab attention instantly. The brain has a dedicated system for detecting faces, even in objects, and emotional expressions trigger faster processing, making them a powerful design tool.

18:30 – 20:10

People avoid effort whenever they can. If a task feels confusing or takes too much thought, they drop off. Making key actions simple and friction free is essential if you want users to follow through.

34:20 – 36:05

Emotion helps memories stick. Messages tied to strong feelings are stored through a different neural pathway, which is why brands use emotional scenes and then link them to their product to improve recall.