The story of the blind men and the elephant is a powerful metaphor for many things, and UX design is no exception. Too often, we focus on a single aspect of the user experience—like a beautiful interface or a single feature—without seeing the whole picture. By understanding these core human behaviors, we can move beyond disjointed insights and create holistic, user-centric experiences.

Let's Talk About the "UX Elephant"

The UX design process can feel like a complex puzzle. To truly solve it, we need to understand the human mind and its inherent biases and limitations. Here are five key psychological insights, based on the attached document's reference to Dr. Susan Weinschenk's work, that can help you see the "UX elephant" in its entirety and design more effective products.

1. Peripheral Vision and "The Gist"

People don't always pay attention to what's right in front of them. Our brains are incredibly efficient and use peripheral vision to get the "gist" of what we're looking at. This means that even if a user is looking directly at your product, they may not be processing every detail.

  • The UX takeaway: Don't rely on users to read every word. Use clear visual hierarchy, strong headings, and scannable content to communicate the most important information quickly.

2. The Power of Metaphors

Our brains love shortcuts, and metaphors help people "get" a conceptual model quickly. They allow us to connect new, complex ideas to familiar, existing ones. For example, the concept of a "shopping cart" is a metaphor that instantly tells users what to expect and how to interact with the e-commerce flow.

  • The UX takeaway: Use familiar metaphors in your design to reduce cognitive load and make new features feel intuitive and easy to understand.

3. The Illusion of Control

Humans are hardwired to seek control. As the document states, having more information makes people feel that they have more choices, which, in turn, makes them feel more in control. This feeling of control is a basic human need. However, giving too much information can be overwhelming.

  • The UX takeaway: Provide users with enough information to feel in control without causing analysis paralysis. Break down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps, and offer a clear path forward.

4. The Fragility of Memory

Our memory degrades quickly and is prone to errors. Expecting a user to remember information from one task to the next, or from one page to another, is a recipe for frustration.

  • The UX takeaway: Don't make users remember. Keep information persistent on the screen, use clear visual cues, and auto-fill forms whenever possible to reduce the burden on a user's short-term memory.

5. The Distraction Dilemma

People are easily distracted. Flashing elements, auto-playing videos, and pop-ups can easily pull a user's attention away from their primary task. While you can use these elements to grab attention, they should be used with extreme caution and a clear purpose.

  • The UX takeaway: Design for focus. If you want a user to complete a task, eliminate distractions. If you need to draw their attention to something, use subtle animations or notifications that are purposeful and non-intrusive.

By understanding these five core psychological principles, you can start to see the entire "UX elephant" and design products that truly resonate with human behaviour.