Susan Weinschenk Books
Susan Weinschenk, Ph. D.
Known for: 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People, 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
Books by Susan Weinschenk
100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
This book bridges psychology and design, explaining how people see, read, remember, and make decisions. Drawing on cognitive, perceptual, and social psychology, Dr. Susan Weinschenk provides practical...
100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
Design works best when it starts with human nature rather than aesthetics alone. In 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People, Susan Weinschenk translates findings from psychology, neuroscien...
Key Insights from Susan Weinschenk
Vision and Perception
Every design begins with what people see, but seeing isn’t a passive process—it’s interpretation. Our eyes send information to the brain, yet what we perceive depends on contrast, pattern, and expectation. I remind designers that human vision is optimized for differentiation, not details. We notice ...
From 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
Reading and Comprehension
Designers often assume users will read everything carefully. Psychology says otherwise. People rarely read; they scan. Eye-tracking studies show users create visual paths shaped by tasks and expectations, often skipping large amounts of text. When reading on screens, short paragraphs, clear headings...
From 100 Things Every Designer Needs To Know About People
People See Patterns, Not Raw Reality
The first mistake many designers make is assuming users see what the designer sees. They do not. Human vision is selective, interpretive, and heavily shaped by context. People notice contrast, edges, movement, faces, and familiar visual structures before they notice detail. They fill in gaps, ignore...
From 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
People Scan Before They Read
Most people do not read interfaces and web pages word by word. They scan for relevance. Before committing attention, they ask silent questions: What is this? Am I in the right place? What can I do here? How much effort will this take? Reading online is usually a search behavior, not a literary one. ...
From 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
Memory Is Limited and Unreliable
Design often fails when it asks people to remember too much. Working memory is narrow, fragile, and easily overloaded. People can hold only a small amount of information in mind at once, and even that information fades quickly when interrupted. Long instructions, hidden rules, and multi-step process...
From 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
Thinking Is Effortful, So Simplicity Wins
People like to believe they think carefully through every choice, but much of daily behavior runs on mental shortcuts. Deep reasoning is slow and effortful, so the brain conserves energy whenever possible. When a design is confusing, people usually do not become more analytical; they become more lik...
From 100 Things Every Designer Should Know About People
About Susan Weinschenk
Susan Weinschenk, Ph.D., is a behavioral psychologist who applies psychology to design and technology. She has over 30 years of experience in user experience, behavioral science, and communication, and is known for her work on how people think, decide, and interact with digital products.
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Susan Weinschenk, Ph. D.
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