Design Psychology
German – English Terms
From A to Z. English technical term small above the German one.
All technical terms of the course from A to Z. On each card, the English technical term is written small at the top, followed underneath by the German term and its explanation.
A
A/B COMPARISON
A/B comparison
Comparison of two variants. To draw meaningful conclusions, differences and comparison conditions should be controlled.
Affordance
Affordance
Property of an object that suggests how it is used.
SIMILARITY
Similarity
Shared characteristics such as colour or shape support the perception of a group.
Anchoring effect
The first number mentioned influences subsequent estimates, such as a crossed-out original price.
WORKING MEMORY
Working memory
A limited-capacity system that holds and processes information in the short term.
ASSOCIATION
Association
Mental connection to an idea, characteristic, memory, or feeling.
Aesthetic–Usability Effect
Aesthetic-Usability Effect
Aesthetic design can influence perceived usability. Actual operational performance must be tested separately.
TASK SWITCHING
Task switching
Switching between tasks or rules; the additional time or errors compared to a suitable baseline condition are called switch costs.
ATTENTION
Attention
Selective weighting of information. It is influenced, among other things, by stimulus features and current tasks.
B
ACCESSIBILITY
Accessibility
Design that enables as many people as possible to use it, regardless of ability or situation.
OBSERVATION CRITERION
Observation criterion
Predefined details on how a difference is identified, such as the information mentioned first.
Confirmation bias
A tendency to notice primarily that which supports one's own assumption. A reason to test assumptions rather than simply believe them.
CHUNKING
Grouping into units
Combining individual pieces of information into meaningful units. Prior knowledge and strategy help determine whether structuring is beneficial.
Thu
DARK PATTERN / DECEPTIVE PATTERN
Dark pattern
Design that nudges users into making decisions that are not in their best interests.
Framing
Frame of reference
The perspective set by a phrasing, such as by emphasising gains or losses with the same numerical information.
E
NUDGE / NUDGING
decision incentive
Designing the decision-making environment to nudge behaviour in a specific direction without forbidding any options. Voluntary participation and transparency must be ensured.
CHOICE ARCHITECTURE
Choice architecture
Designing a choice architecture: visibility, wording, order and accessibility of options.
F
FIGURE–GROUND
Figure and ground
Distinguishing a prominent object from its background.
FITTS’S LAW
Fitts's Law
Model of movement time to a target based on distance and target size. Choosing the target is a different task.
Curse of knowledge
When you know something well, it's hard to imagine not knowing it. That's why your own project is often far less clear to outsiders than you might think.
G
USABILITY
Usability
How effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily specified users can achieve specified goals in a particular context of use.
PEER TEST
Cross-check with fellow learners
A small exploratory test with other learners. It provides indications and is not a substitute for a representative study.
Common region
Shared region
Elements within the same enclosing area or boundary often appear as a group.
COMMON FATE
Shared destiny
Elements that move or change together can appear as a group.
CLOSURE
Unity
Missing contour parts can be added so that an incomplete figure appears as a whole.
GESTALT PRINCIPLES
Gestalt principles
Perceptual tendencies that help explain how we organise elements into groups and figures.
DESIGN VARIABLE
Design variable
A characteristic that is deliberately changed for comparison, such as font size.
GOOD CONTINUATION
Good sequel
Lines and edges are preferably perceived as paths that are as smooth and continuous as possible.
H
LIGHTNESS CONSTANCY
Lightness constancy
The tendency to perceive the lightness of a surface as similar despite changes in illumination.
USABILITY HEURISTIC
Heuristic (Usability)
Rule of thumb for the systematic evaluation of user interfaces, such as Nielsen's ten heuristics.
Hick's Law
Hick's Law
The more options there are to choose from, the longer it takes to make a decision.
HYPOTHESIS
Hypothesis
A pre-formulated, testable expectation regarding a relationship.
I
RELEVANCE OF INFORMATION
Information relevance
How important a piece of information is for a specific task or goal.
VON RESTORFF EFFECT / ISOLATION EFFECT
Isolation effect
An element that differs from its surroundings can, under certain conditions, be remembered better. Standing out alone does not prove better recall.
J
JAKOB'S LAW
Jakob's Law
People expect an interface to work similarly to others they already know.
K
COGNITIVE LOAD
Cognitive load
Task demands on the limited processing capacity of working memory. Search time alone does not measure this directly.
CONTEXT
Context
The setting and situation that influence how we understand information.
L
PROCESSING FLUENCY
Ease of processing
The subjectively experienced ease with which information is processed. It is not evidence of truth or quality.
M
AMBIGUITY
Ambiguity
A shape or statement allows for multiple plausible interpretations.
MENTAL MODEL
Mental model
An idea of how something works; it determines how people operate it.
Mere-exposure effect
We tend to like things more the more often we see them. Familiarity breeds affection (Robert Zajonc).
KEY TAKEAWAY
Mnemonic
A short sentence that captures the key idea of a section.
N
PROXIMITY
Proximity
Spatially close elements are often perceived as belonging together.
P
CONCISENESS / GOOD FORM
Conciseness
Tendency to organise an arrangement into an overall shape that is as simple and stable as possible.
R
STIMULUS
Appeal
A physical effect on a sensory organ, such as light, a colour or a shape.
BOTTOM-UP PROCESSING
Bottom-up processing
Processing based on sensory features such as edges, brightness and orientation.
S
SALIENCE
Salience
Salience of a stimulus relative to its surroundings.
SIGNIFIER
Signifier
A perceivable cue that indicates where and how an action is possible.
SIMULTANEOUS CONTRAST
Simultaneous contrast
The perceived brightness or colour of an area also depends on its immediate surroundings.
SOCIAL CUE
Social notice
Information about the opinions or actions of others, such as an overlaid review.
SYMMETRY
Symmetry
Mirrored or balanced relationships can support the organisation of a figure.
V
CHANGE BLINDNESS
Change blindness
A visible change initially goes unnoticed, for instance, when a direct visual comparison is interrupted.
CONNECTEDNESS
Bond
Visibly connected elements are often perceived as belonging together.
Loss aversion
Losses loom larger than gains of equal size. "Don't miss out on..." is therefore often more powerful than "Win...".
VISUAL HIERARCHY
Visual hierarchy
Visual hierarchy of content through size, contrast, spacing, and position.
VISUAL IDENTITY
Visual identity
A brand's recognisable visual identity, typically comprising typography, colour, shape and imagery.
DEFAULT
Preselection
A pre-set option that applies unless it is actively changed.
W
PERCEPTION
Perception
How we organise and interpret sensory information. It arises from the interplay of stimulus, context and experience.
TOP-DOWN PROCESSING
Knowledge-driven processing
The influence of prior knowledge, expectations and goals on perception.