all aspects of the human experience — from the functions of the

brain to the actions of nations, from child development to care for

the aged. In every conceivable setting from scientific research

centers to mental healthcare services,

“the understanding of behavior”

is the enterprise of psychologists.

Budd says all people already have automatic “psychological shortcuts… to basically avoid thinking” (cited by Richardson Taylor, n.d.). Thus it seems clear psychology has a role in anything – at all – designed for human use. Psychology in design is entrenched, as shown by the APA website (2015), which now has an entire section on Design Psychologists.

Lidwell, Holden and Butler (2003) also say “every major design concept” is based on universal principles of design which “influence [people’s] perception” and “increase [design] appeal”. Davis (cited by Richardson Taylor, n.d.) says:

psychology has a huge impact. Unlike artists, designers

have to make something for effect; an artist can start a

project without a brief, but a designer has to have a

purpose.

The successful designer considers, writer-psychologist Don Norman (2013) says: “the needs of users and the principles of cognitive psychology”. Norman supplies some simple rules:

make things visible, exploit natural relationships that couple

function and control, and make intelligent use of constraints.

The goal: guide the user effortlessly to the right action…

at the right time.

This advice is reinforced by James Digby-Jones, who says: “awareness of psychology can inform good design in very tangible ways” (cited by Richardson Taylor, n.d.).

Whether  psychology in design is necessary is irrelevant at this advance stage of psychological control of design. It may not be – in this age of “no commitments… no one idea is inherently better than any other” (Fuller, cited by Crouch, 1991, p. 169).. Furthermore, Lewington says (1 April, 2014), when discussing web design that psychologists  have identified trust as a key area in design success. Trust is hard to build and easily eroded. Today, human trust – in psychology’s part in human design – has probably  disappeared.

Reference

Crouch, C. (1991). Modernism in art, design & architecture. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 

American Psychological Association. (2015) Definition. Website. Retrieved from        http://www.apa.org/support/about/apa/psychology.aspx#answer.

Lewington, H. (1 April, 2014). The importance of psychology in web design. Issue 24, Net magazine. [On-line Magazine]. Retrieved from http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/importance-psychology-7135530

Lidwell, W., Holden, K., & Butler, J. (2003). Aesthetic-Usability Effect. Universal principles of design. Massachusetts: Rockport. Retrieved from Learning Portfolio, S1, 2015.

Norman, D. (2013). The Design of Everyday Things. Revised and expanded edition. New York, NY, USA: Basic Books.

Richardson Taylor, A. (n.d.) The psychology of design explained. Digital Arts Online. [On-line Magazine]. http://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/graphic-design/psychology-of-design-explained/