Ever wonder why your favorite apps “just make sense”? It’s not luck or guesswork. Designers borrow tools from psychology to build interfaces that feel right. Here’s how:

Your Brain Likes Shortcuts
You’re better at recognizing than recalling. That’s why we use icons like a trash can—it's easier to spot than remember the right command to delete something.

Chunking > Chaos
Your brain can handle about 5–7 items at once. That’s why menus, phone numbers, and settings are grouped into chunks—so your brain doesn’t crash.

You Feel Before You Think
Designers use color, spacing, icons, and even animation to steer your emotions and attention. It’s called affective design. And yes, your interface might be reading your mood.

Affordances Speak Without Words
A button looks like it can be clicked. A slider looks like it can be dragged. These are affordances—visual clues that guide behavior without needing a tutorial.

Recognition vs. Recall
Would you rather remember the exact name of a command—or spot it in a menu with a familiar icon? Interfaces are designed to give you cues, not quizzes.

One Design. Two Users.
Good apps offer more than one way to do the same thing. Beginners use dropdowns. Experts use shortcuts. Great design supports both—without slowing either.

Fun Fact

“Knurling”—the little ridges on volume knobs—was borrowed from real tools and now signals where to grip and drag in digital design.