Research: Human Factors Research

People have now read and referred to my 2013 column How Do Users Really Hold Mobile Devices? almost too much for my comfort. Why? Because, since I wrote that column, I have continued to do research, put my findings into practice for real products, written additional articles, and presented on that topic. In the years since then, I’ve learned a lot more about how people hold and touch their phones and tablets—a lot of which I didn’t expect. And that’s the problem with my old columns. I made some assumptions that were based on observations of the usage of desktop PCs, standards for older types of interactions, and anecdotes or misrepresented data. However, through my later research and better analysis, I’ve been able to discard all of those erroneous assumptions and reveal the truth.

All too often, I see people referring to my oldest, least-accurate columns on this topic. Sometimes readers combine my obsolete data with other out-of-date information, then draw their own incorrect conclusions. I hope put a stop to that now with this updated overview of everything I know about how people interact with touchscreen devices and how you can use that information to design better digital products. Read More

Have you ever wondered why some apps and Web sites captivate users from the moment they sign up, while users quickly forget others? The reason is effective user onboarding. You can use your understanding of the human mind to improve user retention and product adoption.

The magic behind compelling user-onboarding experiences is no accident; it’s the result of meticulous design strategies that tap into the underlying principles of human behavior. By understanding and harnessing people’s cognitive biases—those inherent quirks in our decision-making processes—developers and designers can craft experiences that resonate deeply with users.

In this article, I’ll delve into the science of user engagement, revealing how the astute application of psychological insights can elevate a digital product from being routinely functional to becoming an essential part of users’ daily lives. We’ll discover the secrets of creating user-onboarding processes that not only captivate but also foster a connection that users find hard to let go, which marks the transition from casual browsing to committed usage. Read More

Touchscreens have been with us for decades—and they’ve been the mobile input method of choice for many of us for about 5 years. In fact, many junior designers and developers—or at least those who were late to the mobile party—have never owned a mobile phone for which buttons were the primary input method.

But there are still very few designers who seem to know how touchscreens actually work or how people really interact with them. In my work as a UX design consultant, working for many different organizations, I’ve encountered lots of myths and half-truths about designing for touchscreens. Read More