Header
NameOne-LinerCategory
1.👀Hick's LawMore options leads to harder decisionsinformation
2.💼Confirmation BiasPeople look for evidence that confirms what they thinkinformation
3.👁PrimingPrevious stimuli influence users' decisioninformation
4.🚛Cognitive LoadTotal amount of mental effort that is required to complete a taskinformation
5.⚓️Anchoring BiasUsers rely heavily on the first piece of information they seeinformation
6.👉NudgeSubtle hints can affect users' decisionsinformation
7.🍰Progressive DisclosureUsers are less overwhelmed if they're exposed to complex features laterinformation
8.🎯Fitts's LawLarge and close elements are easier to interact withinformation
9.🐠Attentional BiasUsers' thoughts filter what they pay attention toinformation
10.💔Empathy GapPeople underestimate how much emotions influence user behaviorsinformation
11.⛵️Visual AnchorsElements used to guide users' eyesinformation
12.🌶Von Restorff EffectPeople notice items that stand out moreinformation
13.🎖Visual HierarchyThe order in which people perceive what they seeinformation
14.🔭Selective AttentionPeople filter out things from their environment when in focusinformation
15.✈️Survivorship BiasPeople neglect things that don't make it past a selection processinformation
16.🕶Banner BlindnessUsers tune out the stuff they get repeatedly exposed toinformation
17.🍒JuxtapositionElements that are close and similar are perceived as a single unitinformation
18.🚦SignifiersElements that communicate what they will doinformation
19.🎭ContrastUsers' attention is drawn to higher visual weightsinformation
20.🚨External TriggerWhen the information on what to do next is within the prompt itselfinformation
21.🕺Decoy EffectCreate a new option that's easy to discardinformation
22.🎪Centre-Stage EffectPeople tend to choose the middle option in a set of itemsinformation
23.🖼FramingThe way information is presented affects how users make decisionsinformation
24.🍣Law of ProximityElements close to each other are usually considered relatedinformation
25.🍬Tesler's LawIf you simplify too much, you'll transfer some complexity to the usersinformation
26.🧨Spark EffectUsers are more likely to take action when the effort is smallinformation
27.🥏Feedback LoopWhen users take action, feedback communicates what happenedinformation
28.😻Expectations BiasPeople tend to be influenced by their own expectationsinformation
29.🚆Aesthetic-Usability EffectPeople perceive designs with great aesthetics as easier to useinformation
30.👥Social ProofUsers adapt their behaviors based on what others domeaning
31.🦄ScarcityPeople value things more when they're in limited supplymeaning
32.💭Curiosity GapUsers have a desire to seek out missing informationmeaning
33.🖲Mental ModelUsers have a preconceived opinion of how things workmeaning
34.👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Familiarity BiasPeople prefer familiar experiencesmeaning
35.👼Halo EffectPeople judge things (or people) based on their feelings towards one traitmeaning
36.☎️Miller’s LawUsers can only keep 7±2 items in their working memorymeaning
37.🍱Unit BiasOne unit of something feels like the optimal amountmeaning
38.🌊Flow StateBeing fully immersed and focused on a taskmeaning
39.🕹SkeuomorphismUsers adapt more easily to things that look like real-world objectsmeaning
40.🎁ReciprocityPeople feel the need to reciprocate when they receive somethingmeaning
41.🤝Singularity EffectUsers care disproportionately about an individual as compared to a groupmeaning
42.👑Authority BiasUsers attribute more importance to the opinion of an authority figuremeaning
43.🏺Pseudo-Set FramingTasks that are part of a group are more tempting to completemeaning
44.🎰Variable RewardPeople especially enjoy unexpected rewardsmeaning
45.🎊Group Attractiveness EffectIndividual items seem more attractive when presented in a groupmeaning
46.🚰Curse of KnowledgeNot realizing that people don't have the same level of knowledgemeaning
47.🎉Aha! momentWhen new users first realize the value of your productmeaning
48.📮Self-Initiated TriggersUsers are more likely to interact with prompts they setup for themselvesmeaning
49.✏️Survey BiasUsers tend to skew survey answers towards what's socially acceptablemeaning
50.🎭Cognitive DissonanceIt's painful to hold two opposing ideas in our mindmeaning
51.🥅Goal Gradient EffectMotivation increases as users get closer to their goalmeaning
52.💫FeedforwardWhen users know what to expect before they take actionmeaning
53.💈Occam’s RazorSimple solutions are often better than the more complex onesmeaning
54.🎗Noble Edge EffectUsers tend to prefer socially responsible companiesmeaning
55.🧿Hawthorne EffectUsers change their behavior when they know they are being observedmeaning
56.🏒Hindsight BiasPeople overestimate their ability to predict outcomes after the factmeaning
57.🎏Law of SimilarityUsers perceive a relationship between elements that look similarmeaning
58.🌓Law of PrägnanzUsers interpret ambiguous images in a simpler and more complete formmeaning
59.🐘Streisand EffectWhen trying to censor information ends up increasing awareness of that informationmeaning
60.🔦Spotlight EffectPeople tend to believe they are being noticed more than they really aremeaning
61.🗓Fresh Start EffectUsers are more likely to take action if there's a feeling of new beginningsmeaning
62.🧗‍♂️Labor IllusionPeople value things more when they see the work behind themtime
63.🚶‍♂️Default BiasUsers tend not to change an established behaviortime
64.🏦Investment LoopsWhen users invest themselves, they're more likely to come backtime
65.🕯Loss AversionPeople prefer to avoid losses more than earning equivalent gainstime
66.👞Commitment & ConsistencyUsers tend to be consistent with their previous actionstime
67.🏝Sunk Cost EffectUsers are reluctant to pull out of something they're invested in.time
68.🌛Decision FatigueMaking a lot of decisions lowers users' ability to make rational onestime
69.🌋ReactanceUsers are less likely to adopt a behavior when they feel forcedtime
70.🥽Observer-Expectancy EffectWhen researchers' biases influence the participants of an experimenttime
71.🌱Weber's LawUsers adapt better to small incremental changestime
72.🔨Law of the InstrumentIf all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nailtime
73.🍭Temptation BundlingHard tasks are less scary when coupled with something users desiretime
74.🎈Parkinson’s LawThe time required to complete a task will take as much time as allowedtime
75.🎩Dunning-Kruger EffectPeople tend to overestimate their skills when they don't know muchtime
76.🌤Affect HeuristicPeople's current emotions cloud and influence their judgmenttime
77.📉Hyperbolic DiscountingPeople tend to prioritize immediate benefits over bigger future gainstime
78.⌚️ChronoceptionPeople's perception of time is subjectivetime
79.💳Cashless EffectPeople spend more when they can't actually see the moneytime
80.🌚Self-serving biasPeople take credits for positive events and blame others if negativetime
81.🥬Pareto PrincipleRoughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causestime
82.🔍DiscoverabilityThe ease with which users can discover your featurestime
83.🔫Backfire EffectWhen people's convictions are challenged, their beliefs get strongertime
84.🌈False Consensus EffectPeople overestimate how much other people agree with themtime
85.🚋Bandwagon EffectUsers tend to adopt beliefs in proportion of others who have already done sotime
86.🐍Second-Order EffectThe consequences of the consequences of actionstime
87.🧙‍♂️Barnum-Forer EffectWhen you believe generic personality descriptions apply specifically to you.time
88.🛋IKEA EffectWhen user partially create something, they value it way moretime
89.🧚‍♂️Planning FallacyPeople tend to underestimate how much time a task will taketime
90.🏕Provide Exit PointsInvite users to leave your app at the right momentmemory
91.🎢Peak-End RulePeople judge an experience by its peak and how it ends.memory
92.👅Sensory AppealUsers engage more with things appealing to multiple sensesmemory
93.🧩Zeigarnik EffectPeople remember incomplete tasks better than completed onesmemory
94.🧤Endowment EffectUsers value something more if they feel it's theirsmemory
95.🛍ChunkingPeople remember grouped information bettermemory
96.📸Picture Superiority EffectPeople remember pictures better than wordsmemory
97.📌Method of LociPeople remember things more when they're associated with a locationmemory
98.🧭ShapingIncrementally reinforcing actions to get closer to a target behaviormemory
99.💚DelightersPeople remember more unexpected and playful pleasuresmemory
100.💛Internal TriggerWhen users are prompted to take action based on a memorymemory
101.💾Recognition Over RecallIt's easier to recognize things than recall them from memorymemory
102.🏰Storytelling EffectPeople remember stories better than facts alonememory
103.👹Negativity BiasUsers recall negative events more than positive onesmemory
104.Availability HeuristicUsers favor recent and available information over past informationmemory
105.🌌Spacing EffectPeople learn more effectively when study sessions are spaced outmemory
106.🏁Serial Position EffectIt's easier for users to recall the first and last items of a listmemory

Don’t miss the new ones!

We update the list every few weeks here: https://growth.design/psychology.

Don’t hesitate to share the link with your friends & colleagues who might enjoy it.

—Dan Benoni & Louis-Xavier Lavallée

🧠Psychology of Design: 106 Cognitive Biases & Principles That Affect Your UX