Memory Sequences in Product Design

In my last post I talked about a new UX strategy that binds itself to AI theory, but in a pragmatic way. Additionally, I mentioned that there was a component of hierarchical thinking I wanted to delve into deeper; Memories. In this post I will go over some of the fundamentals of memory and subconscious events we all experience with it. This should give you a different perspective on how memories drive people to use products.

The Basics: Memory is knowledge

If you’ve never thought deeply about what memories are, then this may have escaped you. Knowledge is just memories connected together to form a complex series of thought patterns. Additionally, the complexity of those connections and patterns are a product of how much you’ve focused on and studied that specific subject.

Moreover, memories are stored in a sequence.

This is why people develop routines. It’s why we can recite the alphabet in its exact order from beginning to end, but not easily in reverse (unless you’ve practiced). It’s why people anticipate specific purchasing steps when shopping in an online store… Add to Cart > Go to Cart > Estimate Shipping > Check Out > Pay

Remember this guy? Arthur Chu and his mind games on Jeopardy yielded him about $100,000 in winnings. What he would do is erratically jump from category to category to throw his opponents off each time it was his turn to choose.

If you think about how people traditionally play Jeopardy, they pick a category and go down the line until there’s no more answers left. The reason people do that is not just because they have good memory of that category. They do it because when you isolate your memories to a specific subject it’s easier to sequentially transition to other related memories. So if you jump from one category to another you force everyone to re-acclimate their thinking, causing them distress and loss of focus.

That says a lot about why people can become frustrated when you change something in a product. You’ve already put them on a path to engage in a specific series of steps in order to accomplish a task. They’ve stored that memory string in their head and engaged in it over and over further ingraining it to memory. By changing one small step in that sequence, it gives them pause which typically translates to fear/anger. They say: “Why did it change? What’s wrong with them?”.

Sometimes change is for the good and people can get past those obstacles and learn the product the way you intended. But, sometimes they don’t and they might abandon your product. It’s up to you to constantly test your ideas to ensure you’re on the right path.

Memory symbols

Have you ever interrupted someone while they were talking, causing them to lose their way? Usually when that happens they ask you to repeat a part of what they were saying so they can get back on track. The reason they do that is because they had an anticipated sequence of memories they wanted to communicate. By you providing them with a ‘Memory Symbol’ you enable them to pick back up on that sequence.

Another example is when we lose what page we were on when reading a book. Stories read in a sequence right? When we’re thumbing through a book to find a page we lost we’re searching for that memory symbol. If we go too far back we can pick out events in the book that indicate it was too far back in the sequence. If we thumb too far forward then those events feel foreign to us and we have no frame of reference.

Creating new memories

When designing software applications it’s typical for people to conform to common UI patterns. We do that because when a user sees the same experience in a greater frequency they become acclimated to the pattern. They learn a sequence and they come to expect things to be arranged in a familiar way.

One of the biggest challenges designers face is in creating a new pattern that is successful. This is why design iterations are so important, so you can test how intuitive a pattern is for your targeted user. However, this process can lead to a lot of iterations and for your product (or customer) a lot of time/money spent. How do you close the gap?

Focus on the memories.

When the ‘Pull Down to Refresh‘ mobile interaction was introduced, it was a brilliant play on memories. Users already use their thumb to slide up and down in order to consume content. But then to use that as a catalyst for users to discover the refresh feature was a fantastic transition. A memory connection is then formed — I now consume and retrieve new content with the same gesture.

In order for you create new positive memories, you need to make those connections. You need to find that symbol — that association. Use it as a catalyst and test different versions of it.

When testing new designs watch your hands. Remember where your eyes went. Observe others testing, see what they do — what they try to do. Everything that’s happening is their mind and body acting out a sequence of memories. All you have to do is exploit that sequence and you will stumble upon some pure design gold.