IxD: A History of Reifying Behavioral Predictions
It is impossible to discuss the history of interaction design without at least a basic understanding of human psychology and cognitive science. As I had mentioned in my introductory post, interaction design is the bringing forth of products and services that nudge people to experience in a certain preferred way. In order to bring forth creations that generate these preferred behaviors, the practice of interaction design derives many of its principles from cognitive and behavioral psychology. Contemporary interaction design is especially grounded in these social science principles, given the primal role of designers in bridging human needs and product interfaces. No longer is it expected that humans fit their actions to those of their machines — rather, people expect their interactions to be well thought out and intuitive, curated just for them. How do designers go about making assumptions on how people may behave in the face of an external interaction (with a screen, a room, a customer service personnel)? The answer: a basic understanding of how people behave; that is, human psychology.
The following video demonstrates how AirBnB grounds its designs in principles of human psychology and behavior, as narrated by founder Joe Gebbia.
Gebbia believes that core to the success of AirBnB is their ability to design for their users’ trust. When AirBnB realized that people had a natural inclination to be wary of strangers and living in their homes, it designed a review system to up the confidence of both hosts and vacationers replete with suggested message content and length. When AirBnB recognized that it was difficult for users to leave bad reviews for hosts (hence diminishing the objectivity of the reviews) because of a natural inclination for people to be nice, AirBnB redesigned its review system such that reviews would only be published after both parties have written one. By designing a trustworthy reputation system on the AirBnB platform, Gebbia’s team bypassed one of human nature’s most deeply rooted biases — that of trusting a stranger.
AirBnB’s insights into designing for trust are grounded in social and cognitive psychology principles, both of which have evolved hand-in-hand with the practice of design. Interaction design is but the latest rendition of applied psychology on tangible and intangible forms; a history of interaction design is therefore incomplete without some recognition and understanding of the fields of cognitive and behavioral psychology and their effects on the development of interaction design principles and practices.
