Apply UX psychology principles when building UI components, forms, pricing pages, onboarding flows, checkout experiences, modals, or any user-facing interface. Use when designing CTAs, implementing progress indicators, creating loading states, improving user engagement, or reviewing UI for psychological effectiveness.
Apply these 46 UX psychology principles to predict user behavior and design more effective interfaces. This skill provides actionable guidelines with code examples for frontend implementation.
| Category | Key Concepts | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Cognition | Cognitive Load, Selective Attention, Banner Blindness | Forms, information-dense pages |
| Biases | Anchor, Confirmation, Expectation, Familiarity | Pricing, comparisons, navigation |
| Behavioral |
| Nudge, Default, Decoy, Framing, Priming |
| Conversions, sign-ups, purchases |
| Value | Loss Aversion, Scarcity, Endowment, Sunk Cost | Retention, urgency, personalization |
| Engagement | Gamification, Variable Reward, Goal Gradient, Zeigarnik | Progress tracking, habit formation |
| Experience | Peak-End Rule, User Delight, Labor Illusion | Loading states, completion flows |
| UI Design | Doherty Threshold, Progressive Disclosure, Visual Hierarchy | Performance, layout, navigation |
| Social | Social Proof, Halo Effect | Trust building, credibility |
| Caution | Reactance, Decision Fatigue, Intentional Friction | Avoiding dark patterns |
| Research | Hawthorne Effect, Survey Bias, Empathy Gap | User testing, research design |
See checklist.md for a complete checklist to review your UI against these principles.
Each concept file contains:
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