How psychology and tunnel vision add to UX

My goal for many if not all of my educational experiences is to build positive relationships. My reasoning for becoming an educator in the first place is my love and patience for kids. Building a website that will help them is an extension of that goal. In order to accomplish this, I want to make sure that I am researching the most effective ways to make this happen. In the article, “Psychology for UX: Study Guide”, we get the opportunity o see just how important the role of psychology plays in user experience.

I did find it interesting that the first principle that is referenced is “attention”. We talk about engagement all the time. We should start with a hook. Many of us veteran teachers know that grabbing the attention of our students is crucial to their success. Interestingly enough, grabbing the attention of our website users is also crucial. As humans, we focus on only a few aspects of websites and can get lost if it isn’t tailored to grab the attention of the targeted audience as described in the article, https://www.nngroup.com/articles/tunnel-vision-and-selective-attention/.

I decided to look up Disney’s website. I anticipated a ton of items and this is what I found. At https://www.disney.com/, the main picture is an advertisement for an upcoming episode that is available for streaming. You are also able to access everything you would need to plan a trip, see what new movies are being promoted, or shop for your favorite item. Since Disney’s target audience crosses many demographics of cultures, socioeconomic statuses, and interests, this website offers something for everyone.

Each menu bar is easily accessible and the pages are easy to navigate. One crucial aspect of working on the psychology of the user experience when designing a website is actually having a real user test it out. Getting feedback from an actual user will offer feedback and insight as to what the user is experiencing both good and bad.

This inspired me to take a good look in the mirror as it pertains to my own website and my own website user experiences. My targeted audience spans a diverse population of learners and educators alike so how can I make sure I am meeting their needs specifically? When I analyze the psychology of user experience for my professional website I definitely have room for improvement.

In the snapshot above, I have a ton of menu titles and they all seem similar to each other in how they are named. How will my users understand where to go? What is the “log in” menu icon doing at the top right corner? What is that for? Does everyone have to log in? How can I build a relationship with my user? How can I make their experience useful to them?

If you have a chance, please go to my website, www.keamcelfresh.com, and share some ideas you have on what you felt was user-friendly about your experience and what can be improved. Your feedback and suggestions are appreciated as I try to make my website accessible to you and our community!

References:

Education: Kea McElfresh instructional designer. Letslearn. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.keamcelfresh.com/

The official home for all things disney. Disney Home. (1970, November 1). Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.disney.com/

World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. (n.d.). UX & usability articles from Nielsen Norman Group. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/

World Leaders in Research-Based User Experience. (n.d.). Psychology for UX: Study guide. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved November 5, 2022, from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/psychology-study-guide/