It may seem like people are using their smartphones to text a friend, check social media, or browse the news if they’re bored, but according to the Pew Research Center more than half of the people with smartphones have also used their phones for many…

Let’s say that you’re the CEO of a large retail clothing brand. You have stores throughout the world, and you have a website. People buy shirts, pants, skirts, belts, and so on at your stores and at your site. If you want people to enjoy…

Look at the numbers below. Don’t actually multiply them—just estimate what you think the answer would be: 1 X 2 X 3 X 4 X 5 X 6 X 7 X 8 Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman showed people the numbers the same way I’ve…

Research on cognitive dissonance in relation to shopping and purchasing often focuses on the post-purchase reaction. But the studies show that cognitive dissonance is just as relevant, and maybe even more relevant, in the pre-decision process. In fact, one could argue that marketing and advertising…

You just bought an expensive pair of shoes. You have a very brief pang of regret. Did you need another pair of shoes? Did you need these shoes? Should you take them back? After about 10 seconds, you let go of the regret. “They’re great,”…

Budget and financial counselors often advise people to withdraw cash each week and use it to pay for daily and weekly expenses rather than putting purchases on a credit card. The theory is that if you see the money leaving your wallet, you’ll spend less.…

If you talk to major retailers in the US, it quickly becomes clear that online sales and store sales are two very different things. Several of my retail clients have online shopping operations and staff headquarters in one location, and store operations and staff in…

Some designers have always designed for situations where people are at varying distances from the display, for example, signage in public places like train stations or airports, or displays on a factory floor or a hospital operating theater. But many designers are used to designing…

Smartphone screens have been getting larger over time. Our design and implementation tools let us design the screens without having to know or design for the exact size. If the software, site, or app is designed well, what appears on the screen at any given…

If you ask someone to turn a button or knob that’s 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter, that’s going to be difficult, or even impossible, to do with one hand. People have physical limitations of movement, and range of motion based on body size and…