We have a tendency as designers to assume that the more sophisticated people are about technology, the more complicated they want their technology to be. But if you think about the most popular technologies they are often the most simple. For example, some apps use only a simple single finger swipe.
In fact, interfaces that are simple and require one simple physical movement are likely to be the most used. People easily create conditioned habitual responses. Think about what you do every morning when you wake up. It’s likely that you repeat several habitual actions every morning (reach for your phone, check email, brush your teeth, and so on). People are most likely to create a conditioned habitual response when:
- There is a physical action involved (for example, swiping on a mobile screen with one finger)
- The action is simple
- The action is repeated often
If these three items are paired with the action providing information then it is even more powerful.
Takeaways
- Don’t assume that people prefer complicated interactions. Even for sophisticated users, simple interactions are often the most powerful.
- If you build in a simple physical motion, for example, swiping a finger, then it is more likely that the response will become conditioned, habitual, and automatic.
- A small physical movement and more information is the most powerful combination if you want people to continue interacting.