Perception talks

Perception is how the brain takes in information from the senses and turns it into an understanding of the world. It is not a faithful recording: what we see and hear is filtered, interpreted and sometimes distorted by attention, expectation and context.

For UI and UX design, perception is fundamental. Whether people notice a button, read a label, group related items or misjudge how long something takes depends on how perception works. Designers who understand it can make interfaces clearer, and can also recognise when design exploits perception to mislead.

The talks here, from 2010 to 2015, cover both sides. Susan Weinschenk’s The Top 10 Things You Need to Know about Perception (UX Brighton, 2014) and Vision, Hearing & the Brain (Smashing Conference, 2015) explain how perception works and why it matters for design. Rory Sutherland’s TED talk Life Lessons from an ad man (2012) and Illusions of Efficiency in UX look at how perception shapes value and experience, and Harry Brignull’s Dark Patterns: User Interfaces Designed to Trick People shows how interfaces can be designed to deceive.