Hi! I’m Sydney Ormsbee, Šek’s User Experience (UX) Designer and gif finder extraordinaire. As a UX designer with a bachelor's degree in neuroscience (Behavioral Science), I’ve come to realize just how much these fields are one in the same. At first glance, UX design might seem like you need to perfectly understand computer systems or have been designing websites since the 90s, but it’s much more than that. UX design is deeply rooted in understanding human behavior. How people think, perceive, and interact with the world around them is, in most ways, the same as how they interact with digital systems like the internet.
Understanding the Human Brain: The Foundation of UX Design
Neuroscience is the study of how the brain works, how we process information, make decisions, and respond to our environment. In UX design, understanding these processes is essential. In the case of a lot of Šek Design clients, at the heart of every website is the goal of creating an experience that feels natural and intuitive to the user. To do that, we need to not only understand how people think but also predict what they want and how they want to receive it. It is also important to note that these claims are not backed by just experience or swayed by bias, but also by scientific research and publications.
When designing a website, it’s not just about look or functionality. I have to think about how the brain perceives color, processes information, and makes decisions. This also includes how a user expects to see information or how they are used to interacting with it.
Applying Behavioral Science to User Journeys
Behavioral science is especially relevant when creating user journeys. It helps us predict how people are likely to behave in certain contexts and design experiences that guide them smoothly from point A to point B.
One of my favorite concepts I apply to UX design from my education is decision fatigue, which is the idea that people have deteriorating quality of decisions made after a long session of decision making. Therefore, the more decisions you make your user complete, the more cognitive fatigue they feel. It also means if a user is expected to make a decision when one was not expected, it can also cause fatigue. In general, this principle reminds me to simplify options and make decision-making predictable in user journeys. For example, Salmela Talent wanted a more streamlined storytelling experience, moving away from their outdated and cluttered website. By restructuring the site, we created clean, straightforward navigation options that aligned with their new messaging goal: delivering hiring solutions quickly and efficiently.
Another key principle I use regularly is habit formation. People are creatures of habit, and much of what we do is based on routines and expected outcomes. In UX design, this means creating predictable and consistent patterns that users can quickly learn and rely on. Even better, I can use a system they already know so learning is not necessary. When designing navigation menus or search filters, I ensure that users can easily anticipate what will happen next, reinforcing behaviors that create a smoother, more intuitive experience.
The Role of Cognitive Biases in UX Design
My background in psychology has also made me acutely aware of cognitive biases. We use bias to create mental shortcuts our brains use to make sense of the world as we have experienced it. While these biases help us process information quickly, they can also lead to irrational decisions. As a UX designer, I use this knowledge to create experiences that account for or even leverage these biases.
The scarcity effect is a cognitive bias where people place more value on things that are perceived as limited or rare. In e-commerce design, this is often used by showing low stock alerts or a counting down clock for limited-time offers. These tactics trigger users to act more quickly and feel a sense of urgency to react. Similarly, the endowment effect, where people value something more highly just because they own it (regardless of market value), can be leveraged in product customization experiences where users feel a greater sense of ownership over their choices. This effect can also be used to create a strong sense of loyalty and more engagement with the product or business.
By understanding these biases, I can design content that aligns with how people actually think, rather than how we expect them to behave. This helps designs feel natural and intuitive, even when users aren’t consciously aware of it.
Merging Science and Creativity
What I love about UX design is that it’s the perfect blend of science and creativity. My psychology background has given me the scientific foundation to understand how people process information, while my design work allows me to creatively apply those insights to solve real-world problems.
When designing for accessibility, I focus on understanding diverse physical abilities. How do users with limited mobility navigate a website using assistive technology? How does hearing impairment influence the way people interact with audio content? How does aging affect the ability of older adults to see and interpret visual elements on a screen? By basing my design decisions on these insights, I ensure the experiences I create are inclusive and accessible to a wide range of users.
For instance, most websites use a minimum text size of 16 pixels, but for the Victory Chorus Website, I implemented a minimum of 20 pixels. Victory Chorus is a community choir for individuals living with dementia-related illnesses, which can often include symptoms like impaired vision. To accommodate their audience and enhance accessibility, it was crucial to use larger text for better readability.
But UX design isn’t just about following rules; it’s also about pushing boundaries. Knowing the science gives me the confidence to experiment—whether it’s using unconventional layouts, trying new interactions, or exploring ways to engage users more emotionally.
An Experience To Remember
All of these principles, and many more, have profoundly shaped how I approach UX design. It gives me a deeper understanding of the user’s mind, allowing me to design experiences that are not just functional, but also enjoyable, intuitive, and emotionally resonant. By blending science with creativity, I can create user experiences that feel seamless, natural, and human-centered, as if the answer was always there. At the end of the day, UX design is about more than just building websites—it’s about understanding people and crafting experiences that truly meet their needs and create an enjoyable experience they want to come back to.
Let’s Connect
I always love connecting with people in the UX world as well as with others who want to learn more, so please reach out!