300 Citations and Me
Cognitive behaviors shape every interaction we have- with information, with memory, with interfaces, and with the world around us. Studying them felt like peeling back the mind’s operating system. I wrote these papers because each concept challenged what I thought I knew about human behavior. The deeper I went, the more I realized that good design is not just visual; it’s psychological. These papers pushed me to question assumptions, rethink design defaults, and see how tiny cognitive biases and limits shape massive patterns in usability, comprehension, and everyday decision-making. They changed the way I design, observe, and even interpret my own mind.
Reading on Screens vs. Paper
Digital reading isn’t inherently harder—poor design is. My research shows that typography, contrast, and layout determine screen readability, often matching or surpassing paper. My takeaway: UX designers hold the responsibility to optimize digital reading so cognitive effort stays minimal.
The Illusion of Accurate Memories
Emotionally vivid memories feel true but are often distorted. Research shows confidence doesn’t equal accuracy, especially during emotionally charged events. My takeaway: Designers should prioritize recognition over recall, reducing cognitive strain and accounting for human memory’s fragility and bias.
People Only Remember Four Things at a Time
Working memory holds roughly four items, making cognitive overload a real design risk. Evidence across psychology and UX confirms this limit. My takeaway: Chunk information, simplify navigation, and design in fours to create interfaces that feel intuitive, calm, and cognitively aligned.
In the end, diving into cognitive behaviors felt like opening a secret handbook to the human mind—equal parts science, storytelling, and subtle chaos. These papers didn’t just teach me how people think; they taught me how I think when I’m designing, observing, or simply trying to remember where I left my AirPods. And now that you’ve journeyed through screens, memories, and the rule of four with me… don’t worry, I kept it light.
After all, I wrote three research papers.
That’s less than four; so both you and I can actually retain what we just read, haha.