What we see dictates what we understand (and value).

Our expectations are first formed visually.

No matter what we're looking at — a product in the grocery store, a new car on the lot, an app UI on our mobile phone — our brain is processing possible answers to these questions:

• What does this do?
• How well does it do that?
• How easy/hard is this to use?
• What’s it going to cost me?

Notice that last one — cost. That could certainly mean money, but in most cases it means an investment of time, energy and attention. The real question there is "is this worth using?"

Before you pick up that book and read a few pages to see if you like it, before you decide to test drive that car, before you download that app, your brain has already sent the message that this might be worth your time.

By the time you’re conscious of even looking at whatever it is, your brain has already informed you what you think of it.

This is precisely why good #UI design matters so very much, and why it plays a huge role in enabling positive user experiences. The visual aspect is the gateway to use; it’s the bridge that must be crossed in order for anything else to take place.

And if that bridge looks unsafe or incomplete or like it might not lead anywhere special, the user stays put and doesn't make the journey.

The warning signs I’m talking about here occur all too often in the websites, apps and systems we all use — and I detail 14 of the most common in this FREE guidebook:

https://www.givegoodux.com/14-mobile-ui-design-mistakes-you-must-avoid/

These are things that pop up in every product I am asked to audit. They are things you absolutely must avoid if you expect anyone to (1) use what you’ve designed and built and (2) get real, measurable value out of doing so.

#givegoodux