Human memory 101 for UX designer

Written by Jaana & Pietari (topic from lecture 3)

Whether you like it or not, our memory is very limited in its capacity. What we see and remember about out surroundings is only a tiny fraction of what is truly there. To help us out on this, we have our subconsciousness selectively perceiving the right things at the right time. Yet our subconscious minds are not developed with modern technologies in mind. That is exactly why the design of technologies plays such an important role in helping us understand it better. At best, technology helps us with our daily tasks and makes executing our daily chores easier and faster.

                       

Image 1: “Some aspects of human memory for UX design” by Szerovay, Krisztina is licenced under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Wait, how does the human memory work?

I am glad you asked. The human memories are thought to move through three primary layers. Each slightly slower than the other but consequently more spacious. The fastest of the three is the sensory memory, close second being the working memory and then finally the long-term memory also known as LTM.

Sensory memory is the place where the memories are first processed in. It is the quickest one with information whizzing by within the hundreds of milliseconds. Like a FIFO buffer, all memories come in from our sensors and quickly decay out as new information is processed. Sensory memory is commonly divided into three main human sensory receptors: iconic memory (visual), echoic memory (aural) and haptic memory (tactile).

Working memory is the busiest part of our minds as it can process the information going through the sensory memory and, with enough attention, give it some meaning. Working memory is where calculation, reading and listening happens. Thoughts in the working memory have an average lifespan of about 30 seconds. A common word-of-mouth knowledge is that the working memory has the capacity of the magical number seven (Miller) but through modern research it is accepted that the working memory can only hold around 4+/-1 logical memory “chunks“ altogether. We humans have two individual types of working memory working independently of one another. The phonological loop (sounds) and the visuo-spatial sketchpad (visual and spatial).

Long-term memory as the last and the final memory storage holds the most traditionally conceived types of memories. Long-term memory processes information in two different ways. Firstly, there is the declarative memory that holds information of the different events in our lives.

These are the memories that are from time long gone but can still affect our actions and personalities. Secondly, there is the procedural memory commonly known as the muscle memory telling us how to handle devices and objects such as playing a specific musical instrument. One of the best examples of procedural memory in our lives is driving a car. It is practically impossible at first but becomes easier ones the procedures automate in our minds.

How to take this into UX/technology design?

Avoid sensory overflow. Declutter the UI. In UI design, less is more. Minimalistic design is aesthetically pleasing, but it also helps the user to focus on the most important information and reduce cognitive load. Drive focus by grouping (Gestalt laws), using visual cues

Remember the limited capacity of working memory. Since people can only keep a very limited amount of information in their working memory, it is best to use simple structures, avoid simultaneous tasks and help the users do a complex task step by step. For example, if the user needs to fill in a lot of information, there should be only a few questions on each page.

Utilize recognition rather than recall.  It is much easier to recognize familiar information such as shapes and concepts, rather than recall detailed information without cues. For this reason, information should be presented using familiar words, icons, layouts and concepts that match real world objects and conventions. Make the functions visible, so that user only needs to find and recognize them.

Connect to familiar things. User interfaces should be consistent and use known standards. Standards help the user in the beginning when using new technology. Consistent icons and functions make it easier to learn and help recognition in later stages. Connecting to real world is useful. For example, people usually connect “up” direction as “more” and “down” direction as “less” (making these kinds of assumptions might be dangerous though, as they may depend on the culture). A well-designed headphone volume button set up would have the volume up button on top of the volume down button, making it intuitive to use these buttons without having to remember a special button layout for a specific device.

How can technology support our memory in learning?

Learning new things is a common annoyance that we all have to deal with. In today’s world, technology plays an important role in helping us learn and memorize those increasingly difficult concepts. Applying technology together with the psychological knowledge about how our memory works tends to lead into effective and enjoyable learning experiences.

Here is an example:

Source: https://www.youtube.com/embed/cz8a2PJIZzk

This is Memrise. Its sole purpose is to help us put difficult concepts such as language vocabulary into our LTM with the least amount of cognitive load possible. The key psychological concept of this tool is that it uses the spaced repetition technique (video). Spaced repetition suggests us to review material at right time intervals to help us move information from the working memory into the long-term memory. This technique helps us make our learning efforts have a lasting effect.

There are many other similar language applications, such as Duolingo, that base themselves on the spaced repetition technique. The concept of these applications is that the user looks at words repeatedly, in varying time intervals. The frequency of these words depends on the success that the user has in remembering the given word. This not only improves the long-term learning results but also saves time and makes learning more efficient. Machine learning technologies then make the choice of appropriate time intervals for showing the word.

References

Ahtinen, Aino and Chowhury, Aparajita. 2018. Psychology of Pervasive Computing lectures. Tampere University of Technology.

Kaley, Anna. 2018. Match Between the System and the Real World: The 2nd Usability Heuristic. Explained

(https://www.nngroup.com/articles/match-system-real-world/)

Szerovay, Krisztina. 2017. The Sketching For UX Designers Workbook, Sketch #48.

(https://uxknowledgebase.com/ux-human-memory-a306a7dadcb8)

Spaced repetition, Wikipedia

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spaced_repetition)

Video learning mode demo, Memrise,

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz8a2PJIZzk)