The Design Psychologist | Psychology for UX, Product, Service, Instructional, Interior, and Game Designers Psychology Principles Every Designer Should Master (with Susan Weinschenk)
10 snips
May 28, 2025 
In this engaging conversation, Susan Weinschenk, a behavioral scientist and CEO of The Weinschenk Team, reveals the vital connection between psychology and design. She discusses how emotional and unconscious processing drives user behavior, and clarifies misconceptions about memory and dopamine—it's about anticipation, not just pleasure. Susan also emphasizes the power of storytelling in product design, the importance of aligning design with self-perception, and how gamification taps into intrinsic motivation to enhance user engagement.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Susan's Programming Epiphany
- Susan Weinschenk shares her first programming experience using punch cards during grad school.
- She realized early on that software was not designed to fit human understanding, sparking her interest in psychology and design.
The Three Brains Framework
- The three brains framework covers the conscious new brain, unconscious social midbrain, and unconscious old brain.
- This model helps designers understand how users think, feel, and react to technology at different levels.
All Three Brains Always Active
- Humans use all three brains simultaneously in activities, each contributing differently.
- For example, driving involves conscious decisions, emotional social interaction, and automatic survival reactions.
