Psychology of design: 10 tips for better visual impact

Design isn't just about pretty colors and clean layouts—it's about understanding the deeper connection between visuals and human behavior. The psychology of design helps you tap into how people think, feel, and respond to the elements on the screen.

Whether you're creating a website, an app, or even a simple ad, understanding these psychological principles can turn a decent design into something that truly resonates.

By using these insights, designers can guide users, evoke emotions, and ultimately create experiences that are not only functional but unforgettable.

What is design psychology?

Design psychology is all about understanding how people’s minds work when they interact with visuals. It looks at how things like color, layout, and even fonts can influence emotions and behaviors.

By using psychological principles, designers can create experiences that not only look good but feel right and lead users exactly where they want them to go. Creating with this deeper understand is one of the secrets behind designs that are more than just pretty—they’re powerful.

Do design psychology principles apply to UX design?

Absolutely! Psychology plays a crucial role in UX design and is often considered essential to creating truly effective user experiences. When you design with an understanding of how users think and behave, you can craft interfaces that are not only visually appealing but also intuitive, efficient, and enjoyable to use.

Psychological principles like color psychology, cognitive biases, and Hick’s Law provide UX designers with valuable tools to shape user interactions.The goal is to design interfaces that feel natural, where users don’t have to overthink or struggle to find what they need.

It creates a seamless experience that aligns with how users process information and make decisions, which ultimately leads to higher user satisfaction and better engagement.

The design psychology principles you need to know

These principles were chosen because of their versatility in the design world, the impact they have on a visual scale, and for being proven to be powerful and effective.

Regardless of your knowledge of psychology, you can use these principles to grabs your users' attention, and start making your projects more impactful.

1. Embrace color psychology

Color goes way beyond just what we see—it taps into our emotions, influencing how we feel and act. In the world of design, understanding color psychology is key to shaping user behavior. Cognitive psychology shows that different hues can evoke distinct emotional responses and even change how we perceive things.

For instance, blue is often linked to feelings of trust, calm, and stability, which is why it's so common in industries like healthcare and finance, where reliability is critical.

Meanwhile, red grabs attention and can spark feelings of urgency or excitement—making it perfect for marketing banners or call-to-action buttons.

When you understand how colors affect the brain, you can use them to steer your audience’s emotions and decisions. By carefully selecting and combining colors, designers can create visuals that push viewers to feel and act a certain way.

This emotional alignment strengthens the brand’s message, helping to craft a cohesive, powerful visual story that resonates. So, it’s not just about looking good—it’s about using color to influence how users feel and act as they move through your design.

2. Use Gestalt principles

Gestalt psychology helps explain how people see visual elements as whole, connected forms rather than random parts. This is super useful when designing user interfaces because it helps make everything feel natural and easy to follow.

The key Gestalt principles—proximity, similarity, and closure—guide how you can organize content. For example, proximity means putting related elements close together, so users can instantly see how they’re connected.

Similarity involves making sure elements that serve the same purpose look alike, helping users recognize patterns quickly. Closure is about how our brains fill in gaps, so we see incomplete shapes as complete.

By using these simple principles, you can create designs that are clear, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Understanding how people naturally process visuals makes it easier to build layouts that users can interpret and engage with effortlessly.

3. Consider cognitive biases

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts our brains use to process information quickly, but they can also influence how we perceive and interact with what we see.

In design, having a strong understanding of psychology—especially cognitive biases—can make a big difference when crafting visual projectsthat align with how people naturally think and behave. Creatives who take these mental tendencies into account can create more intuitive, persuasive, and effective designs.

One well-known bias is the anchoring effect, where users rely heavily on the first piece of information they encounter. For example, if you show a higher price first, a subsequent discount seems much more appealing.

This technique is often used in pricing strategies, where starting with a high anchor can make customers feel like they’re getting a better deal later on.

In a design context, the anchoring effect can be used not only in pricing but also to set expectations, prioritize information, or guide decisions on product pages.

Another bias to consider is the status quo bias, where people tend to stick with the current state of things rather than make a change.

This is why default settings or options in user interfaces can be so influential—people are more likely to go with the default, even if it's not necessarily their best choice. By using this bias effectively, designers can subtly guide users toward desired actions or selections.

4. Simplify with Hick’s Law

Hick’s Law teaches us that the more options you give people, the longer they’ll take to make a decision. This is especially important in design, where reducing complexity can significantly improve the user experience.

Too many choices can overwhelm users, leading to frustration, hesitation, or even decision paralysis. That’s why simplifying the interface and presenting only the most important options can make the overall experience smoother and more enjoyable.

A well-designed navigation menu, for example, should offer fewer but highly relevant choices. This not only helps users quickly find what they’re looking for but also reduces the chances of them feeling lost or confused.

When users can easily move through your site or app without having to sort through unnecessary clutter, their journey becomes much more intuitive and satisfying.

Another major benefit of cutting down on options is reducing cognitive load. When there are fewer choices to process, users can focus more easily on the key parts of your design, whether it’s making a purchase, signing up for a service, or exploring your content.

5. Use the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds is a tried-and-true design principle that helps create visually balanced and engaging layouts. It divides your design into three equal sections, both horizontally and vertically, forming a grid of nine parts.

By aligning key elements with these lines—or better yet, placing important details at their intersections—you can create a composition that feels more natural and balanced.

Rather than everything being centered or crowded, the rule of thirds allows your design to breathe while still emphasizing the most important parts.

For example, placing your focal points at the intersections of the grid leads the eye directly to them, making the design more dynamic and engaging.

Using the rule of thirds also helps establish a clear visual hierarchy. Instead of overwhelming users with too much going on in one space, it draws attention where you want it while still maintaining overall balance.

Whether you're designing a website, an ad, or a piece of content, following this principle can help create a more thoughtful, aesthetically pleasing experience that keeps users focused on what really matters.

6. Use white space

White space, or negative space, is more than just empty areas in a design—it’s a key element for improving user experience (UX) design. By reducing visual clutter and giving elements room to breathe, white space enhances readability, focus, and overall usability. When used well, it transforms cluttered layouts into clean, elegant designs.

Generous spacing between text and around design elements helps users process information more easily, improving comprehension and retention.

It also guides their eyes naturally through the design, making important content stand out without overwhelming them.

In UX design, white space creates a clear visual hierarchy and a more polished, user-friendly interface. It ensures that users can navigate content effortlessly, while allowing the design to feel both functional and visually appealing.

7. Leverage emotional design

Emotional design is all about crafting experiences that connect with users on a deeper, more personal level, triggering emotional responses that make the interaction feel meaningful. By tapping into your audience’s emotional triggers—whether it's nostalgia, joy, or excitement—you can create designs that feel more personalized and engaging.

Incorporating elements that evoke these feelings can significantly boost user satisfaction. For instance, a design that reminds users of fond memories or brings them joy can lead to a stronger emotional connection with your brand.

This deeper bond not only enhances the user experience but also builds lasting relationships, making your product or projectmore memorable and human.

Thoughtful emotional design turns a simple interaction into an experience that sticks with the user long after they’ve stopped looking at your project.

8. Improve usability with familiarity

Designing with familiarity means using well-known patterns and conventions to create experiences that feel intuitive and approachable. People prefer interfaces that resemble ones they've seen before because it makes them easier to understand and use.

When users encounter familiar elements, like common icons or consistent navigation, they can focus on what they want to achieve instead of figuring out how the design works.

Incorporating familiar layouts and interaction cues reduces the learning curve and helps users navigate with ease, increasing their confidence in the interface.

When users know where to click or how to move through a site without hesitation, it leads to a smoother, more enjoyable experience.

This familiarity doesn’t just improve usability—it builds trust by making your design feel reliable and consistent, encouraging users to engage more deeply with your product or service.

9. Test out Fitt’s Law

Fitt’s Law explains that the time it takes to move to and select a target depends on the target’s size and distance. In design, this means that larger clickable areas and reducing the space between interactive elements can greatly enhance usability.

For example, making buttons bigger and easier to tap—especially on touchscreens—allows users to interact with the interface more quickly and efficiently.

By minimizing the distance between key elements, you create a smoother flow that helps users navigate your site or app with less effort.

Whether it’s a call-to-action or navigation menu, applying Fitt’s Law improves both accessibility and user satisfaction by making interactions more intuitive and hassle-free.

10. Test and iterate

Continuous testing and iteration are crucial for the success of any design. By regularly gathering user feedback and observing how people interact with your design in real-world scenarios, you gain valuable insights into what works and what doesn’t.

Iterative testing allows designers to refine and adjust their creations based on actual user behavior, ensuring that the final product is both functional and visually appealing.

This ongoing process helps designers adapt their work to evolving user needs and technological advancements, keeping the design relevant and effective over time.

Ultimately, constant testing and improvement lead to a smoother, more user-friendly experience that’s fine-tuned to meet real user demands.

Keep psychology in mind when you design

When you weave human psychology into your design process in the correct way, your target audience will have a much stronger connection with your projects.

The principles of psychology can help you go beyond the surface to create work that really connects.

So next time you’re stuck on a project, tap into these tips and watch your designs resonate on a deeper level.

If you want to start putting these principles into action, check out these free illustrations, free images, or other assets before you start creating.