The Design Psychologist | Psychology for UX, Product, Service, Instructional, Interior, and Game Designers

Order Matters—But Not the Way You Think: How Serial Position Gets Misused


Listen Later

In this episode, we uncover how the order in which information is presented affects what users remember—and what they forget. From the “primacy effect” that gives early items a cognitive boost, to the “recency effect” that gives the last ones staying power, you'll learn how sequence can make or break a design.

We explore:

  • Why we remember the first and last items in a list better than the middle ones
  • Why many designers mistakenly apply memory principles to visual design when they should be focusing on attention
  • The difference between designing for memory and designing for attention

Whether you're designing a pitch, a product tour, or just organizing content, understanding the serial position effect helps you make your message stick where it matters most.

thedesignpsychologist.substack.com is the podcast newsletter. Get episode summaries right in your inbox so you can easily reference, save, and apply what you learn.  


...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Design Psychologist | Psychology for UX, Product, Service, Instructional, Interior, and Game DesignersBy Thomas Watkins