Exploring the psychology behind magic and how it relates to design. Keynote at UX South Africa, Cape Town, Nov 2017

1. EXPLORING THE PSYCHOLOGY BEHIND MAGIC AND HOW IT RELATES TO DESIGN.
KEVIN CANNON
@MULTIKEV
Designandthesleightofhand

3. Designing the
right thing
Designing the
thing right

4. “Anysufficientlyadvancedtechnology
isindistinguishablefrommagic.”
— Arthur C. Clarke.

6. 4.Deception
3.Misdirection
2.Persuasion
1. Illusion

7. 1.Illusion

8. Pepper’sGhost
HTTP://USERS.TELENET.BE/THOMASWEYNANTS/PEPPERS-GHOST.HTML

9. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=ZKVD-XWXGJS

10. HTTP://USERS.TELENET.BE/THOMASWEYNANTS/PEPPERS-GHOST.HTML

11. HTTP://USERS.TELENET.BE/THOMASWEYNANTS/PEPPERS-GHOST.HTML

12. HTTP://USERS.TELENET.BE/THOMASWEYNANTS/PEPPERS-GHOST.HTML

13. HTTP://USERS.TELENET.BE/THOMASWEYNANTS/PEPPERS-GHOST.HTML

14. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=FFHNDWFETR8

15. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=FFHNDWFETR8

19. q w e r t y u i o p
a s d f g h j k l
z x c v b n m
* OCTOPUS: EVALUATING TOUCHSCREEN KEYBOARD CORRECTION AND RECOGNITION ALGORITHMS VIA “REMULATION”

20. q w e r t y u i o p
a s d f g h j k l
z x c v b n m
* OCTOPUS: EVALUATING TOUCHSCREEN KEYBOARD CORRECTION AND RECOGNITION ALGORITHMS VIA “REMULATION”

22. z
“Visually augmented progress
bars could be used to make
processes appear 11% faster,
when in reality, their duration
remains unchanged.”
FASTER PROGRESS BARS: MANIPULATING PERCEIVED DURATION WITH VISUAL AUGMENTATIONS.
HARRISON, C., YEO, Z., AND HUDSON, S. E. 2010. CHI '10. ACM, NEW YORK, NY. 1545-1548.

23. Useillusiontotodrawattentionto
orawayfromsomething.

24. 2.Persuasion

25. Forcing

26. HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=0ML15LQCFUE

27. ALTHOUGH THE MAGICIAN COULD INFLUENCE THE CHOICE ALMOST EVERY TIME (98%),
RELATIVELY FEW (9%) NOTICED THIS INFLUENCE.
HTTP://WWW.SCIENCEDIRECT.COM/SCIENCE/ARTICLE/PII/S1053810015000057

28. So…howdoweusepersuasion?

29. HTTP://WWW.NYTIMES.COM/2012/08/19/OPINION/SUNDAY/WHY-WAITING-IN-LINE-IS-TORTURE.HTML

30. HTTP://WWW.INTERNETRETAILER.COM/2011/01/05/ORIENTALFURNITURECOM-DRIVES-CONVERSION-76-SECURITY

32. HTTP://WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK/NEWS/UK/POLITICS/HOW-ORGAN-DONATION-IS-GETTING-NUDGE-IN-THE-RIGHT-DIRECTION-TRIAL-COULD-PAVE-WAY-
FOR-100000-EXTRA-9023349.HTML

33. “IF YOU NEEDED AN ORGAN TRANSPLANT,
WOULD YOU HAVE ONE?
IF SO, PLEASE HELP OTHERS.”
HTTP://WWW.INDEPENDENT.CO.UK/NEWS/UK/POLITICS/HOW-ORGAN-DONATION-IS-GETTING-NUDGE-IN-THE-RIGHT-DIRECTION-TRIAL-COULD-PAVE-WAY-
FOR-100000-EXTRA-9023349.HTML

34. theirresistible
HTTP://UNBOUNCE.COM/CONVERSION-RATE-OPTIMIZATION/MADE-UP-PRODUCT-INCREASED-CONVERSIONS/

35. theirresistible
HTTP://UNBOUNCE.COM/CONVERSION-RATE-OPTIMIZATION/MADE-UP-PRODUCT-INCREASED-CONVERSIONS/

36. Productline-up
BGNM-2250 BGN BGN3

37. Usespacial,visual&socialpersuasion
toguidepeopletobetterchoices.

38. 3.Misdirection

39. HTTP://VIMEO.COM/3881185

40. Let’slookagainwithout
misdirection

41. HTTP://VIMEO.COM/3881082

42. With misdirection Without misdirection
KUHN, GUSTAV, TATLER, BENJAMIN W. AND COLE, GEOFF G.(2009)'YOU LOOK WHERE I LOOK! EFFECT OF GAZE CUES ON OVERT
AND COVERT ATTENTION IN MISDIRECTION',VISUAL COGNITION,17:6,925 — 944

48. Obviousmisdirection

49. A B C D
Whatyousawhappen

50. A B C D
X
Whatyouguesshappened

51. A B C D
X
Whatactuallyhappened

52. MOST APPS START
UPLOAD HERE
INSTAGRAM STARTS
UPLOAD HERE

53. z
15minwait

54. z
7minwait
1minwalk

55. z
“Oftenthepsychologyofqueuingismore
importantthanthestatisticsofthewaititself.”
— Richard Larson, M.I.T.

56. Whenyouhavelimitationsyoucan’tgetaround,
usemisdirectiontoimprovetheuserexperience

57. 4.Deception

59. BEYOND THE PIXEL
HTTP://MASHABLE.COM/2015/03/28/MICHAEL-JACKSON-SHOE-PATENT/#M9A3CLYVKMQO

60. HTTP://MASHABLE.COM/2015/03/28/MICHAEL-JACKSON-SHOE-PATENT/#M9A3CLYVKMQO

61. HTTP://MASHABLE.COM/2015/03/28/MICHAEL-JACKSON-SHOE-PATENT/#M9A3CLYVKMQO

63. Conditioned
responses
“Post Hoc fallacy”

64. HTTP://UXMOVEMENT.COM/BUTTONS/HOW-TO-MAKE-PROGRESS-BARS-FEEL-FASTER-TO-USERS/

65. HTTP://UXMOVEMENT.COM/BUTTONS/HOW-TO-MAKE-PROGRESS-BARS-FEEL-FASTER-TO-USERS/

66. HTTP://UXMOVEMENT.COM/BUTTONS/HOW-TO-MAKE-PROGRESS-BARS-FEEL-FASTER-TO-USERS/

67. thereverse

68. Trickusers,whenitbenefitsthem.

69. Deceptioncanbesneaky

70. HTTP://MERCURY.IO/THE-PSYCHOLOGY-OF-WAITING-LOADING-ANIMATIONS-AND-FACEBOOK/

71. HTTPS://DARKPATTERNS.ORG/

72. HTTPS://DARKPATTERNS.ORG/

73. HTTPS://DARKPATTERNS.ORG/

75. HTTPS://DARKPATTERNS.ORG/

76. HTTP://WWW.BBC.COM/NEWS/MAGAZINE-35091242

77. So,whatcanwetakefromthis?

78. Howdopeopleinterpret
theworldaroundthem?

79. Wecanlearnalot
fromotherfields

81. “Sometimesmagicisjustsomeonespending
moretimeonsomethingthananyoneelse
mightreasonablyexpect”
— Penn & Teller

82. Thankyou
KEVIN CANNON
@MULTIKEV