The Design Psychologist | Psychology for UX, Product, Service, Instructional, Interior, and Game Designers
Welcome to The Design Psychologist, a podcast where we explore the intersection of psychology and design. The show is hosted by Thomas Watkins, a design psychologist who has spent years applying behavioral science principles to the creation of digital products.
We sit down with a variety of experts who apply psychology in different ways to the design of the world around us. Thomas uses his expertise to guide conversations that provide practical advice while illuminating the theory behind why designs succeed.
Tune in if you are a design practitioner who seeks to understand your work on a deeper level and craft experiences that are intuitive, effective, and delightful.
Episodes
13 episodes
How to Visualize the Invisible: Metaphors, Models, and Meaning (with Stephen P. Anderson)
Explaining an abstract idea can feel easy—until you put pen to paper. In this episode, our host sits down with Stephen P. Anderson to unpack the craft of turning complex concepts into clear, memorable visuals. Together they dig into the challen...
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Season 1
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Episode 12
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1:01:31
How Well Do Our Words Reflect Our Inside World? A psychological perspective on the limits of self-report, introspection, and understanding the human mind
How much can you trust what users tell you?In this solo episode, we dive into one of the most slippery yet essential tools in UX research: self-reporting. From interviews to surveys, self-reports are everywhere—but they come with ...
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Season 1
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Episode 11
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17:13
Disruptive by Design: Uncovering Game-Changing Insights (with Larry Marine)
Ever wonder how certain products feel inevitable the moment they appear—rearranging entire markets overnight? In this episode of The Design Psychologist, Thomas sits down with UX pioneer Larry Marine to unpack the mechanics of truly di...
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Season 1
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Episode 10
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1:01:46
The Why Behind Sample Size: How Many People Do You Really Need to Test With?
How many participants do you need to test in order to make valid research claims? In this episode, we dive deep into the science and psychology behind sample sizes in user testing. Whether you're working with five users or five hundred, the num...
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Season 1
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Episode 9
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24:22
How to Decode Conversation: A Paradigm Shift in Qualitative Insight and Human Understanding (with Indi Young)
In this episode of The Design Psychologist, we dive deep into the world of qualitative research and human-centered design with legendary UX thinker Indi Young. If you've ever felt like your user interviews only skim the sur...
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Season 1
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Episode 8
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1:02:17
Why It Feels Right: Affordance and the Mind’s Hidden Expectations
Why do some products feel natural the moment you touch them—while others are baffling from the start? In this episode, we explore the psychology of affordances—those subtle cues that tell us what to do next, without saying ...
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Season 1
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Episode 7
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11:26
Designing for Risk: What Aviation and AR Reveal about Attention, Disaster, and Human Factors (with Chris Wickens)
In this episode, Thomas interviews Dr. Chris Wickens, a pioneer in cognitive engineering and human factors, and they discuss how designers can reduce errors and enhance decision-making when lives are on the line. They delve into the high-stakes...
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Season 1
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Episode 6
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1:01:33
How to Find the Next Big Idea: Deductive vs. Inductive Thinking in Product Research
How do you figure out what features to build into your design? How do you get those magical insights that actually improve your product—versus just shifting things around?In this episode, we unpack one key distinction that hel...
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Season 1
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Episode 5
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14:20
The Six Minds of UX: A Design Checklist You Didn't Know You Needed (with John Whalen)
This episode is an absolute masterclass in human-centered design, featuring Dr. John Whalen—cognitive scientist, seasoned UX expert, and author of Design for How People Think.John introduces us to his powerful framework, The...
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Season 1
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Episode 4
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1:01:23
Color Psychology in Design: What the Science Really Says
What does the color of your brand really say about your business? Is there truth behind the popular color psychology charts? In this episode, we cut through the noise and explore the actual science behind color psychology—what...
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Season 1
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Episode 3
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26:00
Psychology Principles Every Designer Should Master (with Susan Weinschenk)
Today on The Design Psychologist, we're diving deep into the intersection of psychology and design with none other than Susan Weinschenk, PhD—the person you’ll literally find next to the term “design psychologist” in the diction...
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Season 1
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Episode 2
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57:32
Design for Ease: The Psychology of Effort in UX Design
Imagine dragging a jammed suitcase through a crowded airport—frustrating, right? Now imagine that same experience happening in your app, your website, or your product design. That’s performance load: the hidden mental and physical effort users ...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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19:19
Trailer: Welcome to The Design Psychologist Podcast
In this teaser episode, host Thomas Watkins introduces The Design Psychologist—a podcast where human behavior meets design. Thomas shares what inspired him to bridge the gap between psychology and design, outlines what listeners can ex...
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Season 1
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Episode 1
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2:43