Computer technology surrounds us. As I write this blog at a
computer I have a smartphone next to me and a smart watch on my wrist. For many
of us, technology is with us no matter where we go. There are plenty of
arguments about whether that is a good thing or bad thing that is for a different
blog post. Recently, I have discovered that many people don’t know that
psychology is involved in designing new technology. There is a branch of
psychology sometimes called human factors, human computer interaction, or human
centered design that centers on using what we know about people and their
behavior to design better technology. It is so prevalent in the field the
American Psychological Association even has a page devoted to it. Companies like
Google, Facebook, and Microsoft employ people who are educated in psychology to
help design their products.
The Wall Street Journal published an article earlier this
week discussing how Bank of America is using Psychology to design features for
their mobile app. The company utilized psychology and customer preferences to
design the way their mobile depositing system works. Because of the influence
of psychology the app shows users an image of the check after it is deposited
so that they feel more comfortable with the transaction.
Psychology isn’t just involved in making things like banking
and chatting to your friends more user friendly either. Researchers are also
trying to find ways to use technology to help people learn. Everyone learns
differently and technology is one way that we can meet the needs of different
learning style. The “Machine Teaching” project at the University of Washington
is working on designing technology to help all different kinds of learners
learn.
Joining psychology and computer science could have wide
implications for our future; how we use things, how we learn, and how we communicate.
Next time you log onto your favorite website or social media portal remember that
psychology could be part of the reason that the site’s menu looks a certain way
or that the text is a certain font. And if you ever find that a website or program
is difficult to use it may need a little attention from a human factors
psychologist.
Bibliography
American Psychological Association. A Career in Human Factors and Engineering Psychology. Retrieved on 10/21/2015 from http://www.apa.org/action/science/human-factors/education-training.aspx.
Blackbourne, A. (2015) "Machine teaching" looks to design optimal individual learning style. The Badger Herald. Published online 10/14/2015.
