Language Arts for the Lizard Brain: Vocabulary Design for the Predictably Irrational

LANGUAGE ARTS FOR THE LIZARD BRAIN

INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE SUMMIT VANCOUVER, BC | 24 MARCH, 2017

#LIZARDBRAIN ANDY FITZGERALD | @ANDYBYWIRE


EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT


TEN SECONDS

“The first 10 seconds of the page visit are critical for users' decision to stay or leave.”

– Jakob Nielsen


LIZARD BRAIN


LIZARD BRAIN

‣ Two systems for making meaning

‣ Words as activation patterns

‣ Cognitive frames for understanding

‣ Putting it all together


Two Systems

‣ System 1

‣ System 2


TWO SYSTEMS

Operates automatically and quickly with little or no effort and no voluntary control

Allocates attention and effort and is

associated with agency, choice, and

concentration

‣ System 1

‣ System 2


TWO SYSTEMS

17 X 24 =

a math problem

probably neither 124 nor 16,548

17 x 24 = 408


TWO SYSTEMS

I dare you not to read this.


TWO SYSTEMS

– Daniel Kahneman

“If System 1 is involved, the conclusion

comes first and the arguments follow”


TWO SYSTEMS

‣ Visitors don’t read, they scan

‣ Key words are automatically parsed

‣ The first and easiest sensible solution wins


Activation Patterns


– Gilles Fauconnier

ACTIVATION PATTERNS

“Linguistic expressions prompt

for meanings rather than

represent meanings”


PROMPTING FOR MEANING



CLAIMS!!! New!!! Current! !! ! Active!! Tag by action needed/no action needed. ! ! ! ! Can generate notifications.!! ! Pending! Tag by action needed/no action needed. !! ! ! ! Can generate notifications. !! History!! ! Closed claims! ! !!!FORMS!!

Available forms!Drafts!Submitted forms!!!

ACCOUNT!!


LANGUAGE DIFFERENTIATES MEANING


ACTIVATION PATTERNS

‣ Words don’t “mean” on their own – we assign them

meaning on the fly

‣ Vocabularies take on sense based on the activation

patterns in which they’re presented

‣ Visual design and layout can influence activation patterns,

but rarely create new meaning alone


Cognitive Frames


– Gilles Fauconnier

COGNITIVE FRAMES

“Mental spaces are small, conceptual packets

constructed as we think and talk, for

purposes of local understanding and action”


COGNITIVE FRAMES

‣ global insight

‣ human scale understanding

‣ new meaning


GLOBAL INSIGHT


HUMAN SCALE UNDERSTANDING


NEW MEANING


COGNITIVE FRAMES

‣ Frames are how we understand where we are and what

we can do there

‣ Successful frames create human scale understanding

‣ Leveraging human-scale experience helps us see and

create new meaning


Putting It All Together


PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

‣ Select language for the easy construction of

intended meaning

‣ Create intentional activation patterns

‣ Build to the human scale

Thank you!

andyfitzgeraldconsulting.com [email protected]

@andybywire


LEARN MORE

https://medium.freecodecamp.com/a-cognitive-sciences-reading-list-for-designers-5297c2934aa9#.f3nly4grk

Language Arts for the Lizard Brain: Vocabulary Design for the Predictably Irrational

Design

Transcript of Language Arts for the Lizard Brain: Vocabulary Design for the Predictably Irrational