Behavioral Design: Recognition Rather Than Recall
What are Nielsen’s 10 Usability Heuristics? After analysing usability research, UX expert Jakob Nielsen created suggestions for user interface design that increase product usability and user experience.
The Usability Heuristics use high-level principles to identify usability issues in a design. They’re timeless, even in an ever-changing digital context, as they can be applied across any interface or design style. Nielsen's standards have become a cornerstone of UX and UI design, introduced early in design education and repeatedly revisited throughout a designer's career.
The Basic Idea
Recognition rather than recall is when we’re able to quickly make a decision based on intuition, rather than having to remember the best course of action from memory. When applying the concept to influence human decision-making or solve a problem, policy makers or researchers can leverage heuristics that serve as quick mental cues.
Unlike recall, which mainly requires conscious recollection, recognition involves familiarity or avoidance of uncertainty, and is often driven by a cognitive bias.
