Canon glossary

Brief period after noticing something when attention is reduced

Recent/vivid information weighted more heavily - use recent examples

Users tune out repeatedly encountered content patterns - vary visual approaches

Unusual material is remembered better than common material

People tend to choose the middle option in a set - place preferred option centrally

Failing to notice changes when attention is elsewhere

Techniques to overcome expert blind spots: concrete examples, analogies, testing with novices

Adding an inferior option makes target option more attractive

People tend to stick with default options - make desired action the easiest path

Anticipating and designing for user errors and edge cases

Productivity increases when response time is under 400ms

Connecting new information to existing knowledge improves retention

People value things more once they own them - use 'your' language for solutions

Designing for easy recovery from mistakes

Designing clear distinction between foreground content and background

Infinite-width targets at screen edges are fastest to reach

Larger and closer elements are easier to interact with - prominence matters

Easy-to-process information feels more true and trustworthy

Interaction design that prevents errors by forcing correct behavior

Designing for natural left-to-right then down reading pattern

Information is better remembered if generated rather than read

Maintain core functionality when features fail

Gap between system state and user understanding - make state visible

Gap between user intention and available actions - minimize it