The Pocket Universal Principles of Design

• When people eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, carotenoids give their skin a subtle, but detectable, yellow glow. This glow increases attractiveness

• Accordingly, systems should clearly indicate their status, the key actions that can be performed, and the consequences of those actions once performed.

von Restorff Effect
Uncommon things are easier to recall than common things

• White is universally associated with goodness and security, likely due to an evolved association with daytime and a reduced vulnerability to predators

Sunk Cost Effect
The tendency to continue investing in an endeavor because of past investments in that endeavor.

• People frequently let past investments influence future investments.

• Objects that are lighter at the top and darker at the bottom are interpreted to be convex, and objects that are darker at the top and lighter at the bottom are interpreted to be concave.

Veblen Effect
A tendency to find a product more desirable because it has a high price

Things presented at the beginning and end of a sequence are more memorable than things presented in the middle.

For example, words presented early in sentences have more impact than words presented later.