No. 05 Priming

Teach people something once, then keep using it the same way.

Same color, same shape, same spot, same words. By the third time, they’re on autopilot.

Pick one color for “tap this.” Never use it for anything else.

In 1971, psychologists David Meyer & Roger Schvaneveldt flashed pairs of words. People spotted related pairs, like bread & butter, faster.

Seeing one thing warms up the next. Designers borrowed the idea: teach it once & the brain is ready next time.

Some flashier priming studies later failed to replicate. This basic effect holds up.

• Meyer & Schvaneveldt, “Facilitation in recognizing pairs of words,” Journal of Experimental Psychology (1971)

Save this for the next time every button looks a little different.