Somatic brain · Procedural Memory & Motor Habit
Physical Affordance
Objects and interfaces signal how to use them — handles pull, buttons press, big green means go; well-designed affordances guide action with no thought, which is also how misleading ones misguide it.
An everyday example
A brightly coloured 'Continue' that adds insurance and a grey text link that skips it.
What it can cost you
Doing what the design invites rather than what you intend.
Warning signs
- The prominent option is not the one I came for.
- I had to hunt for 'no thanks'.
One thing to do
Before acting, say what the action will do in one sentence; if the design made that hard to know, that is the tell.
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