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Psychology for designers

  • Level(s) of Study: Professional / Short course
  • Start Date(s): May and July 2024
  • Duration: Thursday and Friday, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm (two days)
  • Study Mode(s): Short course
  • Campus: City Campus
  • Entry Requirements:
    More information

Introduction:

This course is for anyone working in a design, creative or research agency, as well as sole-trading creative entrepreneurs, who’s keen to explore the psychological processes that underpin behaviour in the context of design.

From perception and consumer behaviour to bias and inclusion, the course will help you increase your effectiveness in good design to create solutions that exceed your clients’ expectations.

The consumer landscape is constantly evolving, and the way consumers interact with brands has transformed.

88% of high-ranking executives say that customers and employees are changing faster than they can change their business (Accenture Song 2022).

This emphasises the need for designers to be quick to respond to consumer behaviour in order to survive.

One of the ways of doing this is by understanding the psychology of design.

This course will help you to understand how the brain works, consumer psychology and what really drives your customer.

It will help you become an effective designer who gets things noticed, gets consumers to engage and gets them to react,

Here's what previous attendees said:

‘Really interesting and informative! Working within the retail sector, I wanted to gain further insights into consumer behaviours and trends. From doing this course I have learnt what helps to promote decision making based on insights and consumer psychology, brand identity and aesthetic choices. It was a good mix of learning and interactive activities, and I found the 'bias' section particularly interesting. The discussion on adverts and logo recognition really interested me too, due to my background. Thank you Yvonne' AD, Estee Lauder

‘I enjoyed all of the course and feel lucky being able to attend. I have taken a lot away with me, it has given me lots to think about. I signed up for the course to learn more about design choices, and now have a deeper understanding of consumer psychology, and how to effectively use design and branding to maximise my sales. I enjoyed learning about the three second rule and other psychological aspects, looking through lots of examples and seeing the concepts in action' AN

‘Excellent friendly tutor, great handbook. I wanted to develop a greater awareness of how to position my business and stand out from the crowd, now I have a lot of questions and thoughts for changes I can make' IS

‘Brilliant course, very informative and skills learnt I can put into practice to develop in my own business. It was a well-balanced course between theory and practice. Great course and friendly atmosphere.' MM

'I found the course really interesting and informative. Everything was underpinned with psychological theories, exploring human behaviour, need and choices. It gave us all lots to consider when thinking of our own current/future customers. I enjoyed the scenarios and discussions as a group. The workbook was excellent - full of useful information to refer back to, all of which I will use/apply when developing ideas/products for my own customers, hopefully in the near future.' AM

What you’ll study

By the end of the course, you will understand how psychology can be applied in the context of design and consumer motivations.

You will have the skills to create designs that sell and win hearts and minds.

Why psychology matters in design

You’ll learn about how your brain works, how you can make the best use of it, and how human needs can be met with good design.

Design and consumer psychology

You will explore human behaviour and decode unconscious decision making, i.e. Why we do what we do? And how we can ethically influence minds and shape behaviour?

You will explore current challenges designers face when attempting to create engaging experiences, and how we can use neuroscience and behavioural science to help people make better decisions.

How you’re taught

The course will be a combination of lectures, discussions and informal learning spaces that allow for exploration, discussion, critique and shared learning.

Slides, templates and workbooks will be available to download after the course for future reference.

Tutor profile: Yvonne Richardson

Yvonne Richardson is a creativity strategist and educator with over 20 years’ of innovation experience.

A creativity provocateur and critical thinker, her training courses draw from her background in psychology, strategic marketing and brand-building.

Yvonne has hopped across companies, freelancing gigs, hit burnout (and bounced back), took a sabbatical, moved into academia, launched an idea and evolved it into a business… and made plenty of mistakes along the way.

Basically, she has been at both the creative coalface and led others through creative process.

With a degree in psychology and postgraduate diploma in applied psychology, Yvonne is currently a lecturer at Nottingham Trent University in the School of Art and Design where she is the subject expert on creativity, innovation and consumer psychology.

Campus and facilities

Entry requirements

Level: Intermediate / Professional

Entry requirement: You should have experience of working in a creative environment, but no formal qualifications in design are required.

Getting in touch

If you need more help or information, get in touch through our enquiry form

Level: Intermediate / Professional

Entry requirement: You should have experience of working in a creative environment, but no formal qualifications in design are required.

Fees and funding

The fee for this course is £495.

Payment is due at the time of booking.

The fee for this course is £495.

Payment is due at the time of booking.

How to apply