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UX Psychology Cheat Codes: 10 Mental Models AI Can Help You Apply Faster
From Miller’s Law to Peak-End Rule - let AI help you think like a behavioural scientist.
Ryda Rashid
October 21, 2025
TL;DR
Designers are entering the era of intelligent systems where UX meets behaviour and prediction.
AI helps us uncover why users act the way they do, not just what they do.
Understanding cognitive biases gives us an edge in crafting interfaces that nudge decisions ethically.
“Predictably Irrational” is more than a concept - it’s a design lens powered by AI insight.
Want more like this? Subscribe to get my free UX prompt guide for designing with AI and join the exploration.
Why We Know UX Psychology but Rarely Apply It
Designers love to talk about psychology.
We quote Miller’s Law, Hick’s Law, Peak-End Rule and somewhere between our sticky notes and artboards, we mean to apply them.
But when deadlines hit and Figma turns into a battlefield of frames, theory fades into instinct.
We design what feels right, not always what psychologically works.
What if AI could change that?
Not by thinking for us, but by helping us think faster.
Turning Mental Models into Prompts
This post is an experiment in AI-assisted design psychology - a cheat sheet that turns classic UX mental models into actionable prompts.
💡 You can drop these straight into ChatGPT, Notion AI, or even Figma plugins like Magician or Genius.
Instead of rereading definitions, you’ll learn how to operationalise them.
Think of it as a UX psychology co-pilot - ready to help you design with intention instead of intuition.
10 UX Mental Models and Their AI Prompts
💻 Use it in: Figma (information hierarchy), Notion (content grouping).
1. Miller’s Law: Simplify for Memory
Humans can only hold about 7±2 items in short-term memory.
💡 Prompt: “Help me simplify this UI so users never have to hold more than 5-7 options at once.”
2. Hick’s Law: Fewer Choices, Faster Decisions
More options = slower decisions.
💡 Prompt: “Analyse my screen layout and suggest how to reduce cognitive load by minimising visible choices.”
3. Peak-End Rule: Design Memorable Moments
Users remember experiences by their emotional peak and the ending, not the middle.
💡 Prompt: “Suggest one ‘peak’ moment and one strong ending for this user flow to make it emotionally satisfying.”
4. Fitts’ Law: Reduce Effort for Key Actions
The time to reach a target depends on its size and distance.
💡 Prompt: “Review this button placement and recommend changes that reduce target acquisition time.”
5. Jakob’s Law: Leverage Familiarity
Users spend most of their time on other sites and they expect yours to work the same way.
💡 Prompt: “Compare this layout to top 3 industry patterns and recommend consistency improvements.”
6. Von Restorff Effect: Make the Standout Element Pop
The item that’s most visually distinct will be remembered best.
💡 Prompt: “Identify one element in this interface that should visually stand out for higher recall.”
7. Aesthetic-Usability Effect: Beauty Feeds Trust
Users often perceive beautiful interfaces as more usable.
💡 Prompt: “Rate this design’s visual harmony and suggest ways to increase perceived usability through aesthetics.”
8. Serial Position Effect: Order Matters
People remember the first and last items best.
💡 Prompt: “Reorder these content blocks so the first and last elements make the strongest impact.”
9. Goal-Gradient Effect: Motivate Progress
The closer users are to completing a task, the faster they move toward it.
💡 Prompt: “Suggest UI tweaks that make progress more visible and rewarding to drive task completion.”
10. Cognitive Load Theory: Don’t Make Them Think (Too Much)
The brain has a limited processing capacity - design to reduce unnecessary effort.
💡 Prompt: “Explain how to reduce extraneous load in this flow while preserving clarity.”
Designing with Psychological Intention
AI doesn’t replace our design instincts, it sharpens them.
By embedding these mental models into prompts, we turn abstract theories into practical micro-decisions inside our daily workflow.
It’s how we start designing with psychological intention instead of just design intuition.
✨ Grab the AI-Powered UX Psychology Cheat Sheet
Want all 10 mental models and prompts in one place?
I’ve turned this into a downloadable PDF cheat sheet you can keep beside your workflow.
It’s formatted for quick use with ready-to-copy prompts for Figma, Notion, and ChatGPT.
Designing for the Mind, Not Just the Screen
The next era of UX isn’t about pixels — it’s about perception.
And AI, when guided by the right psychological principles, helps us design not just faster, but smarter.
Because great design doesn’t just look good, it feels right.
👉 And if you haven’t yet, subscribe here to get my free UX prompt guide for designing with AI - it’s the easiest way to keep exploring with me.
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