🧩 Pattern Matching
The brain’s tendency to find and create recognizable patterns from random data.
Imagine that you've written a short to-do list in your notes app, driven to the shops, and then reopened your notes.
You'll subconsciously (and very quickly) go through a process of evaluating if the list is the same as what you were just looking at.
And your brain takes a shortcut, by trying to match patterns.
i.e., in the above example, even without reading the actual words, you could quickly identify that they're very likely to be the same list.
The pattern of the words (e.g., their sizing, spacing, number of items) are very similar.
But now try that same exercise with the following:
It's much harder, because the order of the items has changed. Your brain recognises that the pattern has broken (the shape of the content), and now you need to engage more in the task.
Pattern matching is everywhere
Consistency of styles (e.g., input fields, font sizes, colours) allows people to pattern match between pages, screens and sessions.
Consistent page components (e.g., heading, subtitle, paragraph and image) makes it quicker to quickly digest that every item on a page is the same content type.
Intentionally breaking patterns
Occasionally, you'll want your users to disengage autopilot, and think about a specific task or decision.
You can do this by intentionally breaking a specific design characteristic.
A pop-up or modal (which is by nature, a change).
New, or unique, heading styles or content.
Introducing new colours or design cues.
✅Productivity & efficiency
Pattern matching is a shortcut to efficiency.
✅Attention & interest
People will pay more attention, if they notice that a pattern is broken. This can be both a positive and negative influence.
✅Effort & motivation
It takes more effort to navigate in a world without patterns.