Design with humans in mind: Interview in APS Observer

Mariko Hewer of the Association for Psychological Science interviewed me and wrote a nice discussion of the role that psychology should be playing in design. Too much of psychological research is abstract and over-specialized, that when it comes to answering what appear to be simple questions, the science does not provide answers. Do we need those abstractions? Yes, they are essential. Do we need fundamental research? Absolutely. But we also need studies of how to apply our findings in real, natural settings, outside of the laboratory, outside of artificial constraints.

There are lots of interesting opportunities in the world of applications. Opportunities, jobs, and even research funding. I encourage psychologists to work with industry to help apply our knowledge. The world will be a better place as a result.