Lower the surprise: Applying The free energy principle to UX

"If you're reading this, you've probably asked yourself the same question I always have: What exactly makes users subconsciously follow Color Psychology, Gestalt principles, and behavioral patterns like Hick's law? Why does all of this work? Is there a way to understand the true nature of our brain and not just how it reacts, but why it predicts, expects, and perceives the world the way it does?"

"The brain's main task is to minimize the gap between expectation and reality. This gap is what the Free Energy Principle defines as free energy. When the brain encounters unpredictable input, its stress level rises. And it's crucial to understand: this isn't about you as a person or a "user", it's about your brain. It's not something we consciously control, but it's something we can use."

"It's not something we consciously control, but it's something we can use. After all, as humans, we don't always chase predictability or comfort. Many people enjoy physical exercise, even though it's technically stress for the muscles. We love movies with unexpected plot twists, and even comedy works by placing us in a familiar setup and then adding an unpredictable punchline."

The brain functions as an incessant prediction machine, continuously building expectations about incoming sensory input. The Free Energy Principle states that systems, including living organisms, strive to minimize free energy—the gap between expectation and reality. Unpredictable input increases physiological stress because it raises prediction error. This predictive process operates largely unconsciously and can be leveraged in design and behavior. Humans do not always seek comfort; people sometimes embrace controlled unpredictability, such as exercise, plot twists, or comedic punchlines, which combine familiar setups with surprising elements. The human organism and consciousness form a complex system of interacting subsystems.

Read at Medium