UX Expert Celia Hodent Debunks Brain Myths That Harm Game Design
By
Laia Tremosa, Caitlin Snethlage
Summary
UX expert Celia Hodent debunks common "neurohype" brain myths that plague design teams — such as the false belief that players have goldfish-like attention spans requiring constant popups and notifications. She explains how these myths lead to poor design decisions that overwhelm users, and advocates for science-backed design approaches that respect actual human cognitive limits. The article warns against blindly following pseudoscientific claims that sound legitimate but damage player experiences.
Source
Interaction Design FoundationUX Expert Celia Hodent Debunks Brain Myths That Harm Game Designixdf.orgKey quotes
· 4 pulledPlayers have goldfish attention spans now, your creative director says. Add more popups, more notifications, and more UI alerts to keep them engaged.
The problem? You believed a myth. Attention is limited and your design just overloaded it.
Brain myths spread everywhere: social media, design blogs, team meetings. And they cost you time and good design decisions.
The tricky part is that you won't always recognize them as myths, because they sound scientific.
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