Seeing vs. Understanding: The Hidden Psychology of Design [ukr]

Talk presentation

🤔 Looks matter. But do they really help? In design, we often glorify aesthetics, but does making something “pretty” actually make it more usable? This talk breaks down the psychological battle between visual appeal and functional clarity, exploring how design influences both emotion and cognition.

We'll take you through:

How composition theory shapes both aesthetics and usability.
Why visual design is crucial for some products but useless for others.
The role of cognitive load: real reason users click (or don’t).
How visual triggers manipulate emotions and decision-making.
The secret to balancing eye candy with functionality to create truly effective design.

🔥 Get ready for a mix of psychology, interaction design, and a few hard truths. If you've ever wondered whether you should lean into visuals or focus on usability—this talk will help you decide.

Irene Shkarovska

Associate Director, Experience design, Epam Ukraine

Education: Academic Degree in Design.
Working in the Design field for 15+ years.
10 years at EPAM, Design manager, Kyiv Design unit head.
Visual & creative skills, people management course author and mentor.
Psychology, movies, and sports are my entertaining hobbies.
Together with our design team, we’ve been running the Design Junior program at EPAM for 6 years already.
Linkedin

Olha Holubieva

Senior Designer, EPAM Ukraine

13 years of commercial experience in Design.
Focus: UX/UI, visual design, design thinking, people development, and data-driven decision-making.
Background in design academia, both as a student and teacher.
Lecturer and mentor for the Design Junior program and the People Management course at EPAM.
Passionate about organizing and structuring ideas in pursuit of meaning.
Core team member of Platea Design Community Kyiv.
LinkedIn, Telegram