Recommended resources
The freely available resources this lesson will direct you to.
Hello! Welcome to our final lesson in the module on the two systems of thinking.
Over the last three lessons, we've built a solid foundation. We started by distinguishing between the fast, automatic System 1 and the slow, deliberate System 2. We then practiced identifying which system is engaged during different user interactions and, most recently, explored how cognitive load acts as the "switch" between them.
Today, we'll put all these pieces together. Our goal is to analyze a user flow to identify where users are likely to use System 1 versus System 2 thinking. This is where theory meets practice. By dissecting a user journey, you'll learn to anticipate a user's cognitive state at each step, a skill that is fundamental to proactive and effective product design.
1. Deconstructing the User's Path
As a product designer, you're already an expert at mapping user experiences. A user journey map is not just a flowchart of actions; it's a narrative of the user's thoughts, feelings, and goals. This makes it the perfect tool for our analysis today. We can use the phases and user thoughts within a journey map as clues to identify their cognitive state.
Let's watch a segment from a video that breaks down a sample user journey for an e-commerce platform. This will provide us with a concrete example to analyze.
How to Create a User Journey Map with Example
This video, 'How to Create a User Journey Map with Example,' provides a clear walkthrough of a user persona, Lisa, and her journey to buy a desk lamp on the Shopee app.
Please watch from 05:09 to 09:51. Pay close attention to the breakdown of Lisa's journey into distinct phases: looking for the light, browsing categories, searching, and finding the item. For each phase, note her goals, actions, thoughts, and feelings.
2. Mapping Thinking Systems to the Journey
Now that you've seen Lisa's journey, let's layer our System 1 and System 2 framework on top of it. We'll examine each phase to pinpoint where a user is "coasting" on System 1 versus where they are forced to engage the effortful System 2.
Here is a breakdown of Lisa's journey from the video:
| Phase | User's Goal & Actions | User's Thoughts & Feelings | System Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery | Goal: Buy an aesthetic, affordable lamp. Action: Browsing social media/Pinterest for inspiration. | Thinking: "I want my room to be aesthetic." Feeling: Excited. | This is a mix. The act of scrolling through inspirational images is largely a System 1 activity—fast, visual, and driven by emotion ("excited"). However, the initial goal-setting ("I want...") and forming a mental image of the desired product requires some light System 2 engagement. |
| 2. Browsing | Goal: Easy navigation. Action: Scrolling the homepage, looking at categories. | Thinking: "I want to find what I'm looking for quickly. I have an image but don't know what it's called." | The initial browsing is System 1, relying on pattern recognition of familiar e-commerce layouts. The moment Lisa realizes she doesn't know the term for the item she wants, a friction point occurs. This uncertainty increases cognitive load and triggers System 2 to start problem-solving. Her mood dips. |
| 3. Searching | Goal: Find the best option. Action: Browsing endlessly, using the image search function. | Thinking: "I want to see different stores selling the same item." Feeling: Optimistic. | The "endless browsing" signifies a high-load System 2 task. The user is actively comparing and evaluating, which is mentally taxing. Deciding to use the image search is a deliberate, strategic System 2 action to overcome the problem from the previous phase. |
| 4. Evaluating | Goal: Check authenticity and reviews. Action: Checking if the store is official, reading reviews. | Thinking: "Is this product reliable? How does it compare to others?" Feeling: Cautious. | This is peak System 2 thinking. The user is consciously mitigating risk by analyzing qualitative data (reviews) and comparing options. The feeling of "cautious" is a direct reflection of this deliberate, analytical state. The decision to purchase is a significant one that requires careful consideration. |
This analysis shows that a user is not in one mode for the entire flow. They fluidly switch between systems based on the task's difficulty, familiarity, and the friction they encounter.
3. The Checkout Flow: Designing for System 1
Once Lisa adds the lamp to her cart, she enters a new, critical user flow: the checkout.
Think about her mental state. She has already completed the hard work of evaluation and made her decision with System 2. The goal of the checkout process is not to make her think again. It should be a fast, frictionless, and almost automatic process that leverages System 1. Any friction here—a confusing form, a surprise shipping cost, a complex password requirement—increases cognitive load, re-engages a now-skeptical System 2, and dramatically increases the risk of cart abandonment.
Let's look at what industry experts have to say about designing this critical flow.
14 Experts share their checkout optimization tips
The article '14 Experts share their checkout optimization tips' from Zuko.io gathers advice from product leaders at major companies. Their tips are, in essence, a masterclass in designing for System 1.
Please read the tips under the headings 'Don’t do anything too “out of the ordinary”', 'Remove unnecessary fields', 'Offer third party payment', and 'Break the checkout into multiple stages'. As you read, consider how each piece of advice aims to reduce cognitive load and keep the user on an automatic path.
The advice you just read—stick to familiar patterns, minimize fields, offer trusted payment options like PayPal, and break the process into manageable steps—all serves one primary purpose: to keep the user in the low-effort, fast-moving state of System 1.
A perfect illustration of this principle is the concept of "one-click payment." Let's examine a case study that explores this feature.
Increasing conversion rates and optimizing easy checkout ...
This UX case study on checkout optimization provides a great analysis of one-click payment systems.
Please read the section titled 'One-click payment, the game changer.' Focus on how the author describes its function and benefits. The reference to Hick's Law is particularly relevant.
Your Turn: Quick Analysis
Based on the case study's description of one-click payment, how does this feature explicitly keep the user in System 1 and prevent the engagement of System 2 during a repeat purchase?
Answer
One-click payment is the ultimate design for System 1. By saving and automatically applying the user's shipping and payment information, it removes nearly all points of friction and decision-making. The user doesn't need to find their wallet, type in numbers, or verify an address. These are all small tasks that, while simple, require System 2's attention and increase cognitive load. By reducing the entire checkout process to a single, affirmative click, the design allows the user to complete the purchase on autopilot, leveraging the fast, intuitive nature of System 1 without any need to engage the slower, more effortful System 2.
Conclusion
This lesson concludes our first module on the two systems of thinking. We've moved from theory to tangible application, learning how to analyze a real-world user flow through the lens of cognitive psychology.
Key Takeaways:
- User flows are a series of cognitive shifts. Users move between the effortless System 1 for familiar or simple tasks and the deliberate System 2 for complex, new, or problematic ones.
- Friction is a System 2 trigger. As a designer, you can analyze a flow by identifying potential points of friction (uncertainty, difficult choices, unexpected outcomes) that force a user out of their intuitive state.
- Design with intent. For critical conversion flows like checkout, the goal is to design for System 1 by minimizing cognitive load, using familiar patterns, and removing unnecessary steps. For complex tasks requiring careful thought, the goal is to support System 2 with clarity, structure, and helpful information.
- You can analyze any flow by asking: "What is the user's goal here? Should this step be intuitive (System 1) or does it require deliberate thought (System 2)? Is my design supporting that intended state?"
You now have a powerful framework for understanding the "why" behind user behavior. In our next module, we'll build on this by exploring Heuristics—the specific mental shortcuts that System 1 uses to make its rapid judgments, and how they appear in the digital products we use every day.