The Hidden Costs of 'Easy' Design
Weekly Design
#011: The Hidden Costs of 'Easy' Design
Hey friends 👋
This is Balint from “The Psychology Behind Design” and Balint Studio.
Every Thursday, I share 3 quick product design tips for founders and designers.
3-2-1: Vamos!
1. Dark patterns: Short-term gains, long-term losses
Trick once: User gets frustrated
Trick twice: User loses trust
Trick third time: User leaves, never returns
Instead, focus on:
Clear, honest communication
Transparent pricing and policies
Easy opt-out options
Trust is your most valuable feature. Don't sacrifice it for a quick win.
2. The real price of following trends
Trendy doesn't always mean useful.
Before jumping on the latest design bandwagon, ask:
Does this truly serve our users' needs?
Will this still make sense for us in a year?
Are we doing this because it's right, or because it's popular?
Good design is timeless because it's focused on fundamental user needs.
3. The compounding effect of small decisions
Big changes grab attention, but small ones shape experience
Pay attention to:
Micro-interactions (how things respond)
Default settings (what users start with)
Empty states (what users see when there's no data)
These details compound over time, defining how users feel about your product
My Favorite Things this Week
🎨 Design - I can’t believe Mobbin pulled this off. It’s a goldmine for designers and founders to learn from top companies that have nailed customer success. If you're unsure, just run an A/B test and see for yourself.
2. 🪚 Tool - Sip is my new tool for picking colors from everywhere, no matter if I’m on a website, screenshot or canvas, I can easily pick colors and paste it into my designs, I love it because it’s easy to use and very precise.
That's all for now
Thanks for reading the newsletter.
I hope this helps you make better design decisions.
If you liked this, please reply. It helps me know you're reading.
Balint 🫶
P.S. Before you go, here are 3 ways we can connect.
1. Need a design partner? - At Balint Studio, we're designing complex things simple, whether it’s a web or mobile app, tailored for startups and software companies.
1. Check out my eBook - “The Psychology Behind Design” a simple guide that'll show you how design really works. It's packed with cool ideas that are easy to understand.
3. Show Off Your Work: Got something cool? It could be featured in this newsletter.