- Cognition, Design Psychology, Psychology, Psychology and Human Behavior, User Experience, User Research, UX Design
Explore why psychology, not pixels, decides whether users flow effortlessly or freeze in confusion, and how understanding cognition changes everything about UX design.
Article by Tushar Deshmukh
The Cortex-First Approach: Why UX Starts Before the Screen
- The article explains why UX design fails when it ignores what users’ brains are already doing before they even see the interface or click the first button.
- The piece shows how aligning design with users’ mental models and emotional states creates effortless experiences, while violating them causes hesitation even in “perfect” interfaces.
- It outlines the Cortex-First approach, showing how great UX starts by understanding cognitive patterns, emotional responses, and subconscious expectations rather than visual aesthetics.
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- December 23, 2025
6 min read