AUTHOR ・ SPEAKER ・ UX RESEARCHER
Victor Yocco, PhD
Applying psychology to AI design. Author of the forthcoming Designing Agentic AI Experiences — coming August 2026
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Books
Design for the Mind
Seven Psychological Principles of Persuasive Design
Manning Publications, 2016
How do you design digital experiences that resonate with how people actually think and behave? Design for the Mind breaks down seven psychological principles and shows designers and developers how to apply them to create products that are not just usable but genuinely persuasive. Grounded in research from behavioral psychology, social influence, and communication theory, the book provides a practical toolkit for anyone building products meant to change minds and move people to action.
Designing Agentic AI Experiences
Taylor & Francis / CRC Press, August 2026
AI systems are no longer waiting for instructions. They’re planning, deciding, and acting on behalf of users. This book is a guide for UX researchers, designers, and product leaders navigating this shift. Drawing on cognitive psychology, enterprise field research, and practical design frameworks, Designing Agentic AI Experiences covers how to research, design, and evaluate AI systems where trust, delegation, and user control are the primary design challenges. From mental model interviews and simulated misbehavior testing to design patterns for transparency, consent, and accountability, this book provides the playbook for building AI that works with humans, not just for them.
Books
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Design for the Mind
Seven Psychological Principles of Persuasive Design
Manning Publications, 2016How do you design digital experiences that resonate with how people actually think and behave? Design for the Mind breaks down seven psychological principles and shows designers and developers how to apply them to create products that are not just usable but genuinely persuasive. Grounded in research from behavioral psychology, social influence, and communication theory, the book provides a practical toolkit for anyone building products meant to change minds and move people to action.
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Designing Agentic AI Experiences
Taylor & Francis / CRC Press, August 2026
AI systems are no longer waiting for instructions. They’re planning, deciding, and acting on behalf of users. This book is a guide for UX researchers, designers, and product leaders navigating this shift. Drawing on cognitive psychology, enterprise field research, and practical design frameworks, Designing Agentic AI Experiences covers how to research, design, and evaluate AI systems where trust, delegation, and user control are the primary design challenges. From mental model interviews and simulated misbehavior testing to design patterns for transparency, consent, and accountability, this book provides the playbook for building AI that works with humans, not just for them.
Selected Writing
Recent articles on AI design, UX research, and the psychology of human-AI interaction
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Smashing Magazine
Designing for Agentic AI: Practical UX Patterns for Control, Consent, and Accountability
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Smashing Magazine
Beyond Generative: The Rise of Agentic AI and User-Centric Design
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UXMatters
How Agentic AI Reimagines User Journeys: A Psychological Framework
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Smashing Magazine
Trust as the Invisible UI for AI
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Smashing Magazine
The Wizard of Oz Method for Agentic AI Research
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Smashing Magazine
The Human Element: Using Research and Psychology to Elevate Data Storytelling
Speaking & Workshops
Designing for Delegation: What Changes When AI Acts on Its Own
A research-grounded exploration of why trust, not usability, is the core design challenge for agentic AI systems, and what UX teams need to do differently.
The Psychology of Generative UI: Adapting Without Disorienting
What happens to mental models, cognitive load, and perceived control when the interface keeps changing? Five design principles for building AI-generated interfaces users can trust.
About Victor
Victor Yocco is a UX researcher at ServiceNow, where he leads research on agentic AI products for enterprise customers. He holds a PhD from The Ohio State University with a focus on psychology and communication, and has over 15 years of experience helping organizations build products that align with how people actually think and behave. He is the author of Design for the Mind (Manning, 2016) and the forthcoming Designing Agentic AI Experiences (Taylor & Francis, 2026). Victor writes regularly for Smashing Magazine, UXmatters, and A List Apart, and speaks at conferences on the intersection of psychology, UX research, and AI design.
