If the purpose of design is to create useful, pleasurable and easily understood tools or artifacts then understanding how humans think is critical to achieving a good design. Until one understands how a tool or artifact is used (and how people think about using it), how it creates pleasure (and how people experience pleasure), and how people learn, one cannot successfully and intentionally design for these things.
What is neuroplasticity and how does this change the way we look at human cognition?
According to MedicineNet.com, neuroplasticity is "(t)he brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Neuroplasticity allows the neurons ... to adjust their activities in response to new situations or to changes in their environment."
Human cognition, then, is ever adaptable to new environments and modes of thinking. For designers, this means we can use the past and the present as informing our design, but that we are not limited to the palette of existing solutions. Humans can learn, right down to the level of the brain's organizing structure, and a better design is something people can learn. Designers should take into account that human cognition changes over time and that introducing new things should reflect the understanding of a time of adaptation. Build solutions in the adoption of a tool to guide people along the learning curve to an expert understanding of its principles and functions.
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