Repetition

After looking at optical illusions and Op Art which uses repetition to confuse the brain, I’ve been discussing with a few people reasons why we repeat things. Here is a list of reasons I’ve gathered together (if you think of anything else please comment on this post):

• To learn/practice


• To distract


• To remember


• Religiously


• Routinely


• To affirm


• A stutter/ by accident


• Humour (custard pie, catchphrases)


• Because of mental-health problems – echophilia, autism

There is safety in repeating things. This is often used in web-design where templates for pages are often the same throughout the site.

If you repeat something too much does it lose its original meaning and become something different?

When people don’t get a reaction from something the first time they tend to became frustrated and repeat the question, or command, or physical action until they do get a reaction. This often happens with computers and is described in “The Design of Everyday Things” by Donald Norman.