
The Human-Centred
Design
Agency
Understanding and Influencing Behaviour
Make it personal
Put the User in control
Making active choices helps people feel more ownership over a decision, and makes them more likely to follow through
Encourage a sense of ownership
When people feel ownership over something they tend to attribute more value to it and go to greater lengths to avoid losing it.
Get the user to make an argument for the desired outcome
People are more likely to agree with persuasive arguments when they are forced to actively make the argument themselves
Make the desired outcome align with the user's identity
People generally behave in ways that reinforce their personal identities. When a behaviour conflicts with a person's sense of identity, they can experience unhappiness and unease
Highlight visceral or personal stories
People are more likely to recall and respond to emotional stories that highlight a specific person's experience - rather than stories that focus on facts or numbers
Call attention to relevant social norms
People tend to behave in accordance with real of perceived social norms, and generally don't like to behave in ways that go against what is socially acceptable
Craft the Journey
Help the user make a commitment in advance
People tend to make less rational choices when they're in "hot" states - like when they're hungry or emotional. Deciding in advance, in a "cold" state makes preferable outcomes more likely
Establish positive expectations
A person's expectations about an event or product have the power to change the way they actually experience it.
Introduce a peak and end on a high note
People tend to remember and evaluate past experiences based on the highest or lowest point, and the end. People are more likely to fondly recall and repeat experiences that have a notable high point and end on a high note
Provide immediate and ongoing feedback
When outcomes occur in the future it can be difficult to make the connection to the actions that originally caused them. More immediate feedback can help people better understand the consequences of their actions
Tip the scales
Emphasise gains to encourage a behaviour
People enjoy experiencing gains, especially in the present. When an option or outcome is framed in terms of its associated gains it becomes more appealing - and people rarely stop to consider associated losses
Increase present gains
Gains that occur in the present are more pleasurable than gains that occur in the future. The further into the future gains occur, the more people discount their value, and the less pleasurable they seem
Break large gains into multiple smaller gains
Experiencing separate smaller gains is often more pleasurable that experiencing them simultaneously as one large gain
Use surprise to increase the pleasure of gains
People experience more pleasure from surprise gains than they do from expected gains
Emphasise losses to discourage a behaviour
People dislike experiencing losses, especially in the present. When an option or outcome is framed in terms of its associated losses it becomes less appealing - and people rarely stop to consider associated gains
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Reduce or delay present losses
People go to great lengths to avoid losses. However, the further into the future a loss occurs, the more people tend to discount its impact. As a result, future losses often seem less daunting than present losses
Combine small losses into one larger loss
Losses that are experienced together, as one large loss, are less painful than smaller losses that are experienced separately
Keep it Simple
Reduce uncertainty associated with the desired outcome
People tend to avoid options that have ambiguous or uncertain outcomes, preferring instead options that are clear and certain
Don't overwhelm the user
When facing an overwhelming amount of information, people may shut down and stop paying attention. In the face of extremely scary information, people may engage in unhealthy self-soothing behaviours
Minimise decisions to reduce decision fatigue
Making many decisions in a row can lower a person's willpower and cause them to subsequently make more "irrational" decisions
Set up the options
Call attention to the desired option
People are more likely to select the option that they pay most attention to. The longer a person looks at a visual representation of an option, the more likely they are to choose it
Make the default option the desired outcome
People are more likely to go with a default option when one is present, since it doesn't require any extra effort or action on their part
Make the desired outcome a mid-range option
People tend to avoid extreme options (eg the cheapest or most expensive, smallest or largest). They're more likely to choose an option that feels like a compromise between extremes