What do designers go to to get us to spend money and keep promises

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

When it comes to numbers, we are not as rational as we think we are. Aaron Otani, UX Designer at Opower, discusses why a designer needs to understand the mechanisms of human decision-making and reveals the tricks designers go to to get our attention to numbers.

For a long time, economic theory has been based on the assumption that people think logically, dispassionately and make decisions guided by their own interests. However, in the past few years, the influence of behavioral economics has grown, and its proponents have found this to be a mistake. In reality, humans are complex creatures who often rely on emotion and intuition to make decisions, even if sometimes such decisions are contrary to common sense.

At the company, our designers think a lot about how to combine a convenient and aesthetic user experience with behavioral science to motivate everyone to save energy. We are convinced that understanding the psychology and scientific foundations of how people process information, make decisions and act, allows us to create more effective designs, which, in turn, help us achieve our goals.

How to use behaviorism - the science of behavior - in design? Let's take a look at the numbers. These seemingly objective units of information are in fact easily amenable to subjective interpretation. An understanding of the psychology of numbers will prove useful in designing a wide variety of products, from e-commerce sites to fitness tracker apps or business intelligence software. In general, in cases where numerical information is an integral part of the future product.

Is the glass half full or half empty?

Let's look at a glass filled with juice exactly to the middle. When asked to describe the contents of the glass, you can do it in many different ways. You can say that a glass is half full, half empty, contains 0.2 liters of liquid, 110 calories, 20 grams of sugar, or 200% of the daily value of vitamin C - all of which are exactly the same as the contents of the glass. But our brains react differently to all of these characteristics. This phenomenon, known in psychology as the framing (or framing) effect, explains how the same information, presented with subtle changes, can dramatically change our perception and influence our decisions.

Everything is relative

In 1981, Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman, the founders of behavioral economics, conducted a study that demonstrated how the framing effect has a psychological effect on our choices.

When survey participants were asked if they were willing to drive the extra 20 minutes to get a $ 15 calculator for $ 5 less, nearly 70% said yes. But when asked if they were willing to drive the extra 20 minutes to buy a $ 125 jacket for $ 5 less, only 29% of survey respondents said yes. Why? Saving $ 5 is reasonable in either case, but a 33% discount is perceived as more attractive than a 4% discount, so we are willing to put more effort into it.

Another great example of framing in action can be found in Dan Ariely's book "". In 1990, Williams-Sonoma introduced a bread maker in its stores for the first time. It was priced at $ 275. After not brilliant sales, consultants were invited to the store, who advised them to release an improved model with a price of $ 429.

And sales jumped. Only people started buying not the premium model, but the original one, for $ 275. Why? Without choice, buyers found it difficult to decide if a bread maker was worth the money. But compared to the much more expensive model, the original looked like an attractive option. This effect - the anchor effect - is often deliberately used in the retail industry.

Consider Apple's $ 10,000 Apple Watch Edition. Even if the company does not plan to sell millions of Editions, the very existence of such a product enhances the anchor effect. At this price point, the $ 349 Sport model seems reasonable.

Similar techniques can be applied in other non-pricing situations. At Opower, we're looking for a way to convince people to use less energy at home. Most people don't know much about energy units such as kilowatts or thermae, and the savings in money are often too small to be a real motivator. Therefore, to make our messages clearer and more convincing, we use percentage comparisons.

And another example. Our team developed an interface to help people set energy-saving temperatures in summer and winter. We've added tips, seasonal campaigns, and a thermostat programming app. We have learned to calculate the significant energy savings from these efforts, thereby nudging people to choose more efficient temperature settings.

When small details matter

We are all familiar with the trick that marketers use to make the price appear lower: make the price slightly less than a round number (for example, $ 49.99 instead of $ 50). This method is popular for one simple reason - it works.

Nevertheless, many brands are beginning to move away from using this technique, believing that prices with nines are associated with cheapness at the expense of quality. To increase the attractiveness of prices for their goods and services, they use other psychological techniques.

Research shows that prices with no decimal places and no commas are perceived as more reasonable. For example, it seems that an item being offered for $ 1,000 is worth less than an item with a price recorded as $ 1,000 or $ 1,000.00. Airbnb uses this principle, thereby increasing the attractiveness of its listings, and therefore the number of bookings through the service.

In another study, it was found that removing the dollar symbol ($) from the price reduces the emotional pain of paying, which affects our propensity to spend. This strategy is often used in high-end restaurants and luxury stores. See how the list of prices for The French Laundry wines looks like: they are written without any symbols and categories.

What is the image worth

Our world is flooded with digital systems, sensors and smart devices, but the question remains the same: how can we distinguish something important from the huge amount of data that continues to increase every day?

An expanded table is a convenient option when collecting data or performing calculations. But from a design standpoint, a spreadsheet isn't the most effective way to tell a story or highlight important information.

A recent Cornell University study found that when numerical values are supplemented with graphs and other visualization tools, the information presented is significantly more convincing.

Let's take a look at Fitbit as an example - what the personal account looked like in the app a few years ago and today.

Visualization helps you better represent numerical data for several reasons. Fitbit is redesigned to display user activity data with visual aids that grab our attention and help us focus on key information. In addition, graphs contribute to a more thoughtful perception. Finally, the progress bar takes advantage of the Zeigarnik effect: we remember interrupted actions better than completed ones, and this strengthens our desire to reach the goal (no matter what you want: set a new record in training, sleep on schedule or move during the day) …

From using border effects to detailing prices and visualizing data … These examples show how designers can make numerical information more meaningful, compelling, and actionable.