Easy
Clarity
Remove ambiguity and confusion from information and course to action (e..g, instructions)
Easy
Default Option
Pre-select the most desirable option.
Easy
Reflection Point
Introduce friction points to trigger reflection and eventually confirm the course of action to avoid regrettable outcomes.
Obvious
Gaze Magnet
Leverage humans’ natural tendency of looking at what others look at.
Obvious
Isolation effect
Make one or few items stick out to increase the likelihood they will be noticed and remembered.
Obvious
Top 10 effect
Group things into round-number groups, ending in a 5 or 0 to grab people’s attention and increase the perceived value
Timely
Fresh Start effect
Leverage temporal landmarks that represent new beginnings to encourage takign action.
Timely
Timely prompt
Provide a timely specific and actionable prompt to perform the behavior.
Timely
Timely reminder
Provide a timely, specific and actionable reminder to perform the behaviour.
Attractive
Decoy effect
People tend to have a specific change in preference between two options when also presented with a third option that is inferior in all respects to one option.
Attractive
Gain-frame (highlight benefits)
Frame a message to emphasise the benefits that can be acquired by following the suggested course of action.
Attractive
Halo Effect
The tendency for positive impressions of a person, company, brand or product in one area to positively influence one's opinion or feelings in other areas
Tangible
In-game Currency
Introduce a virtual currency system to facilitate micro-transactions (in-game purchases) or incentivising specific actions.
Tangible
Monetary Rewards
Provide tangible financial incentives to motivate and reinforce desired behaviors (eg., cash prize, bonus, discount).
Tangible
Self-Rewards
Encourage self-reinforcement by prompting and allowing users to reward themselves upon achieving goals.
Social
Competition
Leverage people’s need to win and advance their social standing by enabling a healthy competition.
Social
Shared Goal
Encourage people to jointly move towards a shared goal to foster a sense of belonging.
Social
Social Proof
Reveal what others think, do or say to influence behaviour, especially in situation of uncertainty.
Goal-oriented
Clear Goals
Set a specific, unambiguous and possibly time-bound goals to direct one's attention and effort.
Goal-oriented
Goal Gradient effect (last mile)
Accelerate the behaviour to progress towards a goal or reward by emphasizing (and eventually create anticipation) once one is getting closer to achieving it.
Goal-oriented
Streak
Provide progress feedback when the same action has been performed consecutively for a defined period of time, or until the chain of action is broken.
Intriguing
Hidden/obscured information
Hide or obscure information to create an information gap which can be revealed by taking the desired action.
Intriguing
Novelty
Attract people's attention with information and experiences that are new or perceived to be different, unusual or unfamiliar.
Intriguing
Oracle effect
Provide a mechanism that enable people to try predict an outcome (e.g actions, events or competitions)
Unexpected
Delighter
Provide unexpected micro-moments of surprise (e.g. interaction or animation) to delight users with or without people’s inputs.
Unexpected
Set and violate expectations
Purposefully establish expectations and then intentionally deliver information or outcomes that contradict or exceed those expectations (e.g under-promise and over-deliver to exceed expectations).
Unexpected
World-view disruptor
Challenge and disrupt people's existing understanding of the world by presenting information or outcomes that defy their expectations or preconceived notions
Scarce
Exclusive access
Offer exclusive benefits, privileges, or content to a select group of users, creating a sense of exclusivity and prestige (e.g., invite only program, first-come-first served).
Scarce
Limited quantity
Highlight limited availability of products, services, or features to increase their perceived value and desirability
Scarce
Magnetic cap
Create a limit on the number of times a desirable action can be performed, increasing its desirability, fostering a sense of scarcity, and enticing users to crave more, leading to repeated engagement and return visits.
Empowering
Open-ended tasks
Design tasks and experiences without predetermined outcomes, allowing users freedom to explore, interact, and shape their own journey
Empowering
Placebo button
Introduce a push-button or other control that has only apparent functionality and aims at providing an illusion of control over a system, situation or environment.
Empowering
Self-set goals
Enable people to define and set their own goals according to their abilities and preferences.
Yours
Commitment device
Enable people to limit the choices available in the future (e.g. by introducing obstacles or additional costs).
Yours
Foot-in-the-door
Start with a small request to increase likelihood of compliance with larger requests.
Immersive
Environmental overlay
Immerse users into an alternate real environment with a visual overlay to create a feeling of “being there”.
Immersive
Narrative overlay
Immerse your audience into a fictional narrative to contextualise (boring) activities and connect in an emotionally engaging way.
Immersive
Proteus effect
Enable people to create and customise a virtual identity as an imaginary self-representation (and eventually socialise through it), to influence their real-world behaviours.
Aversive
Emphasise future risks
Emphasise the risks and likelihood of negative outcomes associated with inaction: “do this, or this will likely happen”
Aversive
Positive punishment
Introduce an undesirable stimulus to discourage the behavior.
Aversive
Sunk cost fallacy
Emphasize the investment or resources (time, money, effort) already committed to motivate continued action.
Meaningful
Identifiable victim effect
Focus on one person (the victim) and her/his story, rather than vaguely defined groups to encourage empathy and increase support (e.g., donations)
Meaningful
Noble cause
Implicitly or explicitly align desired behaviors, goals, or achievement with a noble cause or higher purpose, inspiring users to contribute to something greater than themselves.
Meaningful
Storytelling
Provide information and experiences in a structured format that connects events, actions, and outcomes to create meaningful context and enhance users' understanding and engagement.
