UPA Arizona Presentation: Designing web content to engage customers and increase conversion

The science of persuasive design Designing web content to engage customers and increase conversion Kath Straub Usability.org Arizona

Many others contributed to and cajoled toward this thinking .... Mona Patel Eric Schaﬀer Diana Nelson David Mahaﬀey Spencer Gerrol ... and a large cast of many others at various talks, conferences, meeDngs and in various pubs including (if Dean wasn’t kidding) later tonight

About me. 2 facts. I got married in Vegas (but not by Elvis.) I’m really quite shy.

Consumer information ecosystem circa 2000 Friends Domain and Family Professionals (Bricks and mortar) Media Internet

Website credibility circa 2000 Credibility Killers Quick response to quesDons Slow download Physical address Has ads Contact informaDon Typos Recently updated Broken links Professionally designed . Arrangement makes sense . . Hard to navigate . Has popup ads . No updates Has ads that match the topic . Requires you to register Hard to tell ads from content Credibility Enhancers Fogg, et. al., 2000

Website credibility circa 2000 Credibility Killers Technology Focus Credibility Enhancers

Early evolution of information consumers Quick response to quesDons Design look Physical address InformaDon structure Contact informaDon . Recently updated . Professionally designed Usefulness of informaDon Arrangement makes sense . . FuncDonality . Customer Service . IdenDty of sponsor Has ads that match the topic . Requires you to register Readability AﬃliaDons 2002 2004 Fogg, et. al., 2003 Credibility Enhancers

Early evolution of information consumers Quick response to quesDons Design look Physical address InformaDon structure Contact informaDon . Recently updated . Usability Focus Professionally designed Arrangement makes sense Usefullness of informaDon . . FuncDonality . Customer Service . IdenDty of sponsor Has ads that match the topic . Requires you to register Readability AﬁlliaDons 2002 2004 Credibility Enhancers

Consumers use different cues than professionals (2003) Name/AﬃliaDon Design look InformaDon source InformaDon focus Business moDve InformaDon design InformaDon focus AdverDsing AdverDsing 3 Company moDve Design look 1 ReputaDon/AﬃliaDon InformaDon bias InformaDon bias InformaDon design InformaDon accuracy WriDng tone WriDng tone InformaDon Accuracy 2 InformaDon source Professionals Non-‐professionals Fogg, et. al., 2003 Credibility Enhancers

Consumers cues converge toward professional’s (2007) Name/AﬃliaDon Site reputaDon InformaDon source Source reputaDon Business moDve Content quality InformaDon focus Content accuracy AdverDsing Content usefulness Design look InformaDon bias InformaDon design WriDng tone InformaDon Accuracy Professionals Non-‐professionals Crawford & Straub, (2008) Credibility Enhancers

Consumers cues converge toward professional’s (2007) Content Focus Crawford & Straub, (2008) Credibility Enhancers

1. Consumers have become more sophisDcated 2. Design is now about CONTENT

Consumer information ecosystem circa 2009 Friends Domain and Family Professionals (Bricks and mortar) Media Internet consumer information ecosystem

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The internet is your ﬁrst (and possibly last) chance to engage a new customer...

Modiﬁed belief or behavior === Website === Exis*ng Motivation belief or behavior

How good is your pickup line? engage

Modiﬁed belief or behavior Commitment barrier Commitment barrier Commitment Commitment barrier barrier Commitment barrier Commitment barrier === Website === Exis*ng Motivation belief or behavior

How good is your small talk? persuade

EMPATHY

Modiﬁed belief or behavior Commitment barrier Commitment barrier Commitment Commitment barrier barrier Commitment barrier Commitment barrier === Website === Exis*ng Motivation Increase belief or behavior MoDvaDon

To make content persuasive.... Modiﬁed belief or behavior Commitment barrier Reduce/remove Commitment Commitment barrier Commitment barriers barrier barrier Commitment barrier Reducing/removing Commitment barrier barriers is another. === Website === Exis*ng Increase Motivation belief or behavior MoDvaDon

How good is your ability to respond to my pain empatheDcally? convert

Persuasive content design is a 2 step process 1. Learn your user’s moDvaDons and barriers to commitment 2. Apply social psych principles of inﬂuence to amplify moDvaDons and reduce/remove barriers

Good grief, what does empatheDc content look like?

Trust markers • Health informa6on consumer today use the trust/credibility markers that health experts used in 2002. • SItes are more credible if the ﬁrst conﬁrm something that the informa6on seeker already knows. • Content quality and characteris6cs are increasingly important for in6al Content trust and driving repeat visits. Self-‐reported behaviors • Health informa6on consumers are looking for convenient, comprehensive that can be perused privately. • They read more than they interact. Credibility & Trust

Credibility & trust for consumer seekers 2000 Technology 2002 Usability 2008 Content Technology mediated conversation & Social networking Content level usability Computer-mediated empathy

Ideal diagnostician (and salesman) behaviors Confident, Positive Empathetic Attentive (Humane) Comprehensive Plain English (Forthright) Collaborative (Respectful) Conscientious (Thorough) Bendapudi,, et al, 2006

Modiﬁed belief or behavior Exis*ng belief or behavior

PERSUASIVE DESIGN INTERVIEWS 1. Are about topics not tasks 2. Are (guided) free form 3. Take longer 4. Typically require some laddering* You .... • listen for moDvaDons and barriers to commitment • watch for body language / ﬁdgeDng that indicates emoDonal change *Having some therapeuDc training helps

Usability tesDng wants this level of descripDon What I am doing Most people are comfortable here How is it working What I am feeling EmpatheDc content interviews need to tap into this

Ask 3 Dmes I want to lose some weight I want to loose some weight so I can coach my daughters soccer team.... Afraid of Genetics I want to loose weight because my father died of a heart adack at 45.

PERSUASIVE CONTENT DESIGN Ψ applies the social psychology of inﬂuence to amplify moDvaDons and reduce/remove barriers

Inﬂuence v. Decision Architecture Ψ

Stages of Inﬂuence !""#$% &'(#)*+,-% .*-//)*-% Allow – make it available Encourage – architect the decision space (to favor the organization) Pressure – Engage emotions or reﬂexes to tip the decision (Ethics!)

allow-‐ provide a consistent story

encourage -‐ tap into loss aversion

!"#$%&'()* Heuristics (Loss Aversion) Social Proof (People like me) ?Extrinsic Reward 41

pressure -‐ trigger automaDc responses @ the psychology level

Ψ INFLUENCE !""#$% &'(#)*+,-% .*-//)*-% Reciprocity “Feel Good” Social Proof (People like me) ?Extrinsic Reward Social Learning Heuristics (Loss Aversion) Dissonance (Ini6a6on) ?Extrinsic Reward Conformity Compliance

Measuring Persuasion

QuesDons?

Kath Straub kath@usability.org kas kstraub kstraub researchdrivebys.usability.org

UPA Arizona Presentation: Designing web content to engage customers and increase conversion

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