Psychology, Content, Design - SMXL 2017

Editor's Notes

• #7 We will learn how to apply basic principles of psychology to design to help: Facilitate user’s behavior Shape users’ positive attitudes toward your design Incorporate social elements and interactions to influence users Present users with a call to action (trigger) at the right time Persuade users to engage deeper with your content
• #8 Persuasion has a bad reputation - the word itself often evokes thoughts of being swindled or pressured to do something we really don’t want to do. But persuasion isn’t inherently negative - it’s just a process of influence, for better or worse Persuasion is part of every aspect of our lives. Politicians want our vote, businesses want us to buy their products, and people want us to like them.
• #21 Behavioral design is where psychology and technology meet - a systematic way to influence a desired behavior Fogg Behavior Model explains that three elements must come together at the same time for a behavior to occur: motivation, ability and trigger. When a behavior does not occur, at least one of those three elements is missing
• #22 Status * VIP perks that are easily demonstrated to other users. * Points, badges, and leaderboards that serve as status indicators.  Access * Sale previews in advance of other users. * Unlocking access to exclusive content and features. * Being first to know about new updates and features.  Power * Enhanced power to vote on or inform new features. * Moderator status or some other form of control over less engaged users.  Stuff * Freebies. * Monetary rewards
• #26 In order to perform a target behavior, a person must have the ability to do so. That seems obvious, of course. There are two paths to increasing Ability. You can train people, giving them more skills, more ability to do the target behavior. The better path is to make the target behavior easier to do. Simplicity. By focusing on Simplicity of the target behavior you increase Ability.
• #32 The third element of the Fogg Behavior Model is Triggers. Without a Trigger, the target behavior will not happen. Sometimes a Trigger can be external, like an alarm sounding. Other times, the Trigger can come from our daily routine: walking through the kitchen may trigger us to open the fridge
• #37 Pain Avoidance: the psychological fear of losing something or experiencing pain is twice as strong as the potential to gain or improve something Put another way, if someone anticipates that taking action or making a change could disrupt them, they won’t do anything Status Quo People generally prefer Status Quo, even if they say (or their actions suggest) they’re open to new ideas or ways of doing things Reciprocity: people generally feel indebted to those who do something for them without asking for anything in return Simply put, the more you give to your customers, the more they’ll be willing to give back to you. Social Proof and Acceptance: We generally value opinionins and ideas of people like us and we feel greater compulsion to act when we see others like us taking action. Scarcity and FOMO When we fear that something is scarce, we feel compelled to act—buying, stockpiling, or experiencing that thing before it’s gone. This is an incredibly powerful psychological principle that marketers have used for years to drive action. Missing: Liking and Authority
• #38 Whether it’s giving customers an unexpected discount or a free gift, the idea is to go above and beyond without requesting anything in return. Some B2B software companies do this by automatically extending free trials or giving customers exclusive access to new product features. For example, Freshbooks has been known to send an automated free trial extension email to users who haven’t purchased after their initial trials
• #39 Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up,  motivating the reader to become part of that group as well. 
• #40 Status Quo Bias If your company’s products or services require customers to venture out of their comfort zone, explore risk-free mechanisms that allow customers to experience them. Meal box companies like Blue Apron, Plated, and HelloFresh do this by offering free meals to new customers. This tactic is appealing to all new customers, but especially those who are reluctant to try a new dinner routine
• #41 By using limited time offers or showing consumers  what their friends are purchasing, you can create a sense of urgency to buy. Amazon’s Deal of the Day is a perfect example. It hits on both scarcity (only so many deals are available) and FOMO (you only have so much time). 
• #43 Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up,  motivating the reader to become part of that group as well. 
• #44 Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up,  motivating the reader to become part of that group as well. 
• #45 Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up,  motivating the reader to become part of that group as well. 
• #46 Social proof comes in a lot of forms—customer case studies, testimonials, reviews, and social engagement, to name a few. For example, MarketingProfs applies this principle on its new membership page by pointing out that more than 600,000 marketers have signed up,  motivating the reader to become part of that group as well.