This document discusses strategies for creating desired user behaviors on websites based on motivation, ability, and triggers. It explains that motivation comes from the value proposition presented to users and appealing to core human motivators like sensation, anticipation, and social cohesion. Ability relates to reducing friction in the user interface. Triggers that call users to action include external triggers like notifications as well as powerful internal triggers that appeal to human tendencies like scarcity, social proof, ego rewards, hunter-gatherer instincts, and a sense of mastery. The document provides questions to consider around incorporating these strategies into a user experience across channels.

1. PRESENTED TO
UX Mind Games
The Psychology of Addictive Websites
Steve MacKley, Dir. UX & Design
12/12/2016

2. Creating a Desired User Behavior
B=MAT
Behavior changes
come from:
• Motivation
• Ability
• Triggers
Trigger  SUCCESS 
Trigger  FAIL 
Motivation
Ability
Based on BJ Fogg’s Behavior Model. Founder:
Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford
For more detail; visit behaviormodel.org

3. User Behavior in an Omni-Channel Experience
B=VP.UIF.CTA?
Motivation = Value Prop
Ability = UI Friction
Triggers = CTA
CTA SUCCESS 
CTA  FAIL 
ValueProposition
UI Friction

4. Motivation
value proposition

5. Three core motivators central to the human experience.
Sensation: Pleasure ⟷ Pain
Anticipation: Hope ⟷ Fear
Social Cohesion: Acceptance ⟷ Rejection

6. How are you presenting your
value proposition to tap into
these three core motivations?

7. Action
UI Friction

8. A discussion of ease-of-use in UIs is a lecture
series itself. Suffice to say, always strive to
reduce the friction the user has to endure
within your omni-channel experience.
However: “ease-of-use" is not the end-all. Less than optimal ease-of-use can be
mitigated by a higher motivation. Think Snapchat.

9. Triggers
Calls to Action

10. Type of Triggers
Spark:
Low Motivation, Low Friction
Facilitator:
High Motivation, High Friction
Signal:
High Motivation, Low Friction
CTA SUCCESS 
CTA  FAIL 
ValueProposition
UI Friction
*Spark
*Facilitator *Signal

11. Spark Facilitator Signal

12. InternalExternal

13. External Triggers
A notification or event from an outside
source that prompts a user to take a
specific action.
• Read an e-mail message
• Receive a text message
• Social media posting
• Advertising, SEM
• Lightboxes and Interrupters
External triggers
don’t usually
have a long tail—
they need to be
repeated to
sustain a desired
behavior change
1

14. The Awesome Power
of Internal Triggers

15. What is your Best Cat Picture Ever?

16. CONFIDENTIAL
1
Some Internal Triggers
• Scarcity
• Social Proof
• Ego Rewards
• Hunter-Gatherer
• Sense of Mastery

17. Scarcity

18. Scarcity triggers a innate desire to act. The
less available we perceive something to be,
the more likely we are to give it value.

19. How do you create a sense of scarcity, to
spur your users to engage with your site?

20. Social Proof

21. Music, travel and e-Commerce services offer a
social proof to show that others are engaged with
their sites. Social proof becomes an implicit (and
explicit) testimonial and a powerful call to action.
No one wants to eat in an empty restaurant.

22. How do you encourage and leverage that
I can be part of larger shared experience?

23. Hunter-Gatherer

24. The desire to search and collect is
innate. Self-curated collections let the
user show their ideal selves.

25. What are your users hunting for?
What feeds their desire to collect?
How does your digital experience allow
your users to show their ideal selves?

26. Ego Rewards

27. Strava satisfies the need to show
accomplishment. This incentivizes
individual performance—which
increases the likelihood of repeat use.

28. How does your site increase my sense
of accomplishment (satisfy my ego)?

29. Sense of Mastery

30. Make easy at first, escalating challenged once
engaged. Make them feel that they can level up.

31. Do you make it easy to get involved,
but build a sense of mastery—leveling
up—with further engagements
throughout all channels ?

32. Questions
Steve MacKley
Dir. UX & Design
Beaconfire RedEngine
steve.mackley@beaconfire-red.com