Psychology plays a major role in crafting user experiences (UX). This article dives into four key principles: Hick's Law, Progressive Disclosure, and Banner Blindness and Default Bias. By understanding these principles, product managers can create more intuitive and user-friendly experiences.
Real-world examples show these principles in action. Companies like Trello, SoFi and Tinder leverage these concepts to improve user engagement and increase conversions.
Hicks Law
Description
Hick's Law, also known as the Hick-Hyman Law, is a principle in psychology and user experience (UX) design. It basically says that the more choices a person has, the longer it will take them to make a decision.
Application
When onboarding customers through a digital application, consider the number of choices they need to make. If there are many, break them down into smaller, manageable steps with clear breaks between them, such as screen changes. This reduces cognitive load and makes the process feel less overwhelming.
For unavoidable situations with numerous choices, consider adding a search function within the options. This empowers users to narrow down selections based on their specific needs, streamlining the decision-making process.
Example
Trello's onboarding experience excels in simplicity, minimizing cognitive load for new users by minimizing the choices a customer has to make throughout the process. This approach will undoubtedly translate to higher completion rates and reduced churn.
Progressive Disclosure
Description
Progressive disclosure is a user experience (UX) design technique that focuses on revealing information and features gradually to users. Instead of overwhelming them with everything at once, it presents only the essential elements upfront and hides more complex or less frequently used options.
Application
New users arriving at your app deserve a frictionless experience. Avoid overwhelming them with a barrage of options and features. Instead, focus on the 1-2 most crucial aspects for their initial experience. Highlight these key functionalities to empower them to find immediate value. Gradually introduce additional features over time, allowing them to explore at their own pace.
Example
Tinder effectively utilizes progressive disclosure. As users engage with the app, it introduces features that incentivize upgrading, such as revealing who has liked you or boosting your profile visibility. This approach keeps the initial experience streamlined while prompting users to explore premium functionalities over time.
Banner Blindness
Description
Banner blindness refers to a phenomenon in web usability where visitors subconsciously tune out anything that resembles an advertisement. These banner ads are typically displayed on the top or sides of a webpage.
Application
Think outside the box when placing ads. Don't rely on expected placements and formats. Similarly, avoid mimicking ad styles for your calls to action (CTAs). Many companies nudge customers with banner-like CTAs, but these are often ignored due to banner blindness.
In banking applications create a non-ad-looking "insights" section focused on helping users understand their data. This section can subtly integrate both informative, personalized content and relevant ads. By combining valuable insights with ads, you can reduce the impact of banner blindness.
Example
SoFi is a great example, integrating ads within their UI in unconventional ad locations. They place them within the body and they don’t always “feel” like ads. This leads us to read them more frequently.
Default Bias
Description
Default bias, also sometimes called status quo bias, is a cognitive bias that describes our tendency to stick with the option that's already been chosen for us, or the option we've chosen previously, even if it's not necessarily the best choice
Application
In healthcare, offering automatic scheduling for preventative screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies can increase participation. People might choose to opt-out if required, but the default of being scheduled can nudge them towards getting screened.
Example
A successful use of default bias we have seen is through auto-enrollment for retirement savings. automatic enrollment in retirement plan often exceeds 85%, while voluntary enrollment ranges between 40% to 60%.
Credit to: https://growth.design/psychology for providing a detailed list of psychological biases and examples
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