People can always choose to use the product, use an alternative, or use nothing at all. In fact, not using your product is their default state of being, and you’re trying to get them to do something different and effortful in using your product. Adoption requires a baseline of user involvement in order to overcome inertiaAdoption requires a baseline of user involvement in order to overcome inertia
Products are fundamentally voluntary and your product takes effort to use. Speak to the user with a shared vocabulary so they are able to understand why you are worthwhile.
Remember, you’re competing against doing nothing and against pre-existing habits. Pre-existing habits are overcome through deliberate behavior, positive motivation, and reduced switching costs.
Designing for User Involvement is a reliable way to increase the likelihood of initial adoption. Design the user’s initial exper....
It’s easier to facilitate people doing something that they want to do than it is to convince them to do something they don’t want to do. It’s easier to enhance their desire for something they already wanted than to instill a new desire. It's easier to meet people where they are than it is to ask them to do something that is too challenging. This is why it's crucial to design for Goal ResonanceGoal Resonance
When an app is goal resonant, it takes the users actions (the inputs) and amplifies/transforms them into goal achievement (the outputs). Apps that are goal resonant enable the user to bridge the Intention-Behavior Gap. It is important to Speak to the user with a shared vocabulary so they know that the app is goal resonant.
Persuading people to do behaviors that are out of alignment with their goals and values is an uphill battle. Since Products are fundamentally voluntary, the only way you'r... and Difficulty MatchingDifficulty Matching
The emotional experience of Flow
A flow state is often characterized as optimal human experience. It’s an experience where you are fully focused and energized in what you’re doing, often experiencing a high level of creativity and losing track of time.
The general emotional experience that is being described here is that when a task is too challenging for a user’s current level of ability, they’ll get frustrated and give up. Alternatively, when the task is far too easy, they are likely t.... We need to Intentionally design for failure statesIntentionally design for failure states
A failure state is when users fail to reach their goal in some way. In goal striving, it is inevitable that the user will experience failure states, because a goal is by definition a discrepancy between your desired state of reality and your present state. If we didn't have failure states, the Intention-Behavior Gap There tends to be a gap between what people intend to do and what they actually do, Sheeran & Webb 2016::rmn would be a non-issue (rather than one of the hardest problems in t... because if user involvement is voluntary, then we want people to try again when they fail rather than get discouraged and switch to alternate behaviors.
This points towards the necessity of using Behavioral Product StrategyBehavioral Product Strategy
The way a product is designed shapes the way that people use it. Every app is designed for behavior change, intentionally or unintentionally, so the questions that drive behavioral product strategy must be addressed. User Involvement is a set of metrics whose success is defined by the combination of user behaviors that contribute towards creating a desirable outcome. Behavioral product strategy is making product decisions to influence user behavior and improve user involvement.
It doesn't ma....
It’s not enough for products to be usable, finding the person’s positive motivation to use an app is crucial. As I explain in Habits are the wrong thing to focus on for most behaviorally designed applicationsHabits are the wrong thing to focus on for most behaviorally designed applications
Many people read Hooked and think to themselves, “Aha! I have discovered the key to making great products! People just need to use it all of the time and respond instantly to our whistle!”
Products are fundamentally voluntary and habits take a while to form. People need to make a decision to use your app, whereas Nonusage is rarely a conscious decision. We’re not trying to create habits - instead, we’re trying to overcome prior habits.
Additionally, the behaviors that make up User Involveme..., deliberate action is required at all stages. People need to willingly exert effort to use an app well. Ethical Behavioral Product StrategyBehavioral Product Strategy
The way a product is designed shapes the way that people use it. Every app is designed for behavior change, intentionally or unintentionally, so the questions that drive behavioral product strategy must be addressed. User Involvement is a set of metrics whose success is defined by the combination of user behaviors that contribute towards creating a desirable outcome. Behavioral product strategy is making product decisions to influence user behavior and improve user involvement.
It doesn't ma... asks what behaviors are necessary for user success according to the user's own definition of success, and how the company can sustainably increase the likelihood of those behaviors.
Addendum:
Like many of the claims on this website, it may be best to Think of this claim as a parameter rather than a claim of universal truthThink of this claim as a parameter rather than a claim of universal truth
On this website, I phrase my beliefs in strong terms. This is just because I've found it to be helpful for rearranging ideas to pick out the affirmative statements that feel true or relevant for a given context. I ignore the rest.
Not every claim is going to be true in all situations. This is a feature, not a bug. It means that I can filter my attention down to a smaller set of parameters.
I do this because I use my notes to support the process of diagnosing situations and generating ideas..... For example, Cody Morrow of Minerva School described his own online product for teachers and students. The teachers and institutions are the ones who purchase their software. Students of Minerva School are end users that don't have a choice over whether they use it or not. Sometimes teachers in institutions that made the purchasing decision simply have to use it.
So how would you design for people who use a product simply because higher up decision makers said it should be so? I'm still thinking through this. However, I will say that if end users are unsatisfied, even if they don't have direct decision making powers, they might still make a stink. There might just be a longer timescale to switch to something new than in the B2C space I primarily work in where the user has viable if sub-optimal alternatives.