Different people come to the app for different reasons, searching for different information about how it relates to their struggles and goals. Ideally, they should be able to figure out quite quickly that The user has a high expectancy of success in using your softwareThe user has a high expectancy of success in using your software
The user believes that they are capable of performing actions within the app
The user believes that their actions in the app lead to goal achievement
The user believes that the app will help them achieve a goal that they actually have
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One of the products that I work with, GuidedTrack, is flexible in allowing for multiple different use cases. Some people come in wanting to build a prototype for an app, while others start with wanting to run an advanced online experiment. People start using it with different prior goals, and early into the experience, we are trying to express to both groups clearly that the app is instrumental to goal achievement. As a result, The user believes that their actions in the app lead to goal achievementThe user believes that their actions in the app lead to goal achievement
If people are going to do something effortful, they want to know that their effort is going towards their goal.
In the app, this can be communicated through Progress monitoring and feedback systems that show how the app is instrumental to goal achievement. It can also be communicated through other UX that shows the user concrete pathways to goal achievement. This is what allows you to Speak to the user with a shared vocabulary
Many “aha moments” can be encapsulated through this principle.
because we Speak to the user with a shared vocabularySpeak to the user with a shared vocabulary
New users do not yet have the vocabulary to understand the app. They understand the product through the lens of their own goals and what's familiar to them. The company will generally have its own goals, like increasing the frequency of engagement. However, we can't just tell people to use the app every day. The user needs to have a reason to do so, articulated in terms of the user's own goals.
When working with clients, I often Use a badging system as a method of actionable user research to....
Lens of Prior Goals:
- Why are people coming to my app?
- How much variability is there in initial user goals?
- Is your app equipped to handle user goals effectively? Which ones?