Implementing Principles from Behavioural Economics for Enhanced User Experience Design
In the realm of user experience (UX) design, understanding human behaviour is becoming increasingly crucial. A field known as behavioural economics is shedding light on how to predict and utilise human irrationality to create more intuitive and effective user experiences.
One of the key findings in behavioural economics is the concept of decision paralysis. When presented with an overwhelming number of choices, individuals tend to struggle to make a decision, a phenomenon that can be detrimental in UX design. By presenting fewer choices, designers can coax users into making decisions and purchases more easily.
Another interesting discovery is attribute priming. Mentioning a product attribute before a purchasing decision can potentially influence the customer's choice without the need for a hard sell. For instance, in an experiment involving 24 and 6 varieties of jam, people bought ten times more jam from the table with 6 options. Similarly, in the context of UX design, highlighting key product attributes can guide users towards making informed decisions more quickly.
The power of free is another technique that can be used to drive commitment in decision making. Many businesses offer "buy 1 get 1 free" deals instead of "buy 2 and get 50% off" because people love free stuff. This strategy can be a powerful tool in UX design, encouraging users to engage with a product or service.
Behavioural economics also challenges the assumption of rational behaviour in early economic theory. Human beings can only handle around 7 pieces of information at any one time, and our decisions are often influenced by cognitive biases such as anchoring, loss aversion, and framing. By understanding these biases, designers can create nudges that improve user decision-making, reduce cognitive load, and enhance overall experience without manipulating users.
Leveraging choice architecture—how options are presented, default settings, ordering, and language—strongly influences decisions. Aligning designs with users’ mental models (their expectations and beliefs about how a system should work) increases intuitiveness, reduces frustration, and improves navigation and feedback responsiveness. Consistency and clear feedback in design help users form reliable mental models, lowering learning curves and boosting confidence.
Incorporating behavioural principles fosters user-centered customer journeys where decisions feel easier and more natural, improving both UX and business goals. Behavioural economics guides UX designers to create environments that facilitate better, faster decisions by users, enhancing usability, satisfaction, and business outcomes simultaneously.
In summary, behavioural economics offers a wealth of insights for UX designers. By understanding and utilising cognitive biases, choice architecture, and mental models, designers can create more intuitive and effective user experiences that improve decision-making, reduce cognitive load, and enhance overall user satisfaction.
[1] Source: Duke University's Behavioural Economics Lab [2] Source: Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab [5] Source: Harvard Business Review, "How Behavioral Economics Can Improve UX Design" by BJ Fogg
- In UX design, recognizing the influence of cognitive biases on decision-making can lead to the creation of more intuitive interfaces, as outlined in the Harvard Business Review article by BJ Fogg.
- Leveraging insights from behavioral economics, such as attribute priming and the use of the "power of free", can help designers create more effective solutions in UI design, thus enhancing user decision-making and satisfaction.
- By understanding the concepts of choice architecture and mental models from both Duke University's Behavioural Economics Lab and Stanford's Virtual Human Interaction Lab, UX designers can improve the lifestyle, education-and-self-development, and entertainment elements of their designs, providing users with a seamless technological experience.
