{"id":287,"date":"2018-11-12T21:36:31","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T21:36:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/?p=287"},"modified":"2021-04-29T07:12:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-29T07:12:55","slug":"10-tricks-of-behavioral-economics-to-improve-ux-writing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uxwritinghub.com\/10-tricks-of-behavioral-economics-to-improve-ux-writing\/","title":{"rendered":"10 tricks of Behavioral Economics to improve UX Writing."},"content":{"rendered":"

As UX Writers, we work to communicate the best of our product or service to our users through words. We need it to be effective. Not only creative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amos Tversky<\/b> and <\/span>Daniel Kahneman<\/b> worked together to develop the Prospect Theory. All this research gave rise to Behavioral Economics. They were two representative members of this movement. But it was <\/span>Kahneman<\/b> and <\/span>Richard Thaler<\/b> who got the Nobel Prize for economics being psychologists. <\/span><\/p>\n

Today I will present to you <\/span>a few ways for Behavioral Economics to benefit your UX\/UI Writing.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Font: smbc-comics.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How do humans think? <\/b><\/h2>\n

Our brain is busy 24\/7 with making complex and simple decisions. For example: currently, you are making the decision to continue to read this article, right? BAM!<\/span><\/p>\n

Before that, you have decided to click on this article. BAM!<\/span><\/p>\n

Decision are made all day. So, we receive content all day too. And our brain processes this information activating one of the <\/span>two decision-making platforms. <\/b><\/p>\n

\u2192 System of rewards.<\/b><\/h3>\n

This section of the brain is the part that is more receptive to seeing potential gains. We can name two variants: <\/span>Chance of success<\/b> and <\/span>Amount of the benefit. <\/b>It\u2019s related with the <\/span>System 1<\/b> of the <\/span>\u201cThinking, Fast and Slow\u201d<\/span><\/i> book of Kahneman. Because these kind of decisions are made automatically, quickly, emotionally, stereotypically.  <\/span><\/p>\n

\u2192 System of aversion to loss.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Humans have a common behavior. We perceive much more the fear of loss than we do the pleasure of gain. Why? We act from emotion instead of reason at all times of our financial decisions. On the other hand, it\u2019s related <\/span>with the <\/span>System 2<\/b> of the same book of Kahneman. Because these kind of decisions are calculated slowly and rationally.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This leads us to the <\/span>EAST methodology<\/b>, designed by the <\/span>BIT<\/b> (Behavioral Insight Team) to try to establish guidelines that regulate the execution of content adapted to the behavior of humans at the time of making decisions \u2013 specifically financial ones. It is based on four pillars to make the content more powerful: easy, attractive, social, timely.<\/span><\/p>\n

10 Behavioral Economics strategic techniques UX Writers use every day.<\/b><\/h2>\n

As UX Writers, we should never stay in a purely technical work process. That is just a part of our work. Look beyond. Put your head in strategic processes where we can add value by identifying how our users think. The methodologies that I show next aren’t incompatible with each other. Help us to understand better our users and adapt our content based on that.  <\/span><\/p>\n

1 \u2014 Profit growth system.<\/b><\/h3>\n

When we try to provide a positive value for the user, we usually tell them all that we have to offer at the beginning. Yet, this way of acting promotes an immediate behavior, that is, a shorter relationship of the user with us. Because once we have given that initial prize to the user, they will go away. And most likely forget us. Perhaps, show that benefit as something<\/span> progressive<\/b> can be a better practice to make the relationship with our users more lasting. Adding little by little to the reward that the user gets from us.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Fintonic app.<\/strong> We offer the user that he will have more money this year, and next year, he will have the money for this year and for the next year. And so on. Let\u2019s add the amounts because it is a constant annual saving. Thus we achieve progression.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2 \u2014 Generation of patterns.<\/b><\/h3>\n

Humans are prepared to try to guess what is going to happen. The fact is that if I say: 1, 2, 3, 4… you\u2019ll probably think that what comes next is 5 \u2013 quite logically. Or, if I were to say: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday… surely you\u2019ll think that the following is Friday (even more so with the desire we all share to reach Friday, right?). Patterns can help us to build relevant content that impacts users differently.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
WhatsApp app.<\/strong> When you want to create a group in WhatsApp and you must select an image for the group icon with this name: Spotify, you may not have the icon in your gallery and you can not take a photo at this time. It is best to look for the icon on the internet. Here, WhatsApp has been able to identify what our needs will be when we are in this situation. These words are perfect for this UX Writing case: Search Web.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3 \u2014 Intuitive processes vs Intuition.<\/b><\/h3>\n

The basis of the user experience is to make processes much more intuitive. Nobody is going to deny that. But intuition is something different to the intuitive process. Intuition is the ability to know, understand or perceive something clearly and immediately. Without the intervention of reason. For example: if I give you four candies to be eaten every half hour, how many hours does it take you to eat the four? __________ Already? Are you sure? The answer is 1 hour and a half, because you eat the first candy right at the moment I give it to you. And the next one at 30 minutes. The intuition is emotional. In short, the processes for the user have to be intuitive. But our way of thinking conceptually doesn’t have to take too much intuition. <\/span>The intuitive processes are the technical part and the intuition the conceptual part.<\/b><\/p>\n

\"\"
Uber app.<\/strong> Only two expressions for taking a car \u2192 Where to? \/\/ Confirm UBERX.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

4 \u2014 NEST approach<\/b>.<\/span><\/h3>\n

This approach comes from the system of pension plans in the United Kingdom. They discovered something that everyone knows: humans are lazy. And this affects our behavior. So, they thought that the pension plans couldn’t continue to be something passive. Because they couldn’t wait for people to join the pension plan of their own accord. So, they did it in reverse. The companies would dedicate a part of the payroll of each worker to a pension plan for that worker. And the reasoning is simple. Since we are lazy, if we have to do it ourselves, we do not do it. And if we have to take it away (as in the United Kingdom) we will not take it off either.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"
Left \u2192 Tink financial services app.<\/strong> The notifications system is activated by default \/\/ Right \u2192 Nike Run Club app.<\/strong> The text of the title is written by default.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

5 \u2014 Mirror neurons.<\/b><\/h3>\n

One way of motivating many users to do something is to tell them how many other users have already done it. And if we have the option of knowing the typology of these users, even better. For example: users who live in their region, who are the same age as them, or who have bought in the same establishment as them, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"
Fintonic app.<\/strong> There is a comparison of your income with people of the same age range who live in the same region as you.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

6 \u2014 The other side of the coin.<\/b><\/h3>\n

When we are facing a project, we take more time than usual to analyze the needs that it requires. For example, there are two ways we can communicate a monthly expense report via email:<\/span><\/p>\n