Persuasion DesignA Framework for Behavior Management & Conversion Rate Optimization

Sverre Bech-Sjøthun

«Everybody knows»That a website ought to meet

user & business goals

«Everybody knows»That better usability =

Higher goal achievement

The percentage of visitors performing a valuable action is your conversion rate

90%

3% 7%

Definitely yes

Definitely maybe

Definitely NO

Sales

Potential

There’s much morethan just usability that’s crucial

for success…

Online

Revenue = • Visitors are mainly influenced by marketing, PR and customer loyalty

• Conversion rate and Average sale is mainly influenced by: Motivation to do desired action Ability to do the desired action Trigger to do the desired action

Visitors X Conversion Rate X Average sale

Persuasion DesignA Framework for Behavior Management & Conversion Rate Optimization

By: Sverre Bech-Sjøthun

A step-by-Step guide

Full blog post on: http://visualwebsiteoptimizer.com/split-testing-blog/conversion-rate-optimization-framework/

The challenge with standard split testing…

A

B

Winner

All website users:

Split testing problem:

One size fits all?

Persuasion is like cooking a curry

Same ingredients, very different dose.(I like my curries so hot I get a nose bleed…)

The average psychological profile

Every single user is slightly different:

Segmentation is key to success

First

IdentifyTarget Behavior• User objectives

• Business objectives

• Macro conversions

• Micro conversions

Then

AnalyzeUser Behavior

QualitativeHow they think

QuantitativeWhat they do

• Surveys

• Personas

• User testing

• Etc.

• Verify / tag data

• Web analytics

• Data mining

• Etc.

Use the

Behaviormodel

UX,

Ability &Self Efficacy

• Great UX make the system easy to use, thus increasing your ability to perform the task

• Great UX also make the system seem easy to use.

• When something seems easy to do, it increases your self-efficacy

• Self-efficacy is your belief in your ability to succeed (in performing the task).

• The more you believe in your ability, the higher motivation to complete the task.

Feeling (de)motivated yet?

Try it for real on:http://www.drelvt.min-edu.pt/ccorrente/entnomespublico.asp

…or better yet:http://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/25059665/CustomerForm.html

Use the

Behaviormodel

Identify

Test Candidates

Perform

Monetization ModelingPut a price on each page

Identify

Test FinalistsMost valuable pages

Form and write down yourhypothesis

Form

Hypothesis

• Test name• Test number: X - Date: X july, 201X• Hypothesis• Psycological trigger:• Solution:• Result:• What we learned/further tweaking:

Form

Hypothesis

Create

Tests

Persuasion psychology

Improve UX

and/or

3… 2… 1…

Launch Test!

Identify

WinningCombinations

Concept by Sverre Bech-Sjøthun

Design by Remi Evjenth Løvik

Fundamentalto persuasion psychology is the

following:

The

Habit loop

- Charles Duhigg

Cognitive Ease

The interplay between UX and Persuasion Psychology

The two

«Systems »

• System 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of voluntary control. “The emotional brain”

• System 2 allocates attention to complex computations. The operations of System 2 are often associated with the subjective experience of agency, choice and concentration. “The rational brain”

- Daniel Kahneman

Great UX:

When you are in a state of cognitive ease, you are probably in a good mood, you like what you see, believe what you hear, trust your intuitions and feel that the situation is comfortably familiar.

Poor UX:

When you feel strained, you are more likely to be vigilant and suspicious: you invest more effort in what you are doing, feel less comfortable, and make fewer errors, but you also are less intuitive and less creative than usual.

Great UX = Cognitive Ease

…and allows your lazy System 2 to chill, leaving the decision making to System 1

System 1detected

How we make our

Decicions

• We all see ourselves as rational beings• But we use our emotions to make the decision• Then justify with logic:

Emotional

• This is called rationalization• Reach the heart first, before fact are presented• Persuade the customers to make an emotional decision, and they will

automatically rationalize, thus cementing the decision. The sale is yours.

Rational

Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Persuasion

Reciprocity

• If you give me something, and I owe you• Do me a favor, and I owe you• “Free” sample or “Free” trial

• We are obligated to give• We are obligated to receive• We are obligated to reciprocate

Commitment/Consistency

• Reliability is a highly valued personal trait in society• Say “A” and you must say “B”• If you agree to something, then you are obliged to keep your promise• Ask for a small favor first – it’ll be easier to ask for more later

• Multiple step conversion process – like a whishlist• Contest: “Why do you LOVE [yourcompany]?” via Facebook Comment

• Written down + made public = commitment.• Bonus: glowing testimonials that you can use as social proof

• Net Promoter Score:

“On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend us to a friend or

colleague?”• Gives you a customer loyalty score – but people answering 8-10 are

obliged to act accordingly…

Scarcity

• Only 3 left• Time limited offer• Only 8 items per customer• Exclusive/confidential/secret information• Deprivation of liberty, limited options

• Concorde discontinued in 2003 – ticket sales boomed• Sætre’s “Alphabet bisquits” drawn in 2001 due to low sales, relaunched

in 2007 due to petitions and massive demand

Scarcity

Scarcity/exclusive information

Instant gratification

The power of FREE [link]

Bonus:

Scarcity(depreivation of liberty)

Bonus:

Scarcity(depreivation of liberty)

A/B test:Change header & CTA

140% increase

Bonus:

Scarcity(depreivation of liberty)

A/B test:400% increase

Vs.

Winner!

Authority

Authority

Trust me – I’m a photo of a guy with a lab coat…

Liking• Visually or other ways attractive, sympathetic or pleasing.• It’s hard to say no to a friend

• Send to a friend – “gift card to yourself and your friends”• Compliments• We are like you, we understand you – behavior mirroring• “Good cop – Bad cop”-routine

Social proof

• When lots of people are doing it, it must be the right thing to do• Acting like sheep

• Social proof is particularly effective when you are uncertain• New brands may see a dramatic effect from social proof

• What does others say about you? Prove it!• Testimonials• Endorsements• Expert opinions• Diplomas, awards and nominations• Security Certificates

Social proof VS.

Social proof& scarcity

Full on scarcity

Social proofSocial proof of the scarcity

Social proof

Ratings and testimonials builds trust.But in the absence of risk, trust is

redundant.

(trust-building elements could even introduce a sense of risk, and produce the opposite effect.)

Social proof

Bonus:

TimePerspective

Bonus:

Contrast

Bonus:

Contrast

Bonus:

Contrast VS.

The Contrast Principle works on all 5 senses, as

well as cognitively.

Want to sell the 10 000,- bike?

Show them the 45 000,- bike first…

Bonus:

Contrast

Bonus:

Decoy effect

Bonus:

Decoy effect

Nothing is cheap or expensive by itself,But compared to something.

(As such, anchoring the inexpensive first will have the opposite effect.)

We’re allPredictably Irrational…

A little bit of

Litterature

Social psychology:1. Robert Cialdini: "Influence - Science and practice" 5th edition, 20082. Nir Eyal: “Hooked – How to build habit-forming products”3. Philip Zimbardo: “The Time Paradox” 4. Carol Tavris, Elliot Aronson: “Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)”5. David J. Linden: “The Compass of Pleasure”  6. David DiSalvo: “What Makes Your Brain Happy and Why You Should Do the Opposite” 7. Elliot Aronson: “The Social Animal”8. Charles Duhigg: “The Power of Habit – why we do what we do in life and business”9. Daniel Kahneman: ”Thinking, Fast and Slow”10.Dan Ariely: “Predictably Irrational”

UX:11. Gerry McGovern: “The strangers long neck”12.Steve Krug: “Rocket surgery made easy” 

Web analytics:13.Avinash Kaushik, Web analytics 2.014.Brian Clifton:  “Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics”