Persuasive design strategies for better user engagement
As a UX designer, it's your job to understand how users think, feel, and behave. This allows you to design products that meet their needs and expectations. But what happens when users don't behave the way you expect them to? What if your users are exhibiting toxic behaviour, bullying or simply not engaging with your product? In this article, we'll explore some ways to change user behaviours in UX design both in video games and apps.
What is persuasive design?
Persuasive design is a branch of user experience design that aims to influence users to take the desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter. designers use a variety of techniques to achieve this goal, including personalization, social proof, and Gamification.
Why use persuasive design?
There are a number of reasons why you might want to use persuasive design techniques on your website or app. Perhaps you want to increase conversions, or encourage users to return more frequently. Maybe you want to build brand loyalty or create an emotional connection with your users. Whatever the reason, persuasive design can be a powerful tool for achieving your goals.
How can I use persuasive design?
There are many ways to use persuasive design, and the best approach will vary depending on your goals and audience. However, some common techniques include personalization (such as using the user's name), social proof (showing how popular the product is), and Gamification (using game-like elements to encourage engagement).
“What gets rewarded, gets repeated. What gets punished, gets avoided.”
Tracking user behaviour
User behaviour can be mapped over time in a number of ways, but one common method is to use a tracking tool like Google Analytics. By tracking user behaviour data, designers can see how users interact with their site or app and make changes accordingly. Another way to map user behaviour is through user testing. This involves conducting tests with real users to see how they interact with the product. This type of testing can be done using various methods, such as interviews, focus groups, or surveys. Another method is to use heatmaps. Heatmaps show you where users are clicking and scrolling on your page, allowing you to see which areas are getting the most attention. You can also use event tracking to track specific interactions, such as button clicks or form submissions. User behaviour mapping is an important part of UX design as it helps designers understand how users interact with their products.
Methods of changing user behaviours
As a UX designer, you want to encourage certain behaviours that align with your business goals by using various methods to change user behaviours. changing user behaviours isn't always about encouraging positive actions – sometimes it's about discouraging negative actions.
One method of changing user behaviours is through the use of persuasive design techniques. Persuasive design is all about using various design elements to influence users to take the desired action. For example, you might use persuasive design techniques to encourage users to sign up for a newsletter or make a purchase.
Another method of changing user behaviours is through the use of rewards and punishments. This involves using positive reinforcement (rewards) to encourage desired behaviours, and negative reinforcement (punishments) to discourage undesired behaviours. For example, you might give users a discount on their next purchase if they make a purchase within a certain time frame. On the other hand, you might increase the price of an item if it's been added to a user's shopping cart but not purchased within a certain amount of time.
Case Study: Mortal Kombat 11
NetherRealm Studios' Brian Keschinger explains how NetherRealm improved its in-game tutorials to better onboard players, increase player engagement and player skills which moved them from being casual players to more engaged hardcore players.
acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization.
In order to understand what changes you want to see it is important to understand that players typically go through four stages as they play a video game: acquisition, engagement, retention, and monetization. At each stage, players have different needs and motivations. As a UX designer, it's important to understand these needs to keep players engaged throughout the entire player lifecycle.
Who plays video games?
There are four main segments of video game players:
1. The "Core Gamers" are the most dedicated and engaged players who play regularly and spend the most money on games and gaming-related content. They tend to be male, aged 18-34, and prefer action/adventure and first-person shooter genres.
2. "Casual Gamers" play occasionally and mostly for fun. They tend to be female, aged 35+, and prefer puzzle, trivia, and social/casual genres.
3. "Avid Gamers" play frequently and passionately, but don't spend as much money on games as core gamers do. They tend to be male or female, aged 18-34, and prefer role-playing, strategy, and simulation genres.
4. "Hardcore Gamers" are the most intense gamers who play for long hours and are very knowledgeable about the gaming industry. They tend to be male, aged 18-34, and prefer first-person shooter, action/adventure, and role-playing genres.
Case Study: vaexperience
YouTube and designer VAexperience shows us how to use persona grids and positioning to understand and advance customers from one behaviour to another.
Understanding your user Segmentation
It is s important to understand your user segment and where you want users to move to. You can segment in multiple ways – but the main approaches are as follows:
Demographic: age, gender, income, education, social status, family, life stage, occupation
Geographic: country, city, language, climate, area, population, population density
Psychographic: lifestyle, interests, opinions, personality, values, attitudes
Behavioural: purchase, usage, buyer stage, engagement, benefits sought, actions taken, behaviour, e.g. do they prefer to purchase/browse online or in-store?
using persona grid
A persona grid is a great visual way of mapping out user behaviour. It can help you see how different users interact with your product or service, and identify areas where you can make improvements.
persona grids can be used to:
Understand how different users interact with your product or service
Identify user needs and goals
Understand what motivates users
Design experiences that encourage users to take specific actions
Track changes in user behaviour over time
Identify areas where you can make improvements
track the success of specific design changes
Conclusion
As a UX designer, understanding the user segmentation, aphychology game design principles and user motivations and drivers are key shaping user behaviours and enjoinment. By understanding how players progress through different stages of their relationship with a game or app, you can more effectively design for their needs and desires. Thanks for reading!