The Triune Brain Model as discussed in my previous post consists of 3 layers of brain structure, the reptilian, the mammalian, and the rational brain. The characteristics of each of these parts could be utilized in designing or marketing a product or a service.
Engaging the Reptilian Brain
The reptilian brain is the primitive brain structure and grabbing its attention with your landing page or advertisement, there is a better chance of a conversion.
Some of the techniques to capture its attention are:
- Appealing to its self-centered nature
The primitive brain is always thinking about itself, so when we directly address them they tend to focus on the subject for a brief period of time. For example, have you experienced the time when you are about to waste some food and your mother said “ poor children don’t get food and you are wasting food which is available to you”. This statement hits you hard and on further nudging, you end up eating the food.
2. Tapping into the audience pain points
“I conceive that pleasures are to be avoided if greater pains be the consequence, and pains be coveted that will terminate in greater pleasure” — Michel De Montaigne
This quote explains how our brain more than gaining pleasure wants to escape the pain. As designers and problem solvers, we can work on understanding the pain points of our audience and try to remove them. The best example is Uber and ola services that understood the difficulty people faced in booking cabs and the waiting period and came up with a quicker, easier way to make our lives easy.
3. Using Contrast
Two contrasting visuals or thoughts is one of the easiest ways of getting the reptilian brains attention. Showing them how an experience can be painful and its exact opposite pleasurable experience on the same screen will make your audience to understand easily and make quick decisions. For example, fairness cream ads showing a person who looks dull and on the usage of their creams become bright and beautiful. This is a typical case of using contrast for getting attention.
4. Focus on the beginning and end
Let me introduce you to the concept of ‘cognitive overload’. Our brains can process a limited amount of information and our brain also looks for ways to reduce effort. Therefore, the maximum attention is given only to the beginning and end of a commercial.
Design your content in such a way that the important information is provided at the beginning and it is re-emphasized again at the end. This way the reptilian brains grabs the information that you want it to remember.
5. Use more Visuals
Visuals speak directly to the reptilian brain. On-point and catchy visuals that can convey information that is easily understandable. This leads to quicker decision-making and grabs attention.
These are some of the many ways designers and problem solvers can use to engage the reptilian brain. Understanding how the brain works is important to make good design decisions and market the solution effectively to the audience.
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