BEYOND THE BUILD
Hacking Growth Essentials — Part 6: Cracking User Activation and Engagement
More than acquiring new users is required for sustainable growth. Companies must focus on unlocking user activation — getting customers to experience the core value of the product and become engaged, loyal users. However, many struggle with activation as users fail to reach that critical “aha moment.” The growth hacking methodology provides a data-driven approach to identifying and overcoming activation barriers through user behavior analysis, uncovering pain points, and experimenting with creative solutions. This requires perseverance, understanding user psychology, eliminating friction, and applying strategic positive friction. Tactics like optimizing the new user experience, leveraging triggers, and fostering habit formation can drive activation. However, triggers must be used judiciously to avoid being intrusive. Mastering activation demands relentless experimentation, iteration, and delivering value to users. Those who succeed will have a deeply engaged user base that sees the product as indispensable to their daily lives.
Table of Contents
Unlocking User Activation — An Intro
Discovering the Aha Moment Journey
The Power of Effective Surveys in Unlocking User Insights for Growth Hacking
Persevere — Unlocking Activation Can Be Hard
Unlocking Activation by Eliminating Friction
Optimizing the New User Experience
Applying Positive Friction to Unlock User Activation
The Power of Triggers: How to Boost User Engagement and Habit Formation
Note 1 — The Conversion Equation: Unlocking Growth Through Desire and Frictionless Experiences
Note 2 — Unlocking User Behavior: A Deep Dive into the Fogg Behavior Model
Other reads related to this series on Growth Hacking
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Unlocking User Activation — An Introduction
Improving user activation is a critical piece of the growth hacking puzzle.
User activation is that critical step where new customers experience the true value of a product and become engaged, loyal users.
Unfortunately, this is an area where many companies struggle to engage audiences that have been acquired.
Which is a massive missed opportunity for growth.
But the good news is, that the growth hacking process provides a rigorous, data-driven approach to identifying and tackling the barriers to activation that:
Provides a systematic process to uncover the impediments to your users’ “aha moment” and experiment with creative solutions to overcome them.
Essential Steps for Identifying High-Impact Activation Experiments
There are three essential elements growth teams need to take to find the most impactful activation experiments:
- Analyze User Behavior: Dive deep into your user data to understand exactly where and why users are dropping off before reaching that crucial “aha moment.”
- Identify Pain Points: Uncover the specific impediments and frustrations that are preventing users from fully engaging with your product.
- Ideate Creative Solutions: Brainstorm a diverse range of experiments and hacks that could help remove those barriers and drive more users to that transformative activation point.
The versatility of this approach is that it allows you to tailor your activation efforts specifically to your product and your unique customer base.
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula —
Your experiments should be inspired by the insights you uncover through rigorous analysis.
Best Practices for Increasing Activation
Of course, the growth hacking approach isn’t the only tool in your activation toolkit. There are also several proven best practices that fast-growth companies have used to great effect:
- Optimizing the onboarding experience to quickly guide new users to the core value proposition
- Implementing in-app engagement tactics like gamification, progress tracking, and social features
- Leveraging data-driven triggers and prompts to reengage users at the right moments
The key is to continuously test and refine these activation strategies, always keeping the user experience at the forefront.
The Nuanced Art of Triggers
Speaking of triggers, this is an area that requires particularly careful consideration.
While triggers can be highly effective at driving user re-engagement, they can also quickly become intrusive and alienating if not implemented thoughtfully.
The trick is to strike the right balance …
…using triggers judiciously, with a deep understanding of your users’ preferences and pain points.
Triggers should feel like a helpful nudge, not an annoying distraction.
Discovering the Aha Moment Journey
The aha moment is the holy grail of product development.
It’s the exact point in time when a user’s perception shifts, and they suddenly “get” why your product is a must-have.
And it’s this moment that keeps them coming back, day after day, as loyal and engaged customers.
Mapping the Route to the Aha Moment
The first step is to get crystal clear on the customer journey —
To identify every touchpoint and step that leads users to that aha moment.
For example, for a typical digital wallet app, this journey might include:
- Downloading the app and creating an account
- Adding payment cards and other documents
- Making in-store purchases using contactless payments
- Completing online transactions with a single tap
- Storing and accessing loyalty cards, tickets, and other digital documents
By mapping out this journey, we can start to see where the potential friction points might be — the areas where users could lose interest or become frustrated and drop off before reaching that pivotal aha moment.
Tracking Conversion Rates
Of course, simply mapping the journey isn’t enough.
We need to dig into the data and understand exactly where users are getting stuck.
That’s where a funnel report comes in handy.
A funnel report allows us to calculate the conversion rates for each step in the digital wallet journey.
- So, for example, we might see that 80% of users who download the app create an account, but only 50% of those users add a payment card.
- And of those who make a contactless payment, maybe only 30% go on to use the wallet for online transactions as well.
These conversion rates give us critical insights into the pain points we need to address.
And by tracking them across different acquisition channels, we can uncover even more opportunities for optimization.
Probing for Insights
But data alone isn’t enough. To truly understand why users are behaving the way they are;
We need to get out there and talk to them.
That’s why growth teams should always conduct surveys and interviews to probe into the reasons for user behavior and narrow their focus to experimentation.
Designing Experiments
And that’s the essence of it —
Using data and customer insights to inform a rigorous program of experimentation.
Whether it’s optimizing the onboarding experience, implementing gamification mechanics, or fine-tuning our messaging, the goal is to systematically remove the barriers that stand between our users and the full benefits of the digital wallet.
It’s not easy, and it requires a relentless commitment to testing and iterating.
The Power of Effective Surveys in Unlocking User Insights for Growth Hacking
One of the most powerful tools in a growth hacker’s arsenal is the humble survey. When used effectively, surveys can provide invaluable insights into user behavior, preferences, and pain points — insights that can drive exponential growth for your product.
But here’s the catch: surveys can also be a major turn-off for users if not executed properly. Too long, too frequent, or poorly timed, and you risk alienating the very people you’re trying to understand and engage.
Timing is Everything
The first key to effective surveying is delivering your questions at the perfect moment.
Ideally, you want to catch users when their activity indicates confusion or frustration — for example, when they’re lingering on a page for too long or about to abandon their cart.
- These are the moments when they’re most likely to provide honest, actionable feedback.
But don’t stop there.
You should also be surveying users immediately after they’ve taken a key action, like creating an account or making a purchase.
- These are the people who’ve successfully navigated the friction points that tripped up others, and they can provide invaluable insights into what motivated them to keep going.
Keep it Brief
When it comes to surveys, less is more.
Aim for a maximum of one or two questions — any more and you risk losing your users’ attention (and patience).
The beauty of a short survey is that it feels less of an imposition, and you’re much more likely to get thoughtful, complete responses.
Now, I know what you’re thinking — how can you possibly extract meaningful insights from just one or two questions?
The secret lies in the type of questions you ask.
Open-ended questions are your best friend here. They allow users to share their unfiltered thoughts and experiences, often revealing unexpected pain points and opportunities that you never would have uncovered through multiple choice alone.
Surveying the Bounced
Of course, the real challenge comes when trying to survey users who’ve already abandoned your product.
How do you get them to stop and share their feedback before they disappear for good?
The key is to trigger your survey at the exact moment they’re about to bounce.
Tools like Hotjar and Qualaroo make this easy, allowing you to set up surveys that pop up when browsing patterns indicate an imminent exit.
Keep the questions simple and to the point — things like
- “What’s preventing you from signing up today?”, or
- “What information would you need to feel comfortable completing your purchase?”
You might be surprised by how many users will take the time to answer these questions.
And even if the response rate is low, the insights you gain can be pure gold.
After all, these are the people who’ve experienced your product’s friction points firsthand, and they can tell you exactly what needs to change.
Surveying the Converted
But what about the users who’ve already converted — the ones who’ve successfully navigated your product and taken the actions you want?
Don’t overlook them as a valuable source of feedback.
Some of the best insights you can gain come from surveying users who’ve just completed a purchase or signed up for a subscription.
The key is to ask them what nearly stopped them from converting.
A simple “one thing” question like
- “What’s the one thing that almost kept you from completing your order today?”
Can yield incredibly insightful responses.
You can also dig deeper with questions tailored to the specific conversion point you’re investigating — for example;
- “Was there anything about the checkout process we should improve?”
Applying Survey Insights
So, how do you put all of this into practice?
- It starts with analyzing your funnel data to identify the key drop-off points — the places where users are abandoning your product in droves.
- Then, you design a series of targeted surveys to uncover the reasons behind those drop-offs.
For example, let’s say your data shows that a lot of users are abandoning their carts right before checkout. You could trigger a survey to pop up when they’re about to leave the cart page, asking “What concerns are keeping you from completing your order today?”
Then, you could follow up with a post-purchase survey for those who do convert, asking “What nearly stopped you from completing your order?”
The insights you gain from these surveys can then inform a series of experiments aimed at reducing friction and increasing conversion rates.
- Maybe you discover that users are abandoning because they can’t remember their discount code — in which case, you could experiment with automatically applying the code at checkout.
- Or maybe you find that users are confused about your shipping policy — in which case, you could test out a more prominent display of your shipping info.
The key is to keep testing and iterating, using survey insights to inform each new experiment.
There are no silver bullets in growth hacking — even the most obvious solutions can fail. But by combining rigorous data analysis with the voice of the customer, you can systematically uncover and eliminate the barriers to growth.
The Power of Qualitative Insights
At the end of the day, surveys are all about uncovering the qualitative insights that data alone can’t provide.
Sure, your funnel metrics can tell you where users are dropping off, but they can’t tell you why.
And that “why” is the key to unlocking sustainable growth.
By surveying users at the right moments and asking the right questions, you can tap into a goldmine of insights that will transform your growth strategy.
You’ll uncover unexpected pain points, discover hidden motivations, and gain a deeper understanding of your users’ needs and preferences.
And that’s the real power of surveys in growth hacking.
It’s not about the surveys themselves — it’s about the insights they unlock and the growth they enable.
I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Share your insights and feedback in the comments below and let’s continue this discussion.
Persevere — Unlocking Activation Can Be Hard
Driving user activation can be extremely hard!
Improving activation rates requires persistence, data-driven decision-making, a willingness to uncover unexpected insights, iteration and experimentation, and a customer-centric approach.
By embracing these strategies, you’ll unlock the secrets to driving user activation and building a successful product.
Embrace Persistence
Improving activation rates takes time and effort.
Don’t be discouraged by initial failures — instead, persist and try new approaches.
Remember, every experiment provides valuable insights that can inform your next move.
Let The Data Guide You
Data is your best friend when it comes to understanding user behavior.
Use it to identify areas for improvement and inform your decision-making.
By analyzing user data, you can pinpoint friction points and optimize the customer journey.
Seek Out Unexpected Insights
Sometimes, the most valuable insights come from unexpected places.
Be open to surprises and willing to adjust your approach based on new information.
This mindset will help you stay ahead of the curve and uncover innovative solutions.
Iterate and Experiment
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to improving activation rates.
Instead, continuously iterate and experiment to find the right approach for your product.
Embrace a culture of experimentation and learning.
Put the Customer First
Understanding the customer journey is critical to improving activation rates.
Identify friction points and optimize the experience to meet user needs.
By putting the customer first, you’ll build a loyal user base and drive long-term success.
Unlocking Activation by Eliminating Friction
Friction in user experience design can make or break a product’s success.
Friction refers to any annoying hindrances that prevent users from accomplishing their goals, such as ads, complicated procedures, or distorted letters in CAPTCHA.
The Friction Blindspot
Friction is everywhere;
From e-commerce checkout forms that require account creation to pop-ups that ask for ratings or reviews.
Even physical products, like coffeemakers with complicated setup procedures, can suffer from friction.
The problem is that creators often overlook friction in their products due to their intimate knowledge.
I think it’s because we know our products so intimately that our brains just can’t see the impediments anymore.
Designers who watch people struggle to use the very products they’ve poured their hearts into are often shocked by how much difficulty their users are having.
It’s a classic case of the forest for the trees.
We get so caught up in the details, so immersed in the inner workings of our creations, that we lose sight of the user experience. And that blindspot can be the death knell for growth.
The Desire-Friction Formula and The Importance of Reducing Friction¹
Friction can lead users to abandon products, even if they initially desire them.
Early adopters may be willing to tolerate friction, but most users won’t.
So, how do we break free from this trap?
Well, it starts with understanding the fundamental equation that governs user behavior:
Reducing friction is easier than increasing desire, making it a priority for growth teams.
As this formula suggests, the more friction a user encounters, the less likely they are to convert — even if they initially had a strong desire for your product.
And that’s a problem, because let’s face it, most users aren’t as tolerant of friction as the early adopters we all love to covet.
The average person has a much lower threshold for annoyance.
If they encounter too many hoops to jump through — be it a convoluted checkout process, a frustrating CAPTCHA, or a confusing setup procedure — they’ll simply abandon ship and look elsewhere.
Identifying Friction Through Funnel Analysis
So, how do we identify and eliminate these friction points? The key is to dive deep into your funnel data.
Scrutinize those major drop-off points — that’s where the friction is lurking, waiting to sabotage your conversion rates.
- Maybe it’s a slow download time that’s causing users to bounce before they even get to your app.
- Or perhaps it’s a glitchy shopping cart that’s sending would-be customers running for the hills.
Whatever the case may be, your funnel report is the roadmap to uncovering those hidden friction points.
And once you’ve identified them, the real work begins.
The Growth Hacker’s Friction-Busting Playbook
The steps to removing friction are straightforward:
- Map the User Journey: Start by identifying every single touchpoint and step in your user’s experience. Where are the potential friction points lurking?
- Analyze the Funnel: Dig into your conversion data and build a detailed funnel report. Where are you seeing the biggest drop-offs, and what might be causing them?
- Experiment Relentlessly: Use the insights from your funnel analysis to design targeted experiments aimed at reducing friction. Be prepared to try, fail, and try again.
- Iterate and Optimize: Continuously refine your experiments, learning from both successes and failures. Friction-busting is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix.
At the end of the day, friction is the silent enemy of growth.
It’s the invisible barrier that stands between your users and the value you’re trying to deliver. And in a world where attention spans are dwindling and competition is fiercer than ever, eliminating friction has never been more crucial.
The Delicate Balance of Friction Optimization
Optimizing user activation is a delicate balance between providing guidance to users and avoiding too much friction that deters them.
For example, a company may want to encourage users to sign up earlier in the browsing process, before making a purchase. While this could lead to increased sign-ups or activation, it may also result in a decrease in final purchases or checkouts.
This indicates that simply reducing friction is not always the answer, as it can cause issues in other parts of the growth funnel.
Therefore, removing friction is a balancing act that requires ongoing experimentation and data-driven learning to maximize overall output and other key metrics. I
t’s not enough to just eliminate friction — the goal is to strike the right balance that drives the best results across the entire user
Optimizing the New User Experience
To maximize activation, it’s important to optimize the new user experience (NewUX) — that critical first encounter a customer has with your product.
The NewUX is a one-time encounter that can either entice users to engage or drive them away.
That’s why it’s important to treat the NewUX as a unique product in and of itself — a one-time encounter that requires a special, tailored experience to entice users and showcase the true value of what you have to offer.
The Three Elements of Activating New Users
At the heart of an effective NewUX three fundamental elements must be present on that all-important landing page:
- Relevance: Communicating how your product aligns with the visitor’s intent and desires.
- Value: Concisely and compellingly answering the question, “What’s in it for me?”
- Call to Action: Providing a clear, compelling next step for the user to take.
Get these three elements right, and you’re well on your way to captivating your users and setting them up for that transformative “aha moment.”
But of course, as with anything in growth hacking, the devil is in the details.
That’s why it’s important to run extensive experiments when it comes to the NewUX.
- From the language and messaging to the aesthetics and layout, every single element should be scrutinized and optimized through rigorous testing.
- Maybe a more simplified page with fewer distractions performs better.
- Or perhaps adding more explanatory text and visuals is the key to driving engagement.
The only way to know for sure is to keep iterating, keep testing, and keep learning.
Streamlining the Onboarding Process
One of the most powerful ways to reduce friction in the NewUX is to streamline the onboarding process.
Break it down into smaller, manageable steps, and use interactive guides, tooltips, or animations to help users understand the product’s features and benefits.
And don’t forget about single sign-on (SSO).
One of the most powerful ways to reduce friction in the NewUX is simplifying the sign-up process through single sign-on (SSO).
By allowing users to create an account with just a click of a button using their existing social media or email credentials, you can dramatically improve conversion rates — especially on mobile, where data entry can be a real pain point.
Flipping the Funnel
Another powerful way to reduce friction and drive activation is by flipping the traditional funnel on its head.
Instead of forcing users to sign up before they can experience your product, why not let them dive in and get a taste of the value first?
This is a bold, counterintuitive approach — but one that can be incredibly effective at eliminating the friction that so often stands between users and that all-important “aha moment.
Personalizing the Experience
Another key to optimizing the NewUX is personalization. Use the data you collect during sign-up and onboarding to tailor the experience to each user’s unique needs, interests, and behaviors.
This could include anything from customized content and recommendations to personalized next steps and guidance.
The more relevant and tailored the experience, the more likely users are to engage and stick around.
Gamifying the Onboarding
But why stop at personalization?
Gamification is another powerful tool in the growth hacker’s arsenal when it comes to optimizing the NewUX.
By incorporating game-like elements such as rewards, challenges, or leaderboards, you can make the onboarding process engaging, fun, and even addictive.
It’s a great way to drive early activation and keep users coming back for more.
Social Proof: Building Trust and Credibility
Displaying customer testimonials, reviews, and ratings on your website or product pages can help build trust and credibility with new users.
Social proof demonstrates the real-world value and impact of your product, alleviating any doubts or concerns that potential customers may have
Incorporating social proof elements like customer logos, star ratings, and positive quotes can significantly improve conversion rates and user engagement.
Interactive Tutorials: Helping Users Understand Your Product
Interactive tutorials and product demos allow users to get hands-on experience with your offering, helping them understand its key features and benefits.
These interactive experiences provide a more engaging and effective way to onboard new users, compared to static instructions or documentation.
By guiding users through the core functionality of your product, interactive tutorials can drive faster time-to-value and increase the likelihood of users reaching the “aha moment.”
Progressive Disclosure: Avoiding Information Overload
Progressive disclosure is a design technique that gradually reveals product features and information to users, rather than overwhelming them upfront.
This approach ensures that users receive the right information at the right time, preventing cognitive overload and making the onboarding process more manageable.
By incrementally introducing new functionality and details, progressive disclosure helps users focus on the most essential elements first, and then explore more advanced features as they become comfortable with the product.
User Onboarding Checklists: Helping Users Get Started
User onboarding checklists provide a clear, step-by-step guide to help new users complete the onboarding process and get started with your product.
Checklists give users a sense of progress and accomplishment as they work through the various setup and configuration tasks.
This structured approach can improve user engagement, reduce friction, and increase the likelihood of users reaching their desired outcomes with your product.
By incorporating these strategies into your NewUX optimization efforts, you can simplify and personalize the onboarding process, build trust, enhance user understanding, manage information overload, and guide users through the onboarding process more effectively — all of which can contribute to higher activation and retention rates.
Applying Positive Friction to Unlock User Activation
Not all friction is bad and in fact, introducing positive or the right kind of friction can be a game-changer for improving user activation.
The Art of Positive Friction
So, what exactly is positive friction?
It’s the art of putting manageable, engaging steps in the path of your users — steps that help them understand the value of your product and guide them towards that transformative “aha moment” with greater predictability.
It’s a delicate balance, to be sure.
- Too much friction, and you risk overwhelming or deterring your users.
- Too little, and they may never truly grasp the power and potential of your offering.
Lessons from the Gaming Industry
If you want to see positive friction in action, look no further than the world of video games.
Game developers have mastered the art of onboarding new players, introducing complex rules and strategies in a way that’s both engaging and approachable.
Their secret? Drawing on powerful insights from psychology, like the principle of commitment and consistency, flow, and conditioning through rewards.
- Once users take that first small action, they’re far more likely to keep going, having made a psychological commitment and consistency to the process.
- Pair that with the concept of flow — challenging users just the right amount to keep them engaged and immersed — and you’ve got a recipe for activation that feels natural, not forced.
- Offering rewards for completing small steps can condition users to engage in desired behaviors.
Applying Positive Friction to Your Product
But the power of positive friction isn’t limited to the gaming industry. Designers of all kinds of online products have incorporated similar tactics to increase activation rates and drive engagement.
- Take Facebook, for example. When they prompt new users to fill out their profile, add a photo, and share biographical information, they’re not just gathering data. They’re establishing commitment and providing psychological rewards, bringing users one step closer to that “aha moment” of connecting with friends and family. And as anyone who’s spent hours crafting the perfect profile can attest, there’s something deeply satisfying about that process — a state of flow that keeps you hooked and engaged.
The Concept of Stored Value
But positive friction isn’t just about the initial onboarding experience.
It’s also about fostering a sense of ownership and commitment over time, through the concept of stored value.
The more information and effort users invest in your product, the more committed they become to maintaining and growing that value.
It’s like putting money in a safe deposit box — the more you put in, the more inclined you are to keep adding to it.
And that’s where the true power of positive friction lies:
Its ability to act as a catalyst for activation and growth, gradually increasing users’ commitment and investment in your product over time.
Striking the Right Balance
Of course, as with anything in the world of growth hacking, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution.
The key is to experiment, to test different approaches, and to be willing to adapt and iterate based on the insights you uncover.
Because at the end of the day, the goal isn’t just to eliminate friction — it’s to strike the right balance, to create an experience that’s engaging, rewarding, and ultimately, activating.
The “Aha” Moment
The ultimate goal of positive friction is to help users discover the “aha” moment, where they understand the value and purpose of the product.
By introducing positive friction, we can guide users through a process, help them understand the value, and increase activation rates.
Crafting the Perfect Learn Flow for User Activation
By crafting a “learn flow” that takes advantage of new users’ initial attention and patience, we can ensure they’re primed for activation by the time they finish.
The NewUX is that first encounter with your product when users are at their most attentive, their most patient, and their most eager to understand what you have to offer.
And that’s where the concept of the “learn flow” comes into play.
A “learn flow” is a carefully crafted NewUX designed to do more than just sign people up —
It’s a purposeful journey that educates new users about your product, its benefits, its value, and how to use it.
It’s a way to take advantage of that abundance of attention and patience that users credit you within those first few moments, ensuring they’re primed for activation by the time they finish.
The goal is that by the end of a “learn flow”, users aren’t just signed up — they have customized their experience, built a personalized feed, and experienced that all-important “aha moment” that unlocks true engagement.
Of course, not every product requires the same level of education.
For novel products, educating users about their value and usage is essential.
However, for other products like e-commerce sites, users may not need extensive explanations and prefer to start browsing quickly.
That’s where experimentation comes into play.
The product growth teams of new products may need to work on educating new users through multiple “ learn flow” screens.
Two additional tactics can be woven into a “learn flow” to introduce “positive friction” —
- Questionnaires: can be a powerful way to gather insights and personalize the experience. This information can then be used to personalize the “learn flow” experience, tailoring the content, pace, and focus areas to each user’s needs. By making the onboarding more relevant and valuable from the start, questionnaires help create a sense of investment and commitment in users.
- Gamification of elements: can turn the “learn flow” into an engaging and rewarding journey. Techniques like progress tracking, badges/achievements, leaderboards, and interactive challenges can tap into users’ innate desires for mastery, competition, and accomplishment. This positive friction keeps users motivated and immersed as they progress through the onboarding process. Elements of surprise, delight, and even light-hearted humor can further enhance the experience, making it feel less like a chore and more like an enjoyable adventure.
When combined effectively, questionnaires and gamification have the potential to transform a traditionally tedious onboarding process into an addictive, personalized experience that fosters long-term user activation and retention.
The Power of Questionnaires: Unlocking User Activation and Customization
The key to unlocking your user activation growth may lie in one simple yet powerful tactic: the activation questionnaire.
It’s a deceptively simple concept — asking users a few well-crafted questions during the onboarding process — but one that can yield truly transformative results.
So, what makes these activation questionnaires so effective? It all comes down to the psychology of commitment.
By asking users to invest a little bit of time and effort in responding to your questions, you’re creating a sense of buy-in, a personal connection that makes them more likely to stick around and engage with your product.
It’s a subtle but powerful form of positive friction — those manageable, engaging steps that guide users towards that all-important “aha moment” with greater predictability.
And when you pair that commitment with the ability to customize the user experience based on their responses, you’ve got a recipe for activation that’s hard to beat.
As with any growth hacking tactic, there’s an art to getting questionnaires right.
It’s crucial to strike a balance between gathering valuable information and respecting users’ time and privacy.
To get it right, keep the following best practices in mind:
- Keep it brief: Limit your questionnaire to five questions or fewer.
- Use multiple-choice formats: Make it easy and engaging with no more than four possible answers each.
- Harness the power of visuals: Include images and interactive elements to keep users engaged and invested.
- Have a clear value proposition: Enhance their experience and not invade their privacy or bombard them with unwanted ads.
In today’s data privacy-conscious world, it’s crucial to be mindful of users’ concerns.
Ensure that customization is seen as a benefit, not an intrusion, and be transparent about how you’re using their data.
At the end of the day, the activation questionnaire is all about striking that delicate balance between gathering valuable insights and fostering a sense of commitment, all while respecting your users’ boundaries and concerns.
The Gamification Playbook: Unlocking Activation Through Rewards
Gamification has become a buzzword in product activation strategies. But, like any tactic, it can be a game-changer (:}) or a recipe for disaster.
At its core, gamification is all about offering rewards, perks, and benefits to your users for taking certain actions. It’s a way to add a pleasing element of challenge and fun to the user experience, encouraging desired behaviors and fostering long-term loyalty.
In action, and if done right, gamification can be extremely powerful.
But here’s the thing — gamification is a delicate art.
If you get it wrong, if you offer rewards that lack value or relevance to your core product, you risk coming across as manipulative or strange.
So, how do you avoid those pitfalls and unlock the true power of gamification?
The key is to treat gamification as a toolkit, not a predefined set of tactics. Including meaningful rewards, creating surprise and delight by varying how rewards are earned and presented, and providing an element of instant gratification. It’s about experimenting, tailoring your approach to your specific product and users, and never losing sight of what truly drives value and engagement.
The most effective rewards tend to fall into four categories:
- Status
- Access
- Power
- Things of value (i.e., financial incentives or physical gifts)
Just look at the success of loyalty programs like American Express Membership Rewards or Starbucks Rewards. These programs offer a masterclass in gamification, leveraging everything from status ranks and exclusive access to free merchandise and travel opportunities.
At the end of the day, gamification is all about striking the right balance — offering rewards that are meaningful and valuable to your users, while also creating an experience that’s engaging, surprising, and instantly gratifying.
The Power of Triggers: How to Boost User Engagement and Habit Formation
Triggers are prompts that provoke a response from users. They can take many forms — email notifications, mobile push alerts, or even subtle calls to action on a landing page.
When used thoughtfully, triggers can motivate users to take desired actions and make it easy for them to do so.
But here’s the catch: triggers are a double-edged sword.
Overuse them, or deploy them without consideration for the user experience, and you risk irritating your audience, leading to disengagement and churn.
It’s a delicate balance, one that requires a deep understanding of user behavior and psychology.
The Fogg Behavior Model — The Science of Motivation²
BJ Fogg’s behavior model explains that user behavior depends on the combination of motivation and ability (convenience).
The curved line represents the threshold for taking an action based on motivation and ability levels.
Triggers can be effective when users are motivated and able to take action.
Think about it this way: whether you answer a phone call depends not just on your motivation (who’s calling and why), but also on your ability (is your phone handy, are you free to talk?).
- The same principle applies to any user action — the likelihood of someone taking that action depends on the interplay between their desire to do so and the convenience of doing it at that moment.
When deployed at the right time, with the right message, they can tip the scales in your favor, nudging users towards the actions you want them to take.
- For example, a user may receive a notification about a limited-time offer, which motivates them to take action and make a purchase.
Factors Influencing Trigger Effectiveness
But how do you ensure your triggers are effective?
Well, it starts with being judicious in their use.
Triggers can be invasive, so it’s crucial to experiment in measured steps, following platform rules and regulations (like opt-in requirements for mobile push notifications).
And remember, not all triggers are created equal.
BJ Fogg identified three distinct types:
- Facilitator triggers: These help motivate users with low ability to take action. Think of a pop-up offering to save your credit card details during checkout.
- Signal triggers: These keep motivated users with high ability on track and encourage repeat actions. A notification reminding you to log your daily steps, for instance.
- Spark triggers: These motivate users with high ability but low motivation to take action. A limited-time discount on a product you’ve been eyeing, perhaps.
The key is to experiment with different types of triggers, tailoring them to your users’ specific needs and behaviors.
The Power of Triggers: Driving User Activation with Timely Prompts
Every trigger you send should be directly relevant to the core value proposition of your product, alerting users to opportunities that genuinely enhance their experience.
For example, a grocery delivery app might send a trigger when an item on a user’s shopping list goes on sale or when a limited-time promotion for free delivery is available. These triggers are directly tied to the app’s core value of convenience and cost-savings, making them far more likely to resonate with users.
But providing value is just the beginning. To truly unlock the power of triggers, you need to experiment with different types of prompts, tailoring your approach to your user’s specific needs and behaviors.
For instance, you might try:
Experiment with different types of triggers, such as:
- Account creation triggers: Encouraging users who have downloaded your app or visited your website to complete their account setup.
- Purchase messages: Offering limited-time discounts or promotions to nudge users towards making a purchase.
- Reactivation campaigns: Reaching out to inactive users with compelling reasons to reengage with your product.
- New feature announcements: Informing users about exciting new features or updates that enhance their experience.
- Top user incentives: Rewarding your most frequent users with exclusive benefits or perks, fostering a sense of loyalty and community.
- Activity or status changes: Notifying users about changes to their account, profile, or other relevant information.
The key is to experiment with different trigger types, carefully measuring their impact on user activation and engagement.
And remember, it’s crucial to maintain a control group — a segment of users who don’t receive any triggers — to accurately gauge the effectiveness of your efforts.
Avoiding Common Pitfalls
Of course, as with any powerful tool, there are potential pitfalls to be aware of when it comes to triggers.
One of the biggest mistakes I see companies make is asking for opt-in too soon before users have had a chance to truly understand the value of receiving notifications.
Imagine signing up for a new service and being immediately bombarded with prompts to enable push notifications. Chances are, you’d be hesitant to opt in, unsure of what you’re signing up for, and wary of being inundated with irrelevant alerts.
Instead, it’s far better to wait until users have had a chance to experience your product’s core value proposition before introducing the option to receive triggers.
That way, they’ll be more likely to recognize the potential benefits and opt-in willingly.
Another common pitfall is using triggers solely to inflate product usage statistics, rather than genuinely enhancing the user experience.
This short-sighted approach may yield a temporary boost in engagement metrics, but it’s almost guaranteed to backfire in the long run, as users grow frustrated and disengage.
The Path to Lasting Activation and Engagement
The true power of triggers lies in their ability to foster lasting user engagement and loyalty.
By delivering timely, relevant prompts that add genuine value, you can keep your product top-of-mind and seamlessly integrated into your users’ daily lives.
And as users continue to engage with your product, those external triggers will gradually give way to internal triggers — the habits and routines that keep them coming back, time and time again, without any external prompting.
It’s a virtuous cycle, one that starts with a well-executed trigger strategy and culminates in the holy grail of product success:
A deeply engaged, loyal user base that sees your offering as an indispensable part of their lives.
Internal Triggers and Habit Formation
Internal triggers are the holy grail of user engagement and retention.
They represent the point where a product or service has become so deeply ingrained in a user’s daily routine that they no longer need external prompts or reminders to engage with it — the desire to use it has become an involuntary, habitual behavior.
This level of habit formation is crucial for any product looking to foster long-term, sustainable growth.
After all, it’s far easier (and more cost-effective) to retain an existing user than it is to acquire a new one. And when users develop habits around your product, they become far less likely to churn, creating a stable foundation for your business to thrive.
So, what do these internal triggers look like in practice?
Perhaps the most familiar example is the way many of us mindlessly open social media apps like Facebook or Instagram throughout the day, without any external notification or prompt.
We simply feel an innate urge to check in, to see what’s new, to scroll through our feeds.
Or think about how you might compulsively check your email or messaging apps, even when you haven’t received a new notification. It’s a habit, a ritual that’s become woven into the fabric of our daily lives.
And for products or services that truly excel at fostering habits, users might find themselves engaging with certain features or functionalities out of sheer routine — whether it’s logging daily steps in a fitness app, updating a to-do list, or playing a favorite game during downtime.
At their core, these internal triggers are driven by a combination of factors:
- The anticipation of reward (whether it’s the dopamine hit of new content or the satisfaction of completing a task)
- The ease and convenience of the action itself, and
- The simple force of routine
But fostering these kinds of habits is no easy feat.
It requires a deep understanding of user psychology, a relentless commitment to delivering value and delight, and a willingness to experiment and iterate until you find the right formula for your specific audience.
One key strategy is to focus on creating “habit loops” —
Cycles of trigger, action, reward, and investment that reinforce themselves over time.
By carefully designing these loops and optimizing each stage, you can increase the likelihood of users developing lasting habits around your product.
Another approach is to leverage the principles of persuasion and influence, as outlined by Robert Cialdini.
Mastering the Psychology of Persuasion and Crafting Irresistible Triggers
One of the greatest challenges product and growth leaders face is cutting through the noise and capturing the attention of users.
With so many products and services vying for their time and engagement, it’s all too easy for even the most innovative offerings to get lost in the shuffle.
That’s where the art of persuasion comes into play.
You see, at the heart of every successful user activation strategy lies a deep understanding of human psychology — the subtle cues, nudges, and triggers that can compel people to take action.
The Six Principles of Persuasion: In his groundbreaking work, Cialdini identified six fundamental principles that govern human behavior and decision-making. And by weaving these principles into our user activation efforts, we can create a powerful psychological pull that’s almost impossible to resist.
Let’s take a closer look:
- Reciprocity: We all have an innate desire to return favors, to repay kindnesses. By offering users something of value upfront — whether it’s a free resource, a discount, or a complimentary trial — we can tap into this principle and increase the likelihood that they’ll take the desired action in return.
- Commitment and Consistency: Once we’ve made a small commitment, we’re far more likely to follow through with larger, more significant actions. This principle can be leveraged by encouraging users to take small, incremental steps that gradually build towards a deeper level of engagement.
- Social Proof: In times of uncertainty, we often look to the actions and behaviors of others for guidance. By showcasing endorsements, testimonials, and social proof, we can create a sense of safety and reassurance that encourages users to follow suit.
- Authority: We’re hardwired to respect and defer to authority figures. By incorporating expert endorsements, trusted brands, and authoritative voices into our activation efforts, we can tap into this principle and build credibility and trust.
- Liking: It’s human nature to be drawn to people and things we find likable and familiar. By infusing our products and messaging with friendly language, engaging visuals, and relatable elements, we can create a sense of warmth and connection that fosters user engagement.
- Scarcity: We all want what we can’t have — or at least, what we perceive to be in limited supply. By creating a sense of urgency through limited-time offers, exclusive promotions, or low-inventory warnings, we can tap into this principle and drive users to take action before it’s too late.
Now, you might be thinking, “That’s all well and good, but how do I actually apply these principles to my user activation efforts?”
The key is to weave these principles into every touchpoint of the user journey, from the very first interaction to the ongoing engagement efforts that keep users coming back for more.
For example, you might leverage the principle of reciprocity by offering a free trial or a downloadable resource in exchange for an email address. Or you could tap into the power of social proof by showcasing testimonials and user-generated content on your landing pages. Once users have taken that initial action, you can then employ the principles of commitment and consistency to encourage further engagement. Perhaps you offer a series of small, incremental steps — each one building on the last — that gradually deepen the user’s investment in your product or service. And throughout it all, you can reinforce the principles of authority, liking, and scarcity through expert endorsements, friendly messaging, and limited-time promotions or exclusive offers.
The key is to experiment, to test different combinations and approaches, and to continually refine your strategy based on real-world data and user feedback.
By tapping into the fundamental drivers of human behavior, we can create experiences that are not just engaging, but downright addictive — experiences that become woven into the fabric of our users’ daily lives and routines.
Note 1 — The Conversion Equation: Unlocking Growth Through Desire and Frictionless Experiences
[1] The key to driving sustainable growth lies in a deceptively simple equation:
Conversion = Desire — Friction
It’s a formula that cuts through the buzzwords and jargon that often cloud our industry, and gets to the heart of what truly matters:
Creating experiences that ignite desire in our users while minimizing the hurdles they face along the way.
At its core, this equation reminds us that growth is a delicate balance —
A dance between captivating our audiences and making it effortless for them to take action.
Neglect either side of the equation, and you risk losing out on conversions, engagement, and ultimately, long-term success.
Igniting Desire: The Art of Captivation
Let’s start with the desire side of the equation. Because let’s face it —
No matter how frictionless your experience is, if your users aren’t genuinely excited about what you’re offering, they’re unlikely to convert.
Here are some strategies to try:
- Create an interesting first offer for new customers
- Address the customer’s “Jobs to Be Done” (pains to remove, gains to create)
- Create a sense of urgency
- Focus on benefits over features
- Create a sense of exclusivity
- Show people enjoying your product (social proof)
- Share usage numbers (social proof)
- Share quotes from publications (authority)
- Offer mystery gifts for spending a certain amount
- Clearly state who your product is for and how it provides value
At the end of the day, increasing desire is about proving your worth — not just assuming that customers will inherently understand the value you provide, but actively highlighting it, reinforcing it, and making it impossible for them to ignore it.
Reducing Friction: The Path to Effortless Experiences
But even the most captivating offer will fall flat if the path to conversion is riddled with friction and frustration. That’s why the other side of the equation — reducing friction — is equally crucial.
Think about it: we live in an age of unprecedented convenience, where seamless experiences are the norm, not the exception.
Your users have been conditioned to expect effortless journeys, and any hiccup or hurdle along the way can be enough to send them packing.
Reducing friction is all about making the customer journey easy and seamless.
Here are some strategies to try:
- Don’t push for subscriptions immediately
- Offer free shipping (on first orders or above a certain amount)
- Provide clarity on shipping costs before checkout
- Provide clarity on expected delivery timelines
- Go straight to checkout for irresistible offers
- Narrow down the number of choices/decisions
- Offer multiple payment methods at checkout
- Display FAQs to address common questions
- Feature live chat or WhatsApp for quick assistance
- Add sticky CTAs (call-to-actions) for mobile users
Solving the Conversion Equation
To solve the conversion equation, you need to identify the problem and then solve it.
Here’s how:
- Identify the problem: By diving deep into your data, conducting user research, and analyzing every touchpoint of the customer journey, you can pinpoint the root cause of your conversion woes. Is it a lack of desire, or a failure to communicate your value proposition effectively? Or is it a clunky, friction-filled experience that’s turning users away before they can even consider converting?
- Solve the problem: Once you’ve identified the problem, the solution becomes clear: double down on increasing desire through compelling storytelling, social proof, and a laser focus on benefits over features. Or, shift your efforts towards reducing friction, streamlining processes, and creating effortless experiences that remove every potential barrier to conversion.
And remember, the true power of the conversion equation lies in its simplicity. By boiling user activation or conversion down to its essence — desire, and friction — you can cut through the noise and focus on what truly matters: creating experiences that captivate your users and make it effortless for them to take action.
Note 2 — Unlocking User Behavior: A Deep Dive into the Fogg Behavior Model
The key to driving user engagement and activation lies in a deep understanding of human behavior.
[2] And when it comes to unlocking the secrets of what motivates people to take action, there’s no better guide than the Fogg Behavior Model.
Developed by BJ Fogg, a renowned psychologist at Stanford, this powerful framework breaks down the elements that must converge for a behavior to occur:
Motivation, ability, and a well-timed prompt.
It’s a deceptively simple formula, but one that holds the key to crafting experiences that truly resonate with your users.
Motivation refers to the user’s desire or willingness to perform a particular behavior or action. It is one of the key factors that influence whether a behavior will occur or not. Motivation can stem from various sources, such as physical needs (sensation), emotional drives (anticipation), or social factors (belonging).
Ability refers to the user’s capacity or capability to perform the desired behavior or action. It is about how easy or convenient it is for the user to take the required action at a given moment. Ability can be influenced by factors such as time, money, physical effort, cognitive load, and social norms.
A prompt is a cue or trigger that reminds or encourages the user to perform the desired behavior or action. It is the final element that needs to converge with motivation and ability for the behavior to occur. Prompts can take various forms, such as email notifications, mobile push alerts, or calls to action on a website or app.
The Fogg Behavior Model: B=MAP — A Closer Look
At its core, the Fogg Behavior Model (often abbreviated as B=MAP) posits that:
Behavior (B) will only occur when
Motivation (M), Ability (A), and a Prompt (P)
all come together at the same moment
It’s a delicate balance, one that requires a deep understanding of your users’ needs, desires, and capabilities.
But here’s where things get interesting:
Motivation (M) and Ability (A) have a compensatory relationship.
In other words, if a user’s motivation is sky-high, their ability to perform the desired action can be relatively low, and vice versa.
This relationship is illustrated by the activation threshold curve, which shows the precise combination of motivation and ability required to trigger a behavior.
And that’s where prompts come into play.
A well-timed, well-crafted prompt can be the nudge that tips the scales, pushing users over the activation threshold and inspiring them to take action.
Influencing Motivation: The Key to User Engagement
But how do you influence motivation and ability?
On the motivation front, there are three core drivers: sensation (physical), anticipation (emotional), and belonging (social).
By tapping into these fundamental human needs, you can create experiences that truly resonate with your users.
- For example, gamification techniques like achievements, badges, and leaderboards can tap into our sensational motivations, providing a sense of pleasure and accomplishment.
- Storytelling, on the other hand, can ignite our anticipatory motivations, sparking curiosity and a sense of purpose.
- And let’s not forget the power of social proof and reciprocity — two potent forces that can foster a sense of belonging and acceptance, driving users to engage and participate.
Influencing Ability: Simplifying the Path to Action
But motivation alone isn’t enough.
You also need to ensure that your users can take the desired action.
And that’s where simplicity comes into play.
The Fogg Behavior Model teaches us that ability is a function of our scarcest resource at any given moment — whether that’s
Time, money, physical effort, or cognitive bandwidth.
By reducing friction and simplifying the path to action, you can increase your users’ ability to engage with your product or service.
This might mean streamlining your onboarding process, providing intuitive tools and resources, or even scaling back the complexity of the desired behavior itself.
The key is to identify the weakest link in the ability chain and strengthen it through thoughtful design and user-centric solutions.
The Power of Prompts
Well-timed prompts are critical for triggering the intended behavior from users.
The timing of these prompts is crucial, as they should be delivered when the user’s motivation and ability levels are high enough to cross the activation threshold, as depicted by the Fogg Behavior Model’s curve.
When a user’s motivation and ability converge above the activation threshold, a well-timed prompt can act as the nudge that inspires them to take the desired action.
- However, if the prompt is delivered when the user’s motivation or ability is low, it may be ineffective or even counterproductive, potentially leading to frustration or disengagement.
To enhance the effectiveness of prompts and make them more user-friendly, we need to leverage persuasive design techniques. These techniques can help simplify the process, reduce friction, and increase the likelihood of users responding positively to the prompt.
- One such technique is limited choice, which involves presenting users with a limited set of options, making it easier for them to make a decision and take action. By reducing the cognitive load and decision paralysis, limited choice can increase the user’s ability to respond to the prompt.
When signing up for a new service or product, instead of presenting users with a long list of options and preferences to configure, only show the most essential choices (e.g., basic plan vs premium plan).
On an e-commerce website, when users add an item to their cart, provide a limited set of recommended complementary products instead of showing the entire catalog.
In a survey or feedback form, use multiple-choice questions with a maximum of 4–5 options instead of open-ended questions.
- Another technique mentioned is tunneling, which involves guiding users through a specific sequence of steps without providing unnecessary detours or distractions. This focused approach can increase the user’s ability to complete the desired action by minimizing friction and reducing the potential for abandonment.
During the checkout process on an e-commerce website, guide users through a linear sequence of steps (shipping address, payment method, review order) without allowing them to skip ahead or go back unnecessarily.
In a mobile app onboarding flow, present a series of screens that walk users through the key features and functionalities, without overwhelming them with too many options or menus.
When setting up a new account or profile, break down the process into a step-by-step wizard, ensuring users complete each step before moving to the next.
- Feedback loops are also highlighted as a persuasive design technique that can enhance the effectiveness of prompts. By providing users with prompt feedback as they interact with the product or service, they can adjust their behavior and future actions more easily, increasing their ability to respond to subsequent prompts.
In a fitness tracking app, provide real-time feedback on the user’s progress towards their daily goals (e.g., steps taken, calories burned) as they engage with the app.
On a language learning platform, offer immediate feedback on the correctness of user responses, along with explanations and suggestions for improvement.
In a project management tool, display visual cues (e.g., progress bars, color-coded statuses) to indicate the completion status of tasks and milestones as users interact with the interface.
Putting It All Together: Crafting Irresistible Experiences
But the true power of the Fogg Behavior Model lies in its ability to bring all of these elements together — motivation, ability, and well-timed prompts — to create truly irresistible user experiences.
- Imagine a fitness app that taps into your sensational motivations with gamified challenges and rewards, while also fostering a sense of social belonging through community features and leaderboards.
- Now, imagine that this app also simplifies the path to action by providing personalized workout plans, step-by-step guidance, and seamless integration with your wearable devices.
- Finally, imagine that this app delivers perfectly timed prompts — gentle nudges that arrive just when you need them most, whether it’s a reminder to log your daily activity or a motivational message from a friend or coach.
That’s the power of the Fogg Behavior Model in action — a potent combination of motivation, ability, and well-timed prompts that can transform even the most daunting tasks into irresistible experiences.
The Art of Simplicity
We humans are hardwired to seek out the path of least resistance.
We have a limited cognitive load, and we despise anything that forces us to think too hard or expend too much mental effort.
It’s a harsh truth, but one that we must embrace if we want to craft truly compelling user experiences.
That’s where the power of simplicity comes into play.
By reducing friction, minimizing cognitive load, and making our products and services as effortless as possible, we can unlock a world of possibilities for user engagement and behavior change.
Minimizing Cognitive Load
One of the most effective ways to simplify the user experience is by minimizing cognitive load.
And there’s a wealth of persuasive design techniques at our disposal to achieve this goal.
From limited choice and tunneling (which guide users through a focused sequence of steps) to chunking and sequencing (which break complex tasks into manageable chunks), these tactics can help reduce decision paralysis and cognitive overload.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
We can also leverage the power of priming effects — making certain concepts or ideas more accessible in the user’s memory by exposing them to related stimuli. For example, showing images related to a product before asking users to make a purchase decision can prime them and make the decision feel more intuitive — recognition over recall—humans are better at recognizing things from a list or set of options than recalling them from memory. Providing users with multiple-choice options instead of open-ended fields can reduce cognitive load by leveraging this bias — and intentional gaps — the human tendency to be motivated to complete tasks that are left incomplete or have gaps. By intentionally leaving small gaps or steps incomplete in a process, designers can leverage this bias to encourage users to continue engaging and completing the full process — to tap into our users’ innate cognitive biases and make their interactions with our products feel effortless and intuitive.
Simplifying Behavior
Of course, simplicity isn’t just about reducing cognitive load — it’s about making the desired behavior itself as frictionless as possible.
And that’s where techniques like limiting physical effort, avoiding social deviance, and leveraging social proof and mimicry come into play.
Think about it: if a behavior requires significant physical exertion or goes against social norms, it’s inherently less simple — and therefore less likely to be adopted.
But by making that behavior feel more natural, more intuitive, and more aligned with social cues, we can dramatically increase the chances of user adoption.
And let’s not forget the power of simulation and self-monitoring.
By providing users with real-time feedback and enabling them to observe the link between cause and effect — such as on a fitness app that tracks exercise progress and weight loss — we can make even the most daunting, non-routine behaviors feel approachable and achievable.
The Scarcest Resource
But perhaps the most powerful aspect of simplicity lies in understanding our users’ scarcest resources at any given moment.
Because here’s the thing: simplicity is a function of context.
For some users, time might be the scarcest resource, while for others, it’s money or cognitive bandwidth.
And as product leaders, it’s our job to identify those scarcest resources and design experiences that cater to them.
That’s where Fogg’s six factors of simplicity come into play — time, money, physical effort, brain cycles, social deviance, and non-routine.
- Time: If a target behavior requires a significant amount of time that the user does not have available, then it is not perceived as simple.
- Money: If the target behavior requires money that the user does not have, then it is not simple for them. Conversely, for wealthy users, money can simplify their lives by allowing them to save time.
- Physical effort: When a behavior demands substantial physical effort, it becomes less simple to perform.
- Brain cycles: Behaviors that require a lot of mental effort or cognitive load are perceived as less simple. Users prefer actions that don’t make them think too hard.
- Social deviance: People generally prefer to follow social norms and avoid actions that deviate from accepted social behavior. Socially deviant behaviors are seen as less simple.
- Non-routine: Humans find routine behaviors simpler because they are accustomed to them. Non-routine or unfamiliar behaviors are perceived as more complex and difficult.
By understanding these factors and how they impact our users’ perception of simplicity, we can craft experiences that feel effortless and intuitive, no matter the context.
The Power of Prompts
But simplicity is just one piece of the puzzle.
To truly unlock user behavior, we need to combine it with the power of well-timed prompts and motivation matching.
Because let’s face it: even the simplest behavior won’t occur unless it’s prompted at the right moment, when motivation and ability are both high.
That’s why it’s crucial to understand the different types of prompts — sparks, facilitators, and signals — and how to wield them effectively.
- Spark prompts can ignite motivation, tapping into our users’ hopes, fears, and emotional drives.
- Facilitator prompts can simplify behavior, making it easier for users to take action when motivation is high but ability is low.
- Signal prompts can act as gentle reminders, keeping users on track when both motivation and ability are already in place.
Motivation Matching and Riding the Motivation Wave
But perhaps the most powerful aspect of prompts lies in their ability to capitalize on motivation waves — those fleeting moments when our users are primed and ready to take action.
Because motivation doesn’t come in a steady stream.
It ebbs and flows, rising and falling like the tide.
As product leaders, it’s our job to catch those waves at their peak, delivering prompts that resonate and inspire action.
That’s why it’s so crucial to match our behavioral goals with our users’ existing motivations, rather than trying to layer motivation on top of something they don’t already care about.
And when those motivation waves do crest, we need to be ready to act — breaking down complex tasks into manageable steps, prioritizing competing behaviors, and delivering prompts that feel like a natural extension of our users’ desires and aspirations.
In conclusion, by simplifying behaviors, reducing cognitive load, and influencing action through prompts and motivation matching, we can create products that drive user engagement and behavior change. Remember, simplicity is key, and by understanding individual simplicity profiles and motivation waves, we can design products that make it easy for users to take action.
