Psych Framework
An interesting way to quantify the unquantifiable — user’s feelings
Psych is a way to measure a person’s level of excitement about an experience, with zero being no excitement and the maximum level being very excited. Measuring psych can help with identifying and communicating about growth experiments, as well as finding new ones. Psych framework can help you re-think not only your onboarding flow, but also how returning users feel when they use your product.
Once you track psych score throughout customer journey, you will see observe both ups and downs of customer excitement.
How to use Psych Framework?
One possible way to use the concept of psych to drive growth is to track changes in a person’s level of excitement over time, using a “psych tank” visualisation tool. By analysing changes in psych, it may be possible to identify which aspects of the experience are most impactful on a person’s level of excitement, and to target those areas for improvement in order to drive growth.
It may also be possible to use psych to identify opportunities for growth by comparing the psych levels of different groups of users. For example, if one group of users is consistently more excited about the experience than another group, it may be possible to identify what is driving that difference and to apply those learnings to improve the experience for the less excited group.
Core Concepts
Psych Score — An arbitrary number that you either add / remove based on positive or negative feelings that users feel when they experience different UX elements
Psych Tank — Total psych score during the customer journey
Start with an arbtrary psych score. This need not be 100% arbritary though. For example, if a user is starting to use a B2B compliance training software, psych score is already low — there would be literally zero excitement. However, for a food delivery app, when user starts signing up users would be generally excited.
So you can start with -10 psych score on B2B compliance training product and +30 psych score on food delivery app. Starting from this score, keep adding or removing psych scores based on user interaction. This can also be used not just for onboarding flow, but also for returning users.
Starting with some data points, if possible
Imagine that a company has developed a new online platform that allows users to plan and book travel vacations. The company wants to increase the number of users and the frequency with which they use the platform, in order to drive growth.
The product team might use the concept of “psych” to measure and understand the level of excitement that users have about using the platform. To do this, they might ask users to rate their level of excitement on a scale from 0 to 10, with 0 being no excitement and 10 being maximum excitement, at various points during their experience with the platform.
By tracking changes in users’ psych levels over time, the company could identify which aspects of the platform are most impactful on users’ level of excitement. For example, they might find that users are more excited when they see a wide range of options for destinations and activities, or when they receive personalised recommendations based on their interests.
Using this information, the product team could then target these areas for improvement in order to increase users’ excitement and engagement with the platform. For example, they might add features that allow users to easily compare different vacation options, or implement a recommendation system that takes into account users’ interests and preferences.
Pitfalls
The concept of “psych” is a way of measuring and understanding a person’s level of excitement about an experience, with the goal of using that understanding to drive growth. While this approach may have some potential benefits, there are also some potential pitfalls or weak points to consider:
- Subjectivity: Measuring psych relies on subjective ratings provided by individuals, which can be affected by a variety of factors such as mood, attention, and motivation. This subjectivity can make it difficult to accurately measure and compare psych levels between different people or groups.
- Limited scope: Psych may only be relevant to certain types of experiences or products. For example, it may be less relevant for functional or utilitarian products that are not designed to be particularly exciting or engaging.
- Difficulty of interpretation: It may be challenging to interpret and use psych data effectively, as it is not always clear what specific actions or changes will result in an increase or decrease in psych.
- Limited focus on user experience: While psych may provide some insights into the user experience, it may not capture all of the factors that contribute to a person’s level of excitement or engagement. There may be other important considerations, such as usability, functionality, or price, that are not captured by psych measurements.
- Probably better for an experienced UX professionals: For an experienced UX professional, this might be a good tool as they can converge all their understandings to quantify impact on user’s psych scores. Even for them, it will be difficult to reliably cover all these UX factors
Improvements to the existing framework
Here are some potential ways to improve the concept of “psych” as a tool for understanding and driving growth:
- Use multiple methods of measurement: In order to improve the accuracy and reliability of psych measurements, it may be useful to use multiple methods of measurement, such as self-report surveys, behavioral data, and physiological measures.
- Collect data from a representative sample: In order to ensure that psych measurements are representative of the larger population, it may be important to collect data from a diverse and representative sample of users.
- Consider external factors: In order to more accurately understand the causes of changes in psych, it may be useful to consider external factors that could be impacting users’ levels of excitement, such as their current mood or external events that may be influencing their behavior.
- Use other data sources: In addition to psych measurements, it may be useful to consider other data sources, such as user feedback, usage data, and other metrics, in order to get a more comprehensive understanding of user behavior and drive growth.
Overall, by using a combination of multiple measurement methods, representative samples, and other data sources, and by considering external factors and using psych data in conjunction with other tools and approaches, it may be possible to improve the usefulness and effectiveness of the concept of “psych” as a tool for understanding and driving growth.
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