Bridging the Desire Gap: How Empathy Can Supercharge Your Product
I never sign up for a free trial when the product asks for credit card information upfront. The reason is simple, I know I wouldn’t take the effort to cancel the subscription post the free trial and will do so only after my credit card has paid the price for my bad memory a few times. Have you ever signed up for a free trial only to realize you’ve been charged months later? Another trap I often fall into is, realize I’ve been scrolling through my Pinterest or Instagram feed for a while, completely forgetting my initial intention for a quick check-in. These experiences highlight a fascinating phenomenon in human behavior: the empathy gap.
The empathy gap refers to the disconnect between our logical understanding of a situation (cold state) and the emotional state that influences our actual decisions (hot state). As product managers, understanding this gap is crucial. Here are some interesting examples of products that have capitalized on the empathy gap.
The Temptation Trap: Single-Serve Snacks and In-App Purchases
Imagine a health-conscious consumer (cold state) meticulously planning their grocery list, opting for single-serve snack packs. This feels like a controlled, portion-controlled win. However, when a craving hits later (hot state), the convenience and smaller packaging make it deceptively easy to consume multiple packs, highlighting the gap between planned behavior and impulsive choices.
Similarly, free-to-play mobile games exploit this gap. Downloading the game feels harmless (cold state), but the in-app purchases for power-ups or cosmetic items become tempting in the heat of wanting to win or keep up with in-game progress (hot state). These products strategically leverage the gap between our initial cold state intention and the emotional pull in the hot state.
The Infinite Scroll Abyss: Social Media and Subscription Services
The examples I mentioned in the beginning regarding free trials and social media is something I’m sure everyone has fallen prey. Social media platforms are masters of exploiting the empathy gap. The endless scroll feature feels manageable in a cold state — “just a quick check.” However, the constant stream of new content feeds into our hot state desire for novelty and social validation, leading to us spending far more time than intended.
Subscription services with free trials play a similar game. Trying something new feels convenient in a cold state, but the gap underestimates the ease of forgetting to cancel before the paid subscription kicks in. This creates a cycle of unwanted charges.
Bridging the Gap: Building Empathy-Driven Products
By understanding the empathy gap, we can design products that bridge this disconnect and create a more positive user experience. The secret is how can you help users in their hot emotional state. Of course, one can argue that playing into the cold state would be more beneficial. Ultimately you have to decide the perfect balance for the user and the business.
Here are some strategies:
- Focus on Long-Term Gains: Instead of exploiting the gap to make a quick buck, consider how the product can benefit users in the long run. Design features that help users commit to future actions that align with their goals. For example, a fitness app could prompt users to schedule workouts in advance, taking advantage of their current motivation to create a future habit.
- Promote Awareness: Subtly nudge users to recognize their own potential biases. A finance app might ask users to set spending limits when they’re feeling flush with cash, prompting them to consider future financial needs.
- Offer Frictionless Opt-Out: While subscription services can exploit the gap, they can also be designed ethically. Make canceling subscriptions a simple, one-click process. This removes the hurdle caused by the empathy gap and empowers users to make informed decisions.
The empathy gap isn’t a bad thing in itself. Understanding it allows us to create products that anticipate user behavior and cater to their needs in both cold and hot states. By incorporating design elements and features that bridge this gap, we can build products that are not only successful but also user-centric and create a more positive user experience.
