The art of deception
Users are like children. When a user interacts with an interface for the first time, they are clueless and disorientated. They are in essence, children, trying to make sense of their surrounding. And like children, they need to be guided through the entire experience one step at a time. Therefore, as interaction designers, it is our duty to understand the mindset of each type of user, and design an experience that fits all their needs.
The human brain is an amazing machine. The steady march of evolution has made it more powerful and efficient, over the years, compared to the rest of the animal kingdom. But despite it’s strength, it has it’s limitation. While our brain is amazing at processing information and giving us a desired output, if the information provided is lacking, the output can be less than desirable…. or in some cases, exactly as desired! This is where the art of deception steps in.
The user trusts the information he receives from the interface he is interacting with. A few well placed words can make the user think he’s walking away with a really good deal, when in truth, the user is merely getting the deal the website or the app wants him to take. This is no different from a con-man trying to take somebody's money while making them feel good about giving out the money in the first place. This is achieved through something known as cognitive bias.
The art lies in the way the information is doled out to the user, so that their natural intuition causes them to reach a conclusion that you desire. . The user needs to think the decision they are taking is solely their own, and they truly need to believe that what they’re doing is in their best interest. This leaves the user feeling satisfied at having bagged the best deal they can brag to their friends about.
I worked at a social media analytics startup in Mumbai, India. We had a B2B product, dubbed “Social media listening”, which provided social media analytics to SMBs (Small to mid-size businesses). Soon we developed a new product dubbed “Customer Care” which gave the ability to respond to any user that posts on the client’s brand page. Now the task was to pitch this product to the existing client base. The problem was, they were already using a software for this, and getting users to adopt a new software, especially when they already have one integrated into their existing workflow, is an enormously difficult task. To do this, it was proposed that the “Customer Care” tool be launched at the same price point as that of the Listening tool, and a special “One time offer” of both products bundled together at the same subscription price, but only for a limited time. The limited time part was fine print obviously, and because of that, the bundle looked like the best deal available. Instead of paying two subscription prices to two different companies, here they were getting everything for the price of one! only a fool wouldn’t take that deal right? Well the plan worked, and because both tools were so deeply integrated with each other, once the users adopted the tools in their new workflow, they were hooked. And the “Special one time offer” was withdrawn and users now have to pay individual subscription fees (although a little less if purchased in a bundle). The point was, it worked! and it worked well.
Everyone wants to get the best deal. Back in India, we have even coined a term for, “Paisa Vasool”, which basically means you get the most out of what you spend. Carefully structured sentences make all the difference between making a user feel like he’s being cheated or making the user feel like he bagged the best deal out there. While the ethical standpoint can be debated, there’s no denying that this marketing tactic works, and will be around for a long time.
