Nir EyalSpeaker on Behavioral Science, NYT Bestselling Author, Former Stanford Lecturer

Want to Design User Behavior? Pass the 'Regret Test' First

Name: Want to Design User Behavior? Pass the 'Regret Test' First
Uploaded: 2020-11-09T14:00:01+00:00
Duration: 44 s
Channel: Nir Eyal
Description: Nir Eyal argues persuasion techniques like streaks and variable rewards are morally neutral, but designers should use the regret test to check if they're…

9 Nov 2020 · 1 min

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Nir Eyal argues persuasion techniques like streaks and variable rewards are morally neutral, but designers should use the regret test to check if they're helping or harming. Snapchat streaks trap users into compulsive returns, while Duolingo and games for sick children show how the same tools can genuinely help.

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Snapchat's use of streaks, which tally the number of consecutive days friends have shared photos, has been criticized for conditioning teens to compulsively keep coming back to the app. But the same persuasion technique is used by the language app Duolingo to help people learning a new language. Stick with the program. The same variable rewards used to extract cash from gamblers playing electronic slot machines are also used in video games that help kids with cancer distract themselves as they receive painful treatments. Clearly, it's not the persuasion technique itself that's the problem. It's how the technique is used. But without a test to tell the difference between good and evil uses, it's easy to see how designers can go astray.