You don't need to manipulate to influence users' decisions
#60: The art of coaxing users' decisions without unethical practices
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You don't need to manipulate to influence users’ decisions
As designers, we have many ways to influence user behavior and decision-making. One example is the Hooked Model, which I wrote about some time ago. Methods like this can be used for good purposes, such as improving the user experience, helping users make decisions more easily, or speeding up a process. But they can also be used in more harmful ways, manipulating users to maximize benefits for the organization.
In this article, I’d like to focus on the first, more ethical goal and introduce you to a method that, while it influences user decisions, still respects their freedom of choice. It is based on the idea that any influence should always come with a benefit for the user. I'm talking about subtle nudges that support decision-making.
What are nudges?
Nudges are subtle prompts or suggestions in an interface, grounded in behavioral economics. Subtlety is the key word here, because unlike manipulative dark patterns, nudges influence user decisions in a non-intrusive way that does not exclude other options. They serve more as a form of support, increasing the likelihood of guiding user behavior through encouragement rather than pressure.
The term was introduced by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, who described Nudge Theory in their book Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
Benefits of nudges
Well-designed nudges have a positive impact on the user experience. Implementing them in a product helps users make decisions more easily, especially when they feel uncertain, which shortens the time needed to take action. They also help reduce cognitive load and increase the sense of control, making users feel that they are making informed and meaningful choices.
This also benefits the organization, as it leads to higher conversion rates, greater engagement, and improved user retention. In addition, satisfied users are less likely to contact support, which helps reduce operational costs. As a result, both users and the organization benefit from improved usability and overall satisfaction.
How does it work?
As mentioned earlier, nudges are based on behavioral economics. This field assumes that people often do not make fully rational decisions, and their choices are strongly shaped by context and subtle cues that can gently influence their behavior.
Nudges are processed through what Daniel Kahneman described as System 1 in the brain. This system is responsible for fast, intuitive, and automatic thinking that dominates everyday decision-making. Nudges work by leveraging natural patterns of human thought and cognitive biases that the brain uses to simplify decisions, while still offering users complete freedom of choice. These include, among others, default bias, social proof bias, anchoring bias, loss aversion, and framing bias, as well as heuristics like availability and representativeness.
You can learn more about cognitive biases in this article:
In addition, nudges rely on choice architecture, which refers to the structure in which users make decisions. As designers, we have a strong influence on this structure, sometimes even without realizing it. The way options are presented, default settings, the order of information, and the language used all shape the decisions users make.
Examples of nudges
Let’s take a look at the moments in a user journey where nudges can be particularly helpful. In fact, nudges can be applied in almost any situation where a user has to make a decision. To make this easier to understand, I’ve selected a few of the most common examples:
Choosing a subscription
When selecting a subscription plan, a nudge might include highlighting one of the plans as the most popular or offering the best value for money. It could also involve showing how much the user can save by choosing an annual payment or preselecting the plan that offers the best benefits.
Choosing a course
In the case of online courses, a nudge could be a message showing how many users recommend the course or that it’s a perfect match for your level. In learning platforms or fitness-related apps, nudges might include gamification elements that encourage users to stay active and keep making progress, whether in a course or a workout.
Selecting a product or product options in online stores
Similarly, when choosing a product in an online store, nudges can include things like social proof, such as user recommendations or showing how many units have already been purchased.
Choosing a bank account or financial services
In financial products, default options can be a powerful nudge. For example, a basic account or savings-related features might be selected automatically. Nudges can also involve visualizing how much money a user could save by choosing a particular plan, or showing progress toward a savings goal to encourage further contributions.
Selecting flight options
In the context of travel or flights, nudges might include preselected travel insurance, limited seat availability messages, or suggestions for additional services that others commonly choose.
Forms and configurators
Forms and product configurators also benefit from nudges, especially when using smart defaults that simplify the process. This might include setting a default country or language, or automatically selecting the most common options based on user data. Other helpful elements include clearly separated sections and progress bars that guide users through more complex forms.
What types of nudges can we use?
Let’s now look more broadly at the types of nudges that can be applied in user interfaces. Here are a few examples:
Microcopy that encourages users to choose a digital option over a paper one, or informs them that most people take a certain action or make a particular choice
Default selections in forms
Visual highlighting of suggested options, such as colored borders or larger sizing
Showing which products are most often chosen by other users
Breaking down complex processes into smaller, easier steps
Product recommendations
Emphasizing primary buttons
Personalization that helps users make decisions by tailoring content to their preferences
Strategies for successful nudge implementation
You probably will not be surprised to hear that effective implementation starts with understanding the context and goals of both the user and the organization. As an organization, we need to know what we want to achieve by adding nudges, whether it is simplifying a process, increasing conversions, or encouraging users to change their behavior. It is important that the goal also aligns with the user’s interests, such as promoting more physical activity. We also need to understand what decisions the user must make, at what point, and whether they might have any doubts, as well as the conditions under which they make these decisions, for exampl,e if they are stressed or tired.
Once we know what we want to achieve, we choose the appropriate type of nudge. This could be manipulating default settings, using social proof, changing the framing, or reorganizing the visual hierarchy. Each of these nudges relies on different psychological mechanisms that help us reach the intended goal. Commonly used methods include the Behaviour Change Technique Taxonomy and the NUDGES framework. These tools help us select the right psychological mechanism and adapt it to existing patterns, maintaining system consistency.
After selecting the appropriate mechanisms, we should apply them in a way that is subtle and unobtrusive. Despite the suggestion, users should still have the freedom to choose, not feel pressured, and not be manipulated for the organization’s benefit. Nudges are meant to improve users’ decisions, not deceive them. Users should always benefit from the use of nudges.
Finally, we need to test whether our solution achieves the intended goals and iterate if the results are not what we expected.