{"id":884,"date":"2019-02-20T16:52:20","date_gmt":"2019-02-20T16:52:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/grapnel.net\/blog\/?p=884"},"modified":"2019-02-21T02:28:12","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T02:28:12","slug":"positive-reinforcement-in-ux-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/grapnel.net\/blog\/positive-reinforcement-in-ux-design\/","title":{"rendered":"Positive Reinforcement In UX Design"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A guest column\u00a0 by\u00a0Sean McGowan<\/span><\/a>\u00a0about good and bad reinforcement in interface design. As we grow more accustomed to design systems like IBM Cobalt and Google Material, we grow increasingly familiar with certain types of interactions. While this can be a good thing, there is a trade-off in our expectations. We assume that every action has an appropriate reaction, and if we don’t see it are apt to grow more frustrated than in the past.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n

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\"Positive<\/p>\n

Recently, I was asked to summarise UX design in just one word. It felt like an exercise in futility \u2013 I have always maintained that UX design is a complicated, sometimes convoluted,\u00a0amalgam of differing industries, skill sets, and disciplines<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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I still do not think I have a definite answer, but there was one word I kept returning to \u2013\u00a0interaction<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Interaction is so inextricable from a platform\u2019s UX design that the term \u201cinteraction design\u201d is sometimes used as a synonym (though there are some\u00a0willing to argue the semantics<\/a>).<\/p>\n

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Poorly designed graphic aside, interaction design is key to UX (Image source:\u00a0Interaction Design Foundation<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Too often we describe the user experience as monolithic \u2014 a seamless, fluid, uninterrupted entity. In reality, that is not the case. A user experience consists of thousands of minuscule exchanges between user and platform.<\/p>\n

That is right: the fundamental unit of UX design is an interaction. That is why I find the word to be such an apt embodiment. So how do we create \u201cgood\u201d interactions? If you are looking for the simplest way to do it (and as UXers, we always are), then look no further than\u00a0positive reinforcement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What Is Positive Reinforcement?<\/h2>\n

When you think positive reinforcement, you might think of Pavlov\u2019s dogs,\u00a0the famous behavioural psychology experiment<\/a>. It was Pavlov who coined the term \u201creinforcement\u201d after he was able to condition dogs to salivate at the ring of a bell.<\/p>\n

I am sure you are familiar with the story. It is the archetypal story of classical conditioning, and the mechanism behind it was positive reinforcement. Pavlov rewarded his dogs with the ring of the bell and was able to form a habit (salivate) from it.<\/p>\n

In short, positive reinforcement is only\u00a0encouraging an action by rewarding it<\/strong>. If you mow the lawn, I will give you $20. If you hit 30k in sales, your commission rises. In short, do X and receive something good.<\/p>\n

How Do I Use Positive Reinforcement In UX?<\/h2>\n

In the UX world, we can use positive reinforcement in two ways. The first, if you are employing an unconventional design feature, a non-traditional navigation, or unfamiliar architecture, you can train your users to utilise it and master it by rewarding their interaction with it.<\/p>\n

The second, and much more widespread, application is to impose it on the platform as a whole. You are not forming a particular behavior or habit. You simply want to encourage continued and repeated use of the website or mobile app in general.<\/p>\n

To accomplish this, think back to interactions, the base unit of your platform. Try to positively reinforce the key ones by rewarding the user when they complete them, ultimately cultivating a more engaging, enjoyable experience.<\/p>\n

These rewards do not have to be lavish or complicated. They may be as simple as giving the user a clear, concise confirmation that they have completed the interaction successfully.<\/p>\n

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(Image source:\u00a0Quora<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let the user know when the form they have filled out was submitted without issue. For ecommerce sites, inform shoppers that an item has been successfully added to the cart with a short animation or overlay, or let them know what stage they are at the in checkout process with a progress tracker.<\/p>\n

Rewards in web design do not have to be fanfare or relentless, back-patting \u201cgreat job\u201ds. In UX, the best currency, and thus the best reward, is often simply\u00a0information<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The Wrong Kind Of Reinforcement<\/h2>\n

It is important to discern the difference between positive reinforcement and just providing positive feedback. Do not inundate the user with pointless, saccharine pop-ups congratulating them for every action. It could come off at best annoying, and at worst condescending.<\/p>\n

Additionally, do not refrain from informing the user when they have made a mistake. Making error messages obvious, and offering a solution, is actually positive reinforcement. Do not coddle the user. Merely point them in the right direction.<\/p>\n

Finally, since we have spent so much time discussing positive reinforcement, I would be remiss if we did not at least address the other side of the coin: negative reinforcement. If positive reinforcement is \u201cdo X to receive something good\u201d, its counterpart can be thought of as \u201cdo X to stop something bad\u201d.<\/p>\n

Negative reinforcement means that \u201csomething bad\u201d, that consequence, is already present and affecting the user. Its removal is the motivator behind the action. And while it does work in some applications, it fails in the UX domain.<\/p>\n

Do not purposefully sabotage the user by inserting a consequence, obstacle, or otherwise malevolent component to your experience to motivate them or change their behaviour. Users are fickle \u2013 they will immediately abandon the platform.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h2>\n

Positive reinforcement is the mechanism behind positive interactions, the building block of your user experience.<\/p>\n

Each interaction the user makes with your platform, no matter if it is as seemingly inconsequential as typing into the search bar or a\u00a0major process like onboarding<\/a>, is another brick in the wall of your experience.<\/p>\n

I am not saying you should run to your developers and have them pore over every pixel, optimising every interaction with a positive reward. But you should consider reviewing interactions in key processes like checkout, onboarding, or conversion, and optimising them with positive reinforcement,<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\r\n\t

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