Designing with Social Persuasive Techniques

6 min readApr 20, 2021

There’s a lot to take into consideration when designing for users. Users are not always going to behave in the way you want them to, so sometimes you need to give them a little nudge. While there are several persuasive UX patterns, Robert B. Cialdini names six as his principles of persuasion, which this article will focus on. They are reciprocation, social proof, authority, liking, scarcity and commitment, and consistency.

Reciprocation

According to the rule of reciprocation, a person on the receiving end of a free gift or favor should repay who they got it from. People don’t like being indebted to others so they are highly likely to return the favor.

Reciprocation is seen all over the place, usually on the sites that offer digital content as free gifts, such as ebooks, UI Kits, and case studies. The Interaction Design Foundation offers a free e-book for new designers as well as free learning material every week. After getting these free materials, the user may at some point be asked to subscribe to the paid classes in which they would feel more inclined to subscribe as a way to return the favor.

Tips on applying reciprocity to design

When it comes to asking for something from the user, it’s especially important to show value first. Provide users with content they find useful and valuable for free. The value is especially important, as the more valuable the user perceives the item to be the greater they feel obligated to give back. When it comes to an app, rather than asking a user to allow notifications and permissions upfront, make sure they know the value of the app beforehand

Social Proof

The social proof principle says that people look to others as a way to figure out how to act. It’s common that people are inclined to follow the behaviors of others, especially in new and unfamiliar situations. People want to follow societal norms.

Users are likely to gravitate to a product because everyone else is using it. Invisionapp boasts of having 7 million people use its program as well as lists several huge, well-known companies. To the user, this says that the product must be good since so many people and companies they admire use it.

Product pages on e-commerce sites are generally full of social proof patterns. Best Buy’s product page includes a list of products people also bought, products people ultimately bought, star ratings, and reviews as powerful ways to influence the purchasing decisions of the buyer.

Tips on applying social proof to design

There are several techniques that can be used to show social proof and they should be used to increase the credibility of the site as well as encourage users to take action. Because there are so many different ways to apply social proof, it's important to not go overboard and overwhelm the user. User testing, as well as A/B testing, should be done to determine which elements are working. Social proof also needs to be truthful as people are not stupid. People are always skeptical about the sites with 5/5 stars and all-perfect, overly enthusiastic reviews of how amazing the product is, as it does not appear credible.

Authority

People are raised to be compliant to authoritative figures, such as teachers, law enforcement, doctors, and parents. Its human nature for people to follow and trust those in a position of power or perceive as being an expert.

Including images of the experts who own, advise, endorse or have some relation to the product is a common way the authority principle is used. Joyable, an app for depression and anxiety, uses this principle by showing the doctors who helped to build the app as well as using terminology such as “world’s leading experts”.

Tips on applying authority to design

The three factors that trigger authority are title, clothes, and trappings. Use quotes, reviews, endorsements, or testimonials from celebrities, experts, authoritative figures (doctors, lawyers, law enforcement), and high-level positions. The authoritative figure needs to be relevant to the industry for it to be effective. Incorporate any awards, associations to prominent companies, brands as well as badges that show compliance to industry standards. Imagery as well as giving a professional look and feel to the website or app will also express authority.

Liking

People are more influenced and favorable to those they like as opposed to those they don’t like. What factors influence someone or something’s likeability? The most obvious ones are being a friend or family member. But other than that, people are more likely to find someone more likable if they are attractive, have a positive attitude, are similar, and share similar values, and give compliments.

On the ‘About Us’ page, Mural shows their team using their product during a conference call. This gives the user a behind-the-scenes look at doing something they can relate to, especially during the pandemic, and humanizes the people behind the product.

Tips on applying likability to design

When it comes to an app or website, one of the first ways to ensure likability is to make sure the interface is attractive. Attractiveness is different depending on the target audience, but for the most part, users prefer a clean interface that makes use of whitespace. Following common UX patterns will help to ensure the product is familiar and making sure the product is accessible and inclusive will reflect on the values.

Scarcity

When something appears to have limited availability or in high demand, people perceive it as being more valuable.

This principle is commonly used in e-commerce. Udemy, a platform that sells online courses, will advertise its classes, often over $100 at low prices over 80% off but only for a few hours. Once the time is up, the classes go back up to their original price. The deal looks so good and users are pressured to act now, as it can be a while until they go on sale again.

Tips on applying scarcity in design

Scarcity is a commonly used motivator to get users to take action as well as increase the perceived value of a product. It’s important to be transparent as possible, such as showing how much time is left and how many items are left, or risk being seen as manipulative. Even when scarcity does use correct data, users may still find it manipulative so its important to test its effectiveness.

Commitment and Consistency

People want to be consistent in their decision-making. Many strive to be consistent in their words and actions, and will often go to great lengths to keep up this appearance.

Platforms often get users to commit to a free trial before making a purchase. On the site for Sketch, the main CTA says “Try for Free”. Once the trial is up, the idea is that the user will commit to the purchase to stay consistent with their commitment.

Tips on applying commitment and consistency in design

When using the commitment principle, the initial commitment should be very low-stakes and easy to do. It's important to start slow and build up, especially if something is a big commitment. By building a relationship with the user, they are also building trust and will be more likely to take bigger risks. In an app, this principle should be used before getting them to sign up as sign up isn’t necessarily a low stake effort.

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