What are persuasive patterns?

(Hint: they're really important for marketers, CX and UX teams)

How do we make decisions?

Behavioral scientists and cognitive psychologists have been riffing on this one for over fifty years.

It turns out that it's very rarely logic and concrete reasoning which steers our decision-making process. Who would have guessed it?!

Instead, it's a complex mix of cognitive biases, instinctive tendencies, and social cues - many of which are bubbling away without our conscious awareness.

This means that the way we make decisions is irrational, confusing and at times just plain weird. Our brains are influenced by a huge number of forces that we are barely conscious of.

In fact, as Richard H. Thaler tells us in Nudge: Improving Decisions about Wealth, Health and Happiness, there are so many things that influence our decisions that it's almost impossible to present anything in a neutral way.

If only we could tap into the unconscious and instinctive ways brains work, and design around them…

The first misconception is that it is possible to avoid influencing people's choices

Richard H. Thaler, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness

Designing for the brain...

Good news!

There are patterns in brain-behavior. These patterns show us what brains are naturally drawn to and - importantly - what persuades them during decision making.

That means that we can tap into the instinctive ways we think, and use this knowledge to guide our design. Following these patterns leads to content which is inherently brain-pleasing.

Every tiny detail - from default settings on a sign-up form, to the layout of an FAQ page - has an impact on the ways we think and the decisions we make. What if these were designed with the brain in mind?

Designing for the brain reduces any unnecessary friction in the decision-making process and makes it easier for brains to engage with choices.

This is so important that a quarter of marketing departments are set to have a dedicated behavioral scientist as part of their staff by 2022.

...with persuasive patterns

Persuasive patterns are:

Derived from human behavior. They are insights into how we subconsciously make choices and what appeals to the brain.
Elements to bring into your design to encourage users to make clearer choices.
Useful for marketers, designers, CX and UX teams who want to make their content more cognitively aware.