Читать книгу Engaged - Amy Bucher - Страница 19

Yes, people are different from each other, but in some fundamental ways, they’re all the same. One of those fundamental ways is that all people share three universal basic psychological needs. The more these needs are supported by an experience, the more people want to engage in it. Basically, support for these needs is what makes an experience fun, interesting, or fulfilling. Because people are hardwired to satisfy basic psychological needs, they are extremely sensitive to cues in the environment that either support or thwart them.

The first basic psychological need is autonomy. Autonomy means having control and being able to make meaningful choices. Meaningful choices include which goals to pursue and, broadly, which methods to use to pursue them. Programs that dictate user goals are likely to feel less autonomy-supportive; similarly, programs that give users lots of choices that aren’t meaningful, like the color of a dashboard, won’t fill this need.

The second basic psychological need is competence. Competence is supported when people can see that they’re learning or growing with time and activity. People thrive on progress. Regular, clear feedback helps people see what they’ve done. And designers can help ensure that people make progress by identifying the obstacles stopping them from success and creating ways for them to overcome those obstacles.

The third basic psychological need is relatedness. Relatedness is satisfied when people feel part of something larger than themselves. Often, relatedness comes from one-on-one or small group relationships, but people can also get their relatedness fix from being part of a community, feeling connected to a higher power, or having an emotional bond with a pet. People are very good at creating connections, even with inanimate objects, so it’s possible to help fill their relatedness tank through technology alone.⁴

NOTE TEACHABLE MOMENTS

Part of the design process involves understanding the circumstances under which someone might use your product. Depending on what your product is intended to do, you might identify opportunities where users are more receptive to the idea of a specific behavior change. An example of a teachable moment is the aftermath of a health crisis; someone who’s just had a heart attack may be ready to consider an exercise program that seemed unnecessary before the diagnosis. On the more positive side, someone who’s just gotten a promotion and raise at work may be open to assistance in paying down student loans more aggressively. Understanding these teachable moments can inform your marketing and onboarding strategies, as well as the way you structure goal-setting within the product.