this stupidly simple trick helped these websites multiply their clickrates: designing for curiosity
TRANSCRIPT
this stupidly simple trick helped these sites multiply their click rates Sebastian Deterding (@dingstweets)UXI Studio, December 15, 2014
cb
Image: JosephB
*Designing for Curiosity
*
chapter 1
Storytime
exhibit #1
Curiosity** like, literally
2012: curiosity - what’s inside the cube?
In the first month:3 million users
800,000 daily active users5 billion cubes clicked
exhibit #2
CoffeCup
2010
+ 600% page views+ 300% traffic
+217% facebook fans+170% twitter followers
“Just can’t let it go. Into my third day now. Ashamed of how many hours I’ve spent.”
- paintbrush, forum user
exhibit #3
Upworthy
(1) Forbes, 2013 (2) Quantcast, 2013 (3) Quantcast, 2014 (4) The Whip, 2013
2012
Fasted growing media site in history1
6 mio. UU/m. in first 12 months1
90 mio. UU/m. in first 18 months2
79th largest US site in traffic3
3rd most fb likes/shares of any news site4
(1) Forbes, 2013 (2) Quantcast, 2013 (3) Quantcast, 2014 (4) The Whip, 2013
2012
Fasted growing media site in history1
6 mio. UU/m. in first 12 months1
90 mio. UU/m. in first 18 months2
79th largest US site in traffic3
3rd most fb likes/shares of any news site4
... with 7.5 articles per day.4(1) Forbes, 2013 (2) Quantcast, 2013 (3) Quantcast, 2014 (4) The Whip, 2013
2012
The Atlantic, 2013
HOW?*
*?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!???!??!?!???????!?!?
all about that headline
so what makes a viral headline?
Link to their guide in online slides
curiosity drivesengagement
AttentionPositive emotional brand experienceExploration, first use, signupOnboarding, learningEngagementReturn visits, re-engagementSocial sharing
curiosity can fuel ...
how to drivecuriosity?
chapter 2
How does curiosity work?
unpredictabilityCan I not reliably anticipate
the future of this?
solvabilityAm I able to resolve
that inability?
relevanceIs the ability to anticipate this
relevant to me?
curiosityunpredictable, positively relevant,
solvable, safe
safetyIs resolving this inability
dangerous?
fearunpredictable, (un)solvable, negatively relevant, unsafe
curiosity: a motive to approach novel stimuli
invitation
Links in the online version
Invitation:Click me!
Not fully predictable.
I tell you that there’s something, but not what – and it’s shocking, not what you’d expect.
Solvable.
Did I mention you can click here?Come on. You know you want to.
Relevant.
Really, it’s shocking!And its about what you would pay.
Safe.
Honestly: Clicking never hurt anyone.
chapter 3
How to designfor curiosity?
six forms ofunpredictability
Links here, just click:
Curiosity
Curiosity drives us to explore actions with potentially positively relevant outcomes we can bring about (self-efficacy) but not fully anticipate – if we get a promising invitation to do so. Careful: If we feel the outcomes might be negative or the actions unsafe, this can stoke fear instead or in parallel.
▪ How might you make the outcome positively relevant? How might you signal this to players without giving it away?
▪ How might the outcome be somewhat unanticipatable, inviting guesses to test?
▪ How might you give players confidence that they can bring the outcome about?
▪ How might you reduce (the impression of) potential negative consequences of taking the action?
Instantiations: Conflict, Hide-and-hint, Novelty, Possibility Space, Surprise, Uncertainty,
Unresolved complexity.
CUNovelty
We are curious about novel experiences: something potentially enjoyable we haven't experienced yet has us wonder: "How does it feel?" We follow a promise or surprise signalling novelty if we feel we are able and safe to do so.
▪ What experiences, interactions, content do players know and expect in the given context?
▪ What haven't they experienced they might want to know how it feels?
▪ How might you signal that the new experience exists and is enjoyable without giving it away?
▪ Do players fear the experience might be overwhelming, boring, or unpleasant? How might you mitigate those fear?
Instantiations: Novel Content, Novel Interactions, Novel Interfaces, Surprise.
CUUncertainty
We are curious about potentially positive but uncertain outcomes. Especially when we have a hypothesis, we want to test our bet on "What will happen?" and "When?"
▪ How might you make the outcomes positively relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you vary and randomise what positive outcomes follow an action?
▪ How might you randomise when an outcome follows an action?
▪ How might you help the player seek and hypothesise patterns in that randomness?
▪ How might you invite players to test their hypotheses?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can test hypotheses safely?
Instantiations: Action Probability, Betting, Hidden Information, Loot Drop.
CUHide-and-hint
We are curious about potentially relevant information and resources that are hinted at but hidden. If we know about something, but not its content, we wonder: "What is there?"
▪ What information or resources are relevant to players at this point?
▪ How might you hide their specific content away?▪ How might you hint at their existence?▪ How might you signal their potential relevance?▪ How might you help players feel that they can
follow that hint safely?
Instantiations: Cliffhanger, Fog of War, Hidden Information, Locked Abilities, Locked Content,
Locked Items, Skill Tree, Tech Tree.
CU
Unresolved Complexity
We are curious about unclear meanings or paths to a positively relevant outcome, wondering: "How do I get there?"
▪ How might you make a situation positively relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you create a complex, non-obvious path to or symbol within that situation?
▪ Do players feel confident they can find the path or mearning? If not, how might you instil that confidence?
▪ How might you offer leads that spark multiple hypotheses for paths or meanings that players want to test?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can safely test these hypotheses?
Instantiations: Puzzles, Whodunnits.
CU Possibility Space
We are curious and feel autonomous in front of an untested possibility space, wondering: "What if …?" Possibility spaces emerge from recombinable items or actions with no prescribed goals and emergent effects that feel unpredictable but over time, guessable and reliably learnable.
▪ What actions and/or items might you offer to combine?
▪ Do they produce a combinatorial explosion of possible effects that are logical but not foreseeable by you?
▪ How might you give players space, time, and license to try their own combinations?
▪ How might you give openings that suggest new combinations to try: constraints, traces of others, random suggestions, or half-begun things?
▪ How might you make testing an untried combination relevant – e.g. with novelty, competence, or self-expression?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can safely test new combinations?
Instantiations: Building blocks, Editors.
CU/AU
We are curious and get aroused over how a conflict of information or interests will resolve, wondering: "How or what will out?"
▪ What pieces of information or parties may clash in the given context?
▪ How might you make the outcome positively relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you keep the end result maximally on the edge?
▪ How might you provide and retain equally plausible scenarios supporting each information?
Instantiations: Balancing, Dramatic Conflict, Whodunnits.
Conflict CU/AR
Surprise
We feel good when our expectations are positively broken: something novel and good happens that we did not foresee. Such surprises stoke curiosity whether there might be further surprises in store, wondering: "Is there more like this?" A first surprise can thus become the hint in a hide-and-hint.
▪ What do players expect in this context (genre, level, interaction, situation, plot, menu, ...)?
▪ How might you positively break these expectations: something vastly more, better, or different?
▪ How might you first create or affirm the expectations – and then positively break them?
▪ How might you not reveal the existence of something positive for the player in your game until you surprise them with it? (Think level and interface design, but also packaging, marketing).
Instantiations: Easter Eggs, Hidden Information, Panoramic Opening, Plot Twist.
CU
We are curious and get aroused over potentially positive but uncertain outcomes. Especially when we have a hypothesis, we want to test our bet on "What will happen?" and "When?"
▪ How might you make the outcomes positively relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you vary and randomise what positive outcomes follow an action?
▪ How might you randomise when an outcome follows an action?
▪ How might you help the player seek and hypothesise patterns in that randomness?
▪ How might you invite players to test their hypotheses?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can test hypotheses safely?
Instantiations: Action Probability, Betting, Hidden Information, Loot Drop.
Uncertainty CU/AR
Novelty
We are curious about novel experiences: something potentially enjoyable we haven't experienced yet has us wonder: "How does it feel?" We follow a promise or surprise signalling novelty if we feel we are able and safe to do so.
▪ What experiences, interactions, content doplayers know and expect in the given context?
▪ What haven't they experienced they might want toknow how it feels?
▪ How might you signal that the new experienceexists and is enjoyable without giving it away?
▪ Do players fear the experience might beoverwhelming, boring, or unpleasant? How might you mitigate those fear?
Instantiations: Novel Content, Novel Interactions, Novel Interfaces, Surprise.
CU
users
users
what if?
clear: novel interactions drive engagement, discovery
do not press the red button: novel content drives engagement
timehop: novel content drives re-engagement, positive experience
mailchimp: drive re-engagement, positive experience
Surprise
We feel good when our expectations are positively broken: something novel and good happens that we did not foresee. Such surprises stoke curiosity whether there might be further surprises in store, wondering: "Is there more like this?" A first surprise can thus become the hint in a hide-and-hint.
▪ What do players expect in this context (genre, level,interaction, situation, plot, menu, ...)?
▪ How might you positively break these expectations:something vastly more, better, or different?
▪ How might you first create or affirm theexpectations – and then positively break them?
▪ How might you not reveal the existence ofsomething positive for the player in your game untilyou surprise them with it? (Think level and interfacedesign, but also packaging, marketing).
Instantiations: Easter Eggs, Hidden Information, Panoramic Opening, Plot Twist.
CU
users
user
innocent smoothies: easter eggs drive positive brand image, exploration
old navy: coupons drive exploration, sales
timehop: easter eggs drive exploration
what if you… scroll beyond the edge?!?
what if you... scroll above the edge?!?
“I wonder whatelse they’ve hidden…”
We sneakily auto-sign you up for our spammy deals newsletter because our marketing department told us to
how users typically see and expect newsletters to be
E-Mail address Register
“If it’s a secret and that much effort, it must be special...”
how you see the kickstarter newsletter
Hide-and-hint
We are curious about potentially relevant information and resources that are hinted at but hidden. If we know about something, but not its content, we wonder: "What is there?"
▪ What information or resources are relevant toplayers at this point?
▪ How might you hide their specific content away?▪ How might you hint at their existence?▪ How might you signal their potential relevance?▪ How might you help players feel that they can
follow that hint safely?
Instantiations: Cliffhanger, Fog of War, Hidden Information, Locked Abilities, Locked Content,
Locked Items, Skill Tree, Tech Tree.
CU
users
users
Hint-and-hide
upworthy: curiosity gap drives clicks, shares
crazyegg: drives sign-ups
crazyegg: drives sign-ups
command & conquer: fog of war
which is more curiosity-inducing?
okcupid: drives user input
paper: drives sales
paper: drives sales
linkedin: drives upgrade sales, re-engagement
linkedin: drives re-engagement
linkedin: drive re-engagement, shares
yahoo! news digest: drive return visits
yahoo! news digest: drive return visits
yahoo! news digest: drive return visits
yahoo! news digest: drive return visits
yahoo! news digest: drive return visits
Unresolved Complexity
We are curious about unclear meanings or paths to a positively relevant outcome, wondering: "What's the solution?"
▪ How might you make a situation positively relevant?How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you create a complex, non-obvious pathto or symbol within that situation?
▪ Do players feel confident they can find the path ormeaning? If not, how might you instil that confidence?
▪ How might you offer leads that spark multiplehypotheses for paths or meanings that players wantto test?
▪ How might you help players feel that they cansafely test these hypotheses?
Instantiations: Puzzles, Whodunnits.
CU
users
koi pond: drive exploration
dan meyer: math education
dan meyer: drive learning
dan meyer: drive learning
bbc: drive attention
ontario science museum: drive deliberation, engagement
VOTE TO SEE WHAT PEOPLE THINK
We are curious and get aroused over potentially positive but uncertain outcomes. Especially when we have a hypothesis, we want to test our bet on "What will happen?" and "When?"
▪ How might you make the outcomes positivelyrelevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you vary and randomise what positiveoutcomes follow an action?
▪ How might you randomise when an outcomefollows an action?
▪ How might you help the player seek andhypothesise patterns in that randomness?
▪ How might you invite players to test theirhypotheses?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can testhypotheses safely?
Instantiations: Action Probability, Betting, Hidden Information, Loot Drop.
Uncertainty CU/AR
magic the gathering: drive sales
neonmob: drive re-engagement, sales
neonmob: drive re-engagement, sales
neonmob: drive re-engagement, sales
neonmob: drive re-engagement, sales
Possibility Space
We are curious and feel autonomous in front of an untested possibility space, wondering: "What if …?" Possibility spaces arise from recombinable items or actions with no prescribed goals and emergent effects that feel unpredictable but over time, guessable and reliably learnable.
▪ What actions and/or items might you offer tocombine?
▪ Do they produce a combinatorial explosion ofeffects that are logical but not foreseeable by you?
▪ How might you give players space, time, andlicense to try their own combinations?
▪ How might you balance effects so that they areneither unpredictably chaotic nor predictable?
▪ How might you give openings that suggest newcombinations to try: constraints, traces of others,random suggestions, or half-begun things?
▪ How might you make testing an untried combinationrelevant – e.g. with novelty, competence, or self-expression?
▪ How might you help players feel that they cansafely test new combinations?
Instantiations: Building blocks, Editors.
CU/AU
lego: the original possibility space
spore: combinatorial explosion of possibility
spore: combinatorial explosion of possibility
spore: combinatorial explosion of possibility
spore: combinatorial explosion of possibility
people find possibility spaces everywhere
siri: drive engagement
toca hair salon: drive fun
supercook: drive engagement
possibility spaces need starting points
… like traces of others.
beats music: drive engagement, re-engagement
beats music: drive engagement, re-engagement
beats music: drive engagement, re-engagement
beats music: drive engagement, re-engagement
chapter 4
Summary
curiosity is a powerful motive...
AttentionPositive emotional experience, brandExploration, first use, signupOnboarding, learningEngagementReturn visits, re-engagementSocial sharing
… that can fuel user engagement.
unpredictabilityCan I not reliably anticipate
the future of this?
solvabilityAm I able to resolve
that inability?
relevanceIs the ability to anticipate this
relevant to me?
curiositynovel, comprehensible, positively relevant,
safe
safetyIs resolving this inability
dangerous?
fearnovel, (in)comprehensible, negatively
relevant, unsafe
stoke it by inviting to a relevant, safe, solvable unpredictability
invitation
… like novel experiences, ...
… surprises, ...
… hinting-and-hiding, ...
… unresolved complexity, ...
… uncertainty, ...
… or possibility spaces.
Surprise
We feel good when our expectations are
positively broken: something novel and good
happens that we did not foresee. Such
surprises stoke curiosity whether there might
be further surprises in store, wondering: "Is
there more like this?" A first surprise can thus
become the hint in a hide-and-hint.
▪What do players expect in this context (genre, level,
interaction, situation, plot, menu, ...)?
▪How might you positively break these expectations:
something vastly more, better, or different?
▪How might you first create or affirm the
expectations – and then positively break them?
▪How might you not reveal the existence of
something positive for the player in your game until
you surprise them with it? (Think level and interface
design, but also packaging, marketing).
Instantiations: Easter Eggs, Hidden Information,
Panoramic Opening, Plot Twist.
CU
We are curious and get aroused over how a
conflict of information or interests will resolve,
wondering: "How or what will out?"
▪ What pieces of information or parties may clash in
the given context?▪ How might you make the outcome positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you keep the end result maximally on the
edge?▪ How might you provide and retain equally plausible
scenarios supporting each information?
Instantiations: Balancing, Dramatic Conflict,
Whodunnits.
ConflictCU/ARWe are curious and get aroused over
potentially positive but uncertain outcomes.
Especially when we have a hypothesis, we
want to test our bet on "What will happen?"
and "When?"
▪ How might you make the outcomes positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you vary and randomise what positive
outcomes follow an action?
▪ How might you randomise when an outcome
follows an action?
▪ How might you help the player seek and
hypothesise patterns in that randomness?
▪ How might you invite players to test their
hypotheses?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can test
hypotheses safely?
Instantiations: Action Probability, Betting, Hidden
Information, Loot Drop.
Uncertainty CU/AR
Possibility Space
We are curious and feel autonomous in front
of an untested possibility space, wondering:
"What if …?" Possibility spaces arise from
recombinable items or actions with no
prescribed goals and emergent effects that
feel unpredictable but over time, guessable
and reliably learnable.
▪ What actions and/or items might you offer to
combine?
▪ Do they produce a combinatorial explosion of
effects that are logical but not foreseeable by you?
▪ How might you give players space, time, and
license to try their own combinations?
▪ How might you balance effects so that they are
neither unpredictably chaotic nor predictable?
▪ How might you give openings that suggest new
combinations to try: constraints, traces of others,
random suggestions, or half-begun things?
▪ How might you make testing an untried combination
relevant – e.g. with novelty, competence, or self-
expression?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can
safely test new combinations?
Instantiations:
Building blocks, Editors.
CU/AU
Curiosity
Curiosity drives us to explore actions with
potentially positively relevant outcomes we
can bring about (self-efficacy) but not fully
anticipate – if we get a promising invitation
to do so. Careful: If we feel the outcomes
might be negative or the actions unsafe, this
can stoke fear instead or in parallel.
▪ How might you make the outcome positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players
without giving it away?
▪ How might the outcome be somewhat
unanticipatable, inviting guesses to test?
▪ How might you give players confidence that they
can bring the outcome about?
▪ How might you reduce (the impression of)
potential negative consequences of taking the
action?
Instantiati
ons: Conflict, Hide-and-hint, Novelty,
Possibility Space, Surprise, Uncertainty,
Unresolved complexity.
CU
oh, and what’s with those cards?
Surprise
We feel good when our expectations are
positively broken: something novel and good
happens that we did not foresee. Such
surprises stoke curiosity whether there might
be further surprises in store, wondering: "Is
there more like this?" A first surprise can thus
become the hint in a hide-and-hint.
▪What do players expect in this context (genre, level,
interaction, situation, plot, menu, ...)?
▪How might you positively break these expectations:
something vastly more, better, or different?
▪How might you first create or affirm the
expectations – and then positively break them?
▪How might you not reveal the existence of
something positive for the player in your game until
you surprise them with it? (Think level and interface
design, but also packaging, marketing).
Instantiations: Easter Eggs, Hidden Information,
Panoramic Opening, Plot Twist.
CU
We are curious and get aroused over how a
conflict of information or interests will resolve,
wondering: "How or what will out?"
▪ What pieces of information or parties may clash in
the given context?▪ How might you make the outcome positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you keep the end result maximally on the
edge?▪ How might you provide and retain equally plausible
scenarios supporting each information?
Instantiations: Balancing, Dramatic Conflict,
Whodunnits.
ConflictCU/ARWe are curious and get aroused over
potentially positive but uncertain outcomes.
Especially when we have a hypothesis, we
want to test our bet on "What will happen?"
and "When?"
▪ How might you make the outcomes positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you vary and randomise what positive
outcomes follow an action?
▪ How might you randomise when an outcome
follows an action?
▪ How might you help the player seek and
hypothesise patterns in that randomness?
▪ How might you invite players to test their
hypotheses?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can test
hypotheses safely?
Instantiations: Action Probability, Betting, Hidden
Information, Loot Drop.
Uncertainty CU/AR
Possibility Space
We are curious and feel autonomous in front
of an untested possibility space, wondering:
"What if …?" Possibility spaces arise from
recombinable items or actions with no
prescribed goals and emergent effects that
feel unpredictable but over time, guessable
and reliably learnable.
▪ What actions and/or items might you offer to
combine?
▪ Do they produce a combinatorial explosion of
effects that are logical but not foreseeable by you?
▪ How might you give players space, time, and
license to try their own combinations?
▪ How might you balance effects so that they are
neither unpredictably chaotic nor predictable?
▪ How might you give openings that suggest new
combinations to try: constraints, traces of others,
random suggestions, or half-begun things?
▪ How might you make testing an untried combination
relevant – e.g. with novelty, competence, or self-
expression?
▪ How might you help players feel that they can
safely test new combinations?
Instantiations:
Building blocks, Editors.
CU/AU
Curiosity
Curiosity drives us to explore actions with
potentially positively relevant outcomes we
can bring about (self-efficacy) but not fully
anticipate – if we get a promising invitation
to do so. Careful: If we feel the outcomes
might be negative or the actions unsafe, this
can stoke fear instead or in parallel.
▪ How might you make the outcome positively
relevant? How might you signal this to players
without giving it away?
▪ How might the outcome be somewhat
unanticipatable, inviting guesses to test?
▪ How might you give players confidence that they
can bring the outcome about?
▪ How might you reduce (the impression of)
potential negative consequences of taking the
action?
Instantiati
ons: Conflict, Hide-and-hint, Novelty,
Possibility Space, Surprise, Uncertainty,
Unresolved complexity.
CU
oh, and what’s with those cards?
ask me about them after the talk ;-)
@dingstweets
codingconduct.cc
thank you.slides at
j.mp/uxicurious
We are curious and get aroused over how a conflict of information or interests will resolve, wondering: "How or what will out?"
▪ What pieces of information or parties may clash inthe given context?
▪ How might you make the outcome positivelyrelevant? How might you signal this to players?
▪ How might you keep the end result maximally on theedge?
▪ How might you provide and retain equally plausiblescenarios supporting each information?
Instantiations: Balancing, Dramatic Conflict, Whodunnits.
Conflict CU/AR