Designing Decisions

My Financial Experience Design Conference Keynote discussing how to leverage psychology to simplify consumer choices.

How to Simplify any Experience

“Make it simple!” How many times have you heard that during a design critique, or seen it in a creative brief? As designers, we’re constantly aiming to deliver “simplicity.”

There’s no question that simplicity can make the difference between a good experience and a bad one.  Most of our users lead busy, complicated lives and they’ve been conditioned to expect the most from their digital experiences.

But, even though teams and stakeholders can quickly align around “simplicity,” it’s too vague to be an actionable goal. And if that wasn’t bad enough,  a superficial understanding of simplicity can result in experiences that are more complicated and frustrating.

If we want to design for simplicity, we have to understand exactly what it is, and how it translates to our users’ experiences. What makes an experience “simple” to them?

What is simplicity?

When we start by considering our users, we see there is one, overarching principle that governs simplicity:

An experience will only feel simple if it requires less effort than other similar experiences a user has encountered. Now, to continue clarifying our understanding, we can even break down the concept of effort a bit further. There are three types of effort that usually account for most of the friction in our experiences, they are: visual (or perceptual) effort, workflow related effort, and cognitive effort. Let’s review them:

Visual or Perceptual Effort

Perceptual simplicity relates to how quickly users perceive order and meaning when they first interact with an interface. Relevant content and functionality should be clearly identifiable. And, unnecessary elements should be removed, so users can quickly scan for what they need.

To achieve this kind of simplicity, screen elements must have a clear sense of hierarchy or visual weight in relationship to other elements. Designs should incorporate grouping techniques, like enclosing related elements within a visual boundary or cluster. 

Perceptual simplicity is a very powerful method to reduce visual effort. Experiences that lack perceptual simplicity make users work unnecessarily hard when they first encounter a product. Users may take this as a sign that the rest of the product will be complicated to use, or worse, that little attention to detail went into its construction. It may feel unprofessional or untrustworthy.

In many circumstances, reducing visual effort is the first simplification strategy you should implement, but, don’t stop there!

Workflow-related effort

Complex workflows make users expend too much time and physical effort to complete tasks. They often require steps that feel unnecessary. Think about filling out a lengthy lead-generation form just so you can download PDF, or search tools that ask you to set up overly specific search parameters before you see your results. Workflows like these don’t feel simple.

Complicated workflows may also make users traverse the interface in ways that feel cumbersome, like pressing a series of buttons or links that seem to be randomly distributed across the screen. In contrast to perceptually effortful experiences, features and content within a complex workflow may not be difficult to decipher, but they feel laborious or tedious to interact with.

The goal of workflow simplification is to create “streamlined” experiences that deliver the speed and immediacy users love. Streamlined experiences show users that you respect their time. Of course, reducing workflow effort, like other approaches to simplicity, takes ruthless prioritization and reduction of elements, and making smart assumptions about your users.

Here are two approaches to workflows. To get a Renters Insurance quote from many established insurance carriers, like the one above, you’ve got to provide dozens of pieces of information across a number of discrete steps.

By contrast Jetty, the insurance upstart, leverages data to reduce user effort. You can get a quote after filling out just two required fields. Jetty is not a client, but they appear to understand how workflow simplicity can help drive business.

Cognitive effort

Cognitive effort is the third and most taxing type. People experience cognitive effort as conscious uncertainty and confusion, when they don’t know how to interact with your interface in a predictable way to accomplish their goals. This might mean they have to guess if something’s unfamiliar, or remember a piece of information they’ve forgotten.

Example #1: If a button has a vague label, your user doesn’t know what will happen when they tap it. Having to guess means they’re expending cognitive effort.

Example #2: If an onboarding tutorial spells out all the details of how an interface works at once, users have to remember them all when they actually get the chance to use it.  

This tutorial from American Express has questionable value for cardholders who want to learn how to read their statements and track their activity, mostly because they’re not likely to remember each of the eight functions described after they close it. To American Express’ credit, just including a tutorial is a step in the right direction in helping users understand various functionality. In our expert opinion, a better tutorial approach would offer individual, contextual hints as users engage with the screen, prioritizing features they are likely to need first.

Here’s the thing: people want to avoid cognitive effort as much as possible. They have limited time and energy to spend on a tasks, and bumping up against these limits is unpleasant.

Experiences that don’t require a lot of cognitive effort feel intuitive and familiar because they’re predictable. They don’t require a lot of thinking or interpretation. They use clear, precise words to describe concepts. And because they don’t make users hold anything in their memory, they’re free to engage in the flow of using the app.

Making Trade-offs

For many designers and stakeholders, simplicity evokes images of sparse and minimalist interfaces. While it’s true that reduction of UI elements can create a simple experience, it’s only part of the story. Deconstructing simplicity into three dimensions: perceptual, workflow, and cognitive helps designers take a more holistic approach to simplifying their products.

Each one of these three dimensions are often interconnected. Because design decisions often have unintended consequences, we need to be conscious that our decision to simplify one dimension effort may result in increased complexity of another. Our goal should be to simplify the aspects of the experience that cause the most friction for our target users.

For example a design may achieve perceptual simplicity by hiding a list of links behind a menu item. But, requiring users to interpret if that menu item is the right place to look for the link in the first place, the choice actually increases cognitive effort. 

Kayak simplifies its global navigation by nesting secondary functions under “More,” however, few users are likely to know that Guides are located here.

Likewise, you might increase workflow effort by ordering an unfamiliar task across multiple steps. Such an approach might make this task more approachable by increasing cognitive and perceptual simplicity. This is the approach Lending Tree takes with their mortgage loan application. 

In this example, users are confronted with a single question at each step, and select from a set of clear, predefined answers. This design approach makes an intimidating process much more approachable for consumers who are new to the space, like someone who’s getting a quote for the first time, because they only have to focus on one concept at a time.

Where to start?

So, if optimizing one type of simplicity affects other types, how do you know where to focus your design efforts? Start by thinking about how frequently your users will engage with your tool, product or interface.

For things that they’ll interact with infrequently, like a product landing page or a consumer-facing insurance quote, visual simplicity might be a priority. Visual simplicity helps prevent unfamiliar users from being overwhelmed.

However, for experiences that users engage with frequently, exposing more information and functionality at any given step may actually create more simplicity in the long run, because it reduce the amount of steps they have to take on an ongoing basis. For expert users, visual and cognitive effort is likely to recede over time as they learn from previous experiences. For example, Lending Tree’s step-by-step loan intake might infuriate a seasoned agent who fills out a dozen applications per day, because it may feel too slow and rigid.

In the world of product design, there are rarely any perfect ways to “make something simple.” However, understanding simplicity as a function of effort and breaking down that effort into its different parts can help us to pinpoint which design solutions are best for our users.

Designing for Financial Services (UI Breakfast)

I had the pleasure of speaking with speaking with Jane Portman on the UI Breakfast Podcast on designing for the financial space.

Listen to the episode here:
https://uibreakfast.com/203-designing-for-financial-services-with-rob-gifford/

6 Keys to Help Your Messaging Catch On

If you are like many marketers, product managers, or entrepreneurs, customer adoption is on the top of your mind. Getting people to be aware of your product or message is usually the first and most important step. Harnessing customers own ability to share can help your product catch on like wildfire. But how do we do this? The STEPPS model, created by Jonah Berger, outlines six strategies that will increase the likelihood of your message spreading.

Give People Social Currency

The first principle we need to understand is that people share things that make them look good. Think about the last time you shared a piece of content on Facebook. How about the last time you shared a new app you discovered? Most likely, it was because you found it interesting or remarkable. But, lets be honest, deep down there was a part of you that also hoped other people would find you interesting by association. We are driven to acquire social currency.

Harness Prevalent Triggers

Not only do remarkable things get shared more often, but, counter intuitively, everyday things get shared even more.  For example, what do you think gets shared by word of mouth more often: Disney World or Honey Nut Cheerios?  Certainly, the fact that Disney World is much more remarkable and interesting may lead you to believe it will be shared more. However, Cheerios is actually shared much more. Why? Because people who like Cheerios are triggered to think about it much more often… every time they eat breakfast perhaps. Content or products that we are reminded of frequently are much more likely to be shared frequently. In order to share products and content, we need to embed them into peoples lives in a way that taps into everyday routines or activities.

Generate Emotional Response

Beyond remarkability or a frequency of thought, content that elicits strong emotion is more likely to be shared.  This emotion could be either positive or negative. For example a news piece about the transgressions of a pharmaceutical company may cause people to feel anger and outrage, and therefore, want to share it. However, the awe and excitement caused by a story about a scientific breakthrough may also make people want to share it. The key aspect of emotion that leads to sharability is  arousal level. Content that makes us feel depressed or even simply content are not as likely to make us want to share as those that trigger high arousal emotions.

Make it Public

People derive most of the value of products privately. When we fire up a new app on our smartphone, typically no one sees it but us. Similarly when we find a cause that we’re passionate about we often do research and donate to it on our own. When things are engaged with on an individual basis like this, they miss a powerful opportunity to be shared. Now, think about the Susan G. Komen foundation’s Pink Breast Cancer Awareness campaign. Most likely you can recall seeing a pink ribbon or another pink article of clothing representing the campaign. The brilliance here lies in making public something that is rarely talked about and, which therefore, increases its likelihood of catching on even quicker. Such a strategy harnesses people innate tendency to imitate each other.

Deliver Practical Value

Not only do people share information that makes them look good, they also share information that they believe is useful to others. This is the altruistic side of the social currency principle.  It explains why restaurant reviews and recipes are shared more on the NYTimes than articles about sports which describe what happened in a game. Reviews and recipes are actionable, they’re useful for informing people’s actions in the world. If we want our content to be shared, we need to help people understand the practical help it provides for improving their lives and potentially the lives those they know.

Embed Your Message in Stories

For most audiences, a message about our product delivered in a personal and meaningful story creates much more impact and is more memorable than simply claiming something about a product or even displaying data supporting it. Do you remember the last time a friend told you a story where a product or service was recommended or even featured peripherally? Has a co-worker ever told you about a wonderful vacation where they happened to stay in an AirBnB (or any other hotel brand)? Have you ever heard a friend rave about a particular customer service experience they had? These anecdotes stick with us and often spread beyond their originator. As long as our product was an integral part of these stories our message spread too.

Spreading your message is critical to the success of products or idea. You can harness the human tendencies outlined above in the STEPPS to spark new ideas for to marketing your product. If you’re still curious about learning more, reach out to me contacting me or read Jonah Berger’s Contagious (available on his website).

Data to Action: 4 Characteristics of Actionable Information

These days, “actionability” is one of the most over used terms in information design. Many digital products including decision support tools, personal health apps, and financial dashboards boast claims of actionability to their customers. Countless clients and executives task designers with “making information actionable”. As a result, the term has become so commonplace that it risks becoming a meaningless buzzword.  Nothing could be farther from the truth; however, in a world characterized by increasing volumes of data, actionability is only becoming a more meaningful concept. Without a level of actionability even beautifully designed information will fail to engage users and deliver its full value.

The problem is that many designers don’t have  clear guidelines for how to make information actionable. Actionability, as it turns out, is neither a mystery nor a simple unitary concept. In fact, there are four easily identifiable heuristics to test whether information will be actionable to users. Actionable information must have all of the following characteristics: relevance, specificity, insightfulness, and affordance for action. When the actionability of information is called into question, cross check with the principles outlined in the rest of this article.

Relevance.

The first and most foundational characteristic actionable information must have is that it must clearly pertain to the decision goals of your target users. Actionability exists and only exists within the context of your users making a decision or, more generally, seeking guidance. Yes, its true that some users only seek the self-understanding and or sense of control that comes from information. But, with the possibilities for apps to deliver information about nearly every part of our lives, it is more likely that your users will be interested in how this information affects a particular decision that they face. This sounds obvious, but it means we need to reverse our design process in many cases. Rather than beginning our designs with the questions of which information we can provide users and then identifying a use case for it, first we need to understand the decisions users face and identify which data can help them become more well informed. In order for us to do this we need to understand as much about users’ decisions as possible. Though it is simple to say this, it is the fundamental challenge of a product team and requires insightful user research, iterative design, and a rich understanding of subject matter.

This Epilepsy symptom tracker from PatientsLikeMe provides an example of information that is relevant for decisions. Though this information could be used in a number of ways, it is probably most useful for people who want to understand the situations that are most likely to lead to an episode of seizures so that they can avoid situations that cause it, or at least prepare for it. By stacking triggers and seizure count on top of each other, users can identify the triggers that most affect them.

Specificity.

In addition to irrelevant information, vague and general information is rarely very helpful. General imperatives or binary statements that simply imply “good” or “bad” don’t provide as much value as information that clarifies the “why” behind a message.  More specific information is more versatile because it allows users to build a deeper understanding that is relevant to a variety of situations they may encounter. Providing analysis and recommendations that are specific empowers users to have a clear course of action and derive insight into complex situations.  A personal training app that tell users to simply “work out more” will provide little help to users. It would be much more compelling to tell users how often they should exercise and which workouts might be best for them. Without specifics, information displays offer little implication for action and are unlikely to inspire the type of action we intend.

It is worth noting that relevance and specificity must be balanced. A focus on relevance will result in streamlining information while highly specific information may lead to providing more data in an interface. Again, the key to finding this balance is understanding the precise demands of the decision your high priority users face.

Insight.

Though specific and relevant information is a great starting point for actionability, many apps or software products that offer this still fail to engage users. Why? Because it doesn’t offer users new insight about themselves or their situation. When we receive information that allows us to understand our situation deeper or in a different way we pay closer attention to it. As a result we behave differently and are more motivated towards action. For example, most working adults already know they should save more money for retirement; however, a dynamic visualization like the one found on Betterment.com enables you to understand the real impact saving extra money each month will have on your retirement. For example, I can see the surprisingly large effect that saving an extra $1000 per month will provide me when I retire.

Implication for action.

Finally, in order for information to be clearly actionable, its implications for how to be used should be clear and prominent. In other words, it should afford action. For many new and intermediate users, relevant and specific data is not enough to deliver on the value of information. Without providing an answer to “What do I do with this?” or “What should I do next?” many users will not be helped by your app and it will fail to generate repeated use.

Take for example, Apple Health. Upon opening Health, many users will be pleasantly surprised to see that their smart phone also doubles as a wearable fitness tracking devices. Indeed, it presents a beautiful visualization outlining very specific activity. On further investigation, one has to wonder how useful this dashboard actually is. I can see that I have 1794 steps so far (at 3:20pm) today and that this amount is little more than half my daily average. But this data fails to provide me with clarity on what to do next. I am left wondering if I should I walk more and how increasing (or decreasing) my activity will affect my health? Visualizations like Apple Health’s are silent on these questions and, therefore, engagement can fall flat.

Transforming data into actionable insights is complex. This complexity often gets glossed over due to relying on a single overused term. However, you can begin to understand how to increase the actionability of your app’s information by asking yourself if it is relevant to your users’ goals, specific enough to provide guidance, contains novel insights, and clearly points them towards a desired action. If you can answer yes to all these questions you’re on your way to helping users get the most out of the data you offer them.

Leveraging Goals and Challenges to Change Behavior

Getting behavior change right is tough in any domain, but in Digital Health it's even more important. My 4 step framework walks you through how you can create effective digital goal programs that encourage lasting behavior change from users.

Leveraging Goals to Drive Behavior Change from Rob Gifford

5 Ways to Improve the Health Insurance Exchange Experience

Health insurance is complex and intimidating - the introduction of private exchanges means more choice for consumers, but is that a good thing?  With 70% of employers preferring to offer benefits through private exchange, employees will soon have both the opportunity and the burden of choosing their own insurance package after navigating through the sea of information available. A good user experience can help employees to make sense of all the complex data and feel empowered, not discouraged, by the process and results.

Insurance plans have dozens of different attributes from various co-pays and deductibles, to policies surrounding in-network vs. out-of-network coverage, which can make comparing plans difficult for employees. Beyond the confusion and anxiety that may arise, when people are confronted with too many options, they are less likely to be satisfied with the choice they’ve made. Members are more likely to regret their decision because they easily imagine a scenario where they had chosen a different plan with better coverage or a lower price tag. Great member experience and robust exchanges can live in harmony, however. Here are five ways to simplify the insurance exchange experience for new members.

1. Apply the Decision Complexity Matrix to Understand Users’ Needs

Fortunately, with a strong understanding of our users we can help to reduce confusion and empower consumers in their decision making.  One tool we can use is a Decision Complexity Matrix, which helps us to pinpoint where complexity resides with the particular user population we’re designing for.  Complexity can arise because users who are new to exchanges have little prior knowledge or expertise choosing plans. The complexity of the decision itself depends on how many plans are available to choose from, how many facets there are to each plan, and the similarities between plans.

Complexity is determined by the ability of decision maker and simplicity of options.

2. Employ Visual Hierarchy to Tell Users What’s Important

When complexity arises from the consumers’ lack of experience, we need to design solutions that help them to construct preferences around their health coverage.  One fundamental way to achieve this is through the visual design of plan information. Greater visual emphasis on the information that matters most will increase its importance in the decision maker's mind By identifying and emphasizing key plan facets that are likely to increase satisfaction, we can nudge those who are unfamiliar towards weighing the appropriate attributes in their choice.

Plan summaries should highlight the most important data

3. Use Informative Content and Visual Guides

Another way to help consumers construct preferences is by educating them about the domain of insurance. Avoid throwing users in head first into industry terminology, rather, assume that they need things spelled out for them. Informative content and visuals should guide users through concepts that industry insiders take for granted like deductibles, co-insurance, and max out-of-pocket. Illustrate the impact that particular choices will have on actual members’ lives.

4. Offer a Few Meaningful Choices for Coverage

Regardless of the level of expertise that consumers have, choosing insurance is simply a complex task. Confronted with the dozens of plans, people are likely to look for shortcuts to eliminate as many plans as they can because the work of evaluating them is tedious and confusing. The first thing exchange designers can do is to pair down the number of plans offered. Focus offerings on a few meaningful choices of plan rather than offering every possible configuration of benefit.

Oscar health does a great job of restricting option to a meaningful range of price points.

5. Do the Heavy Lifting for Users

One way to pair down plans while retaining a vast base of offerings is to employ recommendation agents. These interactive guides can help to tailor offerings to the particular needs of each user. Good recommendation agents help the system understand user’s preferences by asking questions in plain language, as well as, employing data gathered through other means like customer’s historical utilization or purchases from members like them. With this data in hand, the system can do the tedious work of evaluating plans nearly instantly.  It is important to note that users will have greater trust in recommendations that display a level of transparency about why plans are recommended.

Oscar health does a great job of restricting option to a meaningful range of price points.

Create Empowered Customers that Don’t Feel Dumb

Insurance exchanges offer great potential for customers, however, developers of  these exchanges need to remember that more isn’t always better. By understanding users, offering decision support tools, and designing information so it easy to comprehend we can create better experiences for customers and increase their satisfaction with their decisions.