Evil by Design

Book excerpt: How to make customers feel good about doing what you want Learn how companies make us feel good about doing what theywant. Approaching persuasive design from the dark side, this bookmelds psychology, marketing, and design concepts to show whywe’re susceptible to certain persuasive techniques. Packedwith examples from every nook and cranny of the web, it provideseasily digestible and applicable patterns for putting these designtechniques to work. Organized by the seven deadly sins, itincludes: Pride — use social proof to position your product in linewith your visitors’ values Sloth — build a path of least resistance that leads userswhere you want them to go Gluttony — escalate customers’ commitment and useloss aversion to keep them there Anger — understand the power of metaphysical argumentsand anonymity Envy — create a culture of status around your product andfeed aspirational desires Lust — turn desire into commitment by using emotion todefeat rational behavior Greed — keep customers engaged by reinforcing thebehaviors you desire Now you too can leverage human fallibility to create powerfulpersuasive interfaces that people will love to use — but willyou use your new knowledge for good or evil? Learn more on thecompanion website, evilbydesign.info.