#UX impact

[thomasvanderkuijldesign]

Ontdek op Grafisch-ontwerp.org meer over het belang van gevoel in User Experience en de impact ervan op webdesign en interactieontwerp.

[undertakeruo]

GENSHIN IMPACT | EVERY ARTIFACT ARTIFACT SET (4.4 IN DEPTH) [UI • VFX + PSD]

|DRIVE CONTENT| 3* 4* and 5* Artifact Sets that exists since 1.0 to 4.4 (Feb 6th, 2024)

Adventurer´s • Archaic Petra • Berserk • Blizzard Strayer • Bloodstained Chivalry • Brave Heart • Crimson Witch of Flames • Deepwood Memories • Defender´s Will • Desert Pavilion Chronicles • Echoes of an Offering • Emblem of the Severed Faith • Exile • Flower of Paradise Lost • Gambler´s • Gilded Dreams • Gladiator´s Finale • Golden Troupe • Heart of Depth • Husk of Opulent Dreams • Instructor • Lava Walker • Lucky Dog • Maiden´s Beloved • Marechausee Hunter • Martial Artist • Nighttime Wispers in the Echoing Woods • Noblesse Oblige • Nymph´s Dream • Ocean-Hued Clam • Pale Flame • Prayers for Destiny • Prayers for Illumination • Prayers for Widsom • Prayers for Spring-Time • Resolution of Sojourner • Retracting Bolide • Scholar • Shimenawa´s Reminiscience • Songs of Days Past • Tenacity of the Milleleith • Thundering Fury • Thundershooter • Tiny Miracle • Traveling Doctor • Vermillion Relief • Viridescent Venerer • Vourukasha Glow • Wanderer´s Troupe....Oof!

[lunasilvis]

Did these! Drawing up the 1st illustrations for my recycling app for children 🌎

[glitterdustcyclops]

because i am a total nerd who actually loves their job i gotta brag for a second

so sometime...god, i think last year? at this point?? i found out about the concept of a research repository & decided to implement one for our usability team because i was basically tired of people not being able to find all of our research reports, or asking us to do projects we'd literally already done

so i took the initiative of researching research repositories (heh) from other companies, best practices, tools available, you know, i basically did a whole internal usability project with our team to design our ideal solution & presented it to IT

and it just so happened at the time i presented my findings IT was beginning to transition our internal company knowledge base from salesforce to something else, so they told me to hold off but they would make sure whatever new tool they selected would have a place for our repository

and because of corporate nonsense it took a few months so round the beginning of this year once the contracts had settled i got the green light to start figuring out how to adapt my idea to our new KB platform

and then there was another 3-4 of designing the information architecture & collaborating with the team to get all of our research migrated & tagged properly

and then another couple months of shenanigans while we waited for the company to have enough licenses for people to actually see the dang thing, but now the word is slowly spreading and it's just so so so exciting & satisfying to see more people discover it and tell me "i love this so much it makes it so easy to search a question and find data"

and our team has started using it as a hub to kind of keep all of our assorted knowledge on how to do ux research as well and i'm just 🥰

that was ME!!! i did that!!! i saw a user need and created a project to meet that need and it IS MEETING IT and that was MY WORK

HELL YEAH

[darkvolley]

Theres some kind of bigger thing here I wanna explain but Im not really sure what it is or how to explain it, but basically I think wandering around lost for three hours at 10 years old is vital to the KH1 experience

[yujofficial]

Why Your Product Is Struggling to Stand Out (And How to Fix It)

In today’s competitive landscape, standing out goes beyond unique features or cutting-edge technology. It’s about crafting a seamless user experience that truly resonates with your audience. As a leading UX design studio, we understand the importance of creating differentiated experiences that not only meet user needs but also leave a lasting impact. Explore our latest blog to learn why the right UX design approach is crucial for your product's success in a crowded market. Read the blog here.

[adityak20-blog]

Designing for Emotional Connections: Creating Engaging and Memorable Connected Experiences

You may haven’t put much thought into this, but like our fellow homo sapiens- technology, and the digital world also evoke a certain set of emotional responses within us. Consider the apps and websites that have captured your attention and become an integral part of your digital routine. What is it about them that makes them stand out? Chances are, they have succeeded in creating emotional connections through effective use of design thinking empathy.

We’re living in an era where our lives revolve around screens and technology, and creating engaging and memorable experiences is paramount. Gone are the days when UX designers were solely focusing on functionality. Today, it’s about forging emotional connections and implementing design thinking empathy that resonates with users, keep them coming back, and ultimately fosters brand loyalty.

In this blog, we will explore the art of designing for emotional connections, delving into its significance, understanding its impact on user engagement and brand loyalty, and discovering effective strategies to create engaging and memorable connected experiences.

Designing For Emotional Responses

Emotional design goes beyond mere visual appeal; it aims to evoke specific emotions and create a deeper connection with users. Emotional connections in design thinking empathy create a sense of resonance and familiarity with users. When users feel emotionally connected to a product or service, they are more likely to engage with it on a deeper level. This increased engagement leads to longer and more meaningful interactions.

Moreover, building emotional connections through conscious UX design practices leads to long-term customer relationships. Users who feel emotionally connected to a brand are more likely to remain loyal, make repeat purchases, and continue engaging with the brand’s products or services.

Take the example of a mobile app that helps people track their fitness goals. Beyond its sleek design and intuitive interface, the app incorporates motivational messages and celebrates users’ milestones with confetti animations. These small touches evoke a sense of accomplishment and joy, making users feel supported and engaged. As a result, users are more likely to stick with the app and recommend it to others.

A Guide to Emotional Connection

Design thinking empathy is more than just dabbling into aesthetics. It’s about deliberately crafting experiences that elicit specific emotions in users. It recognizes that humans are complex beings driven by their emotions, and by leveraging this understanding, a UX design studio can create meaningful and memorable experiences. To design for emotional connections, UX designers must first understand the emotional landscape of their target audience. This requires diving deep into user research and gathering insights about their desires, pain points, and motivations.

Elements that Tug at Heartstrings

Several key design elements have the power to evoke emotions and create meaningful connections. Let’s explore a few of them through relatable examples:

Color: Think about the last time you visited a restaurant with warm, inviting colors that made you feel comfortable and at ease. Colors have the ability to influence our emotions, whether it’s the tranquility of blues and greens in a meditation app or the vibrancy of reds and yellows in a playful gaming interface.

Typography: Have you ever read a heartfelt letter written in a beautifully handwritten script? Typography carries not only the message but also the personality of a design. Different font choices can evoke emotions ranging from elegance and sophistication to playfulness and warmth.

Imagery: Visuals have a powerful way of conveying emotions. Consider a travel website like AirBnb that showcases breathtaking landscapes and smiling faces. By selecting images that resonate with users’ aspirations and desires, designers can create an immediate emotional connection.

Animations: Engaging animations can breathe life into a design and evoke emotional responses. Imagine using a productivity app where checking off tasks is accompanied by a satisfying sound effect or a celebratory animation. These micro-interactions create moments of delight and make users feel rewarded for their accomplishments.

Consistency and coherence across different touchpoints are essential in design thinking empathy. Users should have a consistent emotional experience as they interact with a brand or product across various platforms and devices. This cohesion strengthens the emotional bond and reinforces the brand’s identity.

Creating Memorable Design Experiences

Designing for emotional connections is a powerful approach to creating engaging and memorable experiences. By understanding the significance of emotional design, conducting user research, leveraging key design elements, and implementing effective design strategies, a UX design company can create products and services that leave a lasting impact on users.

At YUJ Designs, we are committed to creating exceptional experiences that forge deep emotional connections between users and your brand. As the leading UX design studio in both the USA and India, we bring together a team of talented designers and researchers who are passionate about designing for emotional connections.

Let us elevate your brand’s user experience to extraordinary heights. Contact YUJ Designs today.

[milijanakomad]

Product design and psychology: Psycho manipulation techniques in gaming

Keywords: Product Design, Gaming, Psychological Manipulation Techniques, Player Behaviour, Player Engagement, Skinner Box Mechanics, Fear of Missing Out,  (FOMO) Social Pressure, Sunk Cost Fallacy, Artificial Scarcity, Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA), Pay to Win, Teasing Future Content, Locus of Control, Grinding, Loot Boxes, Gacha Systems, Zeigarnik Effect, Genshin Impact, Ethics in Game Design, Addiction in Gaming, Excessive Spending, Unfair Gaming Environment, Ethical Game Design Practices, Responsibility of Designers and Developers

Abstract:

This paper explores the implementation of psychological manipulation techniques in product design, particularly in gaming, focusing on their effects on player behaviour and engagement. The discussed techniques include Skinner Box Mechanics, Fear of Missing Out (FOMO), Social Pressure, Sunk Cost Fallacy, Artificial Scarcity, Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA), Pay to Win, Teasing Future Content, Locus of Control, Grinding, Loot Boxes, Gacha Systems, and the Zeigarnik Effect. Real-world examples, such as the game "Genshin Impact", are used to illustrate the techniques' applications. While acknowledging these methods' effectiveness in increasing player engagement and revenue, the paper raises concerns about their potential to foster addiction, promote excessive spending, and create unfair gaming environments. The study calls for ethical game design practices and highlights the designers and developers' responsibility in maintaining a balanced and fair gaming experience.

Introduction

Psychological manipulation techniques have been employed in various aspects of human life, from interpersonal relationships to marketing and advertising. Understanding these techniques can shed light on how consumer behaviour is shaped, how decisions are influenced, and how interactions are guided. In product design, these methods play a critical role, often subtly, in guiding user experience, driving engagement, and encouraging specific user actions. The gaming industry, in particular, has become adept at employing these techniques to create compelling and immersive experiences.

However, the application of psychological manipulation techniques in product design is not without controversy. Moral and ethical concerns often arise, particularly when these tactics are used in ways that can lead to addictive behaviours or unnecessary expenditure. The impact of these techniques on the mental health and wellbeing of users is a subject of ongoing discussion in both academia and the industry.

To comprehend the dynamics of these manipulation techniques, this paper delves into eleven of them, as applied in game design, with a focus on their influence on player behaviour and engagement. Importantly, each technique will be viewed from both a product design and psychological standpoint to ensure a comprehensive understanding of its implementation and implications.

The Techniques

1. Skinner Box Mechanics

In the world of behavioural psychology, the Skinner Box, developed by B.F. Skinner, plays a pivotal role. This mechanism revolves around the concept of operant conditioning, where subjects learn to associate behaviours, such as pressing a lever, with receiving rewards. Game designers have translated this concept into their work by prompting players to perform simple tasks, followed by randomized rewards, thereby creating a compulsive loop of behaviour.

This is evident in various mobile and free-to-play games, where completion of tasks results in rewards such as virtual currency, points, or character enhancements. However, the randomness of the reward sequence can lead to a compulsive cycle where players continue to perform tasks in anticipation of a potentially more substantial reward next time - an aspect that can become addictive.

2. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

The phenomenon of FOMO plays a critical role in player engagement strategies in games. Time-limited events or offers with exclusive content available only for a short duration can induce a sense of urgency and scarcity. This pressure can propel players to participate or make purchases for fear of missing out on the exclusive content.

For instance, games often introduce special holiday events or weekend sales offering exclusive items or characters. By time-limiting these events, they can stimulate a sense of scarcity and urgency, urging players to spend more time in the game or make additional purchases.

3. Social Pressure

Social dynamics are influential factors in the gaming experience, particularly within multiplayer environments. Social pressure can push players to spend on cosmetic items to maintain status within a group or use social connections to encourage continuous engagement with the game. For example, games often offer bonuses for inviting friends to join or rewarding cooperative play to capitalize on the innate human desire for social connection.

However, the potential downside of this manipulation technique lies in the pressure it may create among players to conform to group norms or expectations, potentially leading to unnecessary spending or extended playtime.

4. Sunk Cost Fallacy

The sunk cost fallacy has a profound impact on player behaviour. As players invest more time, effort, and money into a game, they are more likely to continue playing to justify their initial investment. This can be the case even if the player's enjoyment of the game decreases over time.

This phenomenon can be problematic, particularly when it encourages players to spend more money or time on a game they no longer find fulfilling, leading to potential addiction or excessive spending.

5. Artificial Scarcity

Game designers often use artificial scarcity to increase the perceived value of in-game items or characters. By limiting the availability of certain items, an illusion of scarcity is created, leading players to spend more resources to acquire them. This can have a significant impact on player behaviour, driving players to play longer hours or make additional purchases to secure these scarce resources.

While this strategy can enhance player engagement and revenue, it also raises ethical concerns about encouraging excessive spending.

6. Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment (DDA)

Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment is a technique that tailors the game's difficulty level based on the player's skill. Transparent application of DDA can enhance player engagement by providing a suitable level of challenge. However, when used non-transparently, it can be seen as manipulative, as it can be used to encourage additional spending.

For instance, making a game temporarily more challenging might push players towards purchasing power-ups or additional resources. This manipulation can create an unbalanced gaming experience, leading to questions about its fairness and ethics.

7. Pay to Win

The 'Pay to Win' model is prevalent in many games, allowing players to purchase items or upgrades that provide a significant advantage in gameplay. While this can help generate revenue for the game, it creates an uneven playing field favouring those who spend more money.

This model raises serious ethical concerns about creating an unfair gaming environment and promoting excessive spending.

8. Teasing Future Content

Teasing future content can be an effective strategy for keeping players engaged and looking forward to new additions. By giving sneak peeks of upcoming features or content, games can retain player interest, even if they may be losing interest in the current content.

However, it's important to consider the potential disappointment and loss of trust that could occur if teased content does not live up to player expectations.

9. Locus of Control

A player's sense of control over the game's environment, narrative, or outcomes can significantly enhance their engagement and immersion. By fostering a sense of agency, game designers can captivate players, keeping them invested in the game world.

However, providing an illusion of control, where the actual impact of player decisions is minimal, can lead to player frustration and dissatisfaction.

10. Grinding

Grinding, or repeating tasks for incremental gain, is common in many games, particularly in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs). The player's progress is often determined by their character's level, skills, and equipment, which are typically improved through grinding.

While grinding can provide a sense of progress and achievement, it can also lead to fatigue or boredom if not carefully balanced with other gameplay elements.

11. Loot Boxes

Loot boxes, containing a random assortment of in-game items, have become a popular mechanism in game design. They can provide excitement and unpredictability, enhancing the gameplay experience.

However, loot boxes have come under criticism due to their similarity to gambling, raising concerns about fostering addictive behaviours and encouraging excessive spending.

12. Mechanisms of Gacha

The Gacha system, named after Japanese toy vending machines, has become a pervasive strategy within the gaming industry. It operates on a 'loot box' principle, where players pay for the chance to obtain a randomized item of varying rarity. This mechanic is psychologically intriguing, as it taps into the human predilection for chance-based rewards, thereby playing a crucial role in player retention and revenue generation. The intermittent and unpredictable nature of rewards in Gacha systems makes them akin to Skinner's variable-ratio schedule, which is known to produce high rates of response, even in the absence of rewards. 

This forms the psychological bedrock of Gacha systems' addictiveness. The thrill of obtaining a rare, powerful character is essentially gambling, which is inherently addictive. Similarly, in "Genshin Impact," players can acquire weapons or characters using Primo gems (the game's currency), resulting in variable outcomes.

13. Zeigarnik Effect

The Zeigarnik effect, originally studied by Russian psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik in the 1920s, postulates that people tend to remember unfinished tasks better than they recall completed ones. The present study explores the Zeigarnik effect from two key perspectives: psychological and product design. Through the detailed analysis of real-world examples and case studies, this paper aims to provide insights into how product designers can harness the Zeigarnik effect to create more compelling, engaging, and user-friendly products. 

In the realm of product design, the Zeigarnik effect can be employed to increase user engagement and retention. One of the primary ways is by creating a sense of incompletion that motivates users to return to a product or service. 

The gaming industry is a prime example where the Zeigarnik effect is utilized. Games like Candy Crush keep players engaged by offering multiple levels that create a sense of unfinished business. The constant reminder of the pending level increases the likelihood of the user returning to complete the game.

14. Genshin Impact

In the pantheon of modern digital entertainment, 'Genshin Impact' has established itself as a monumental exemplar of the gamic medium's potential. Developed by the Chinese company miHoYo, the game has found global resonance since its release in 2020. The focus of this article is to scientifically dissect the integral components of 'Genshin Impact', emphasizing its gameplay, narrative, technological elements, and its influence on socio-economic aspects.

From a ludo logical perspective, 'Genshin Impact' showcases an amalgamation of game mechanics and systems, providing an extensive interaction spectrum for its players. As an action role-playing game (RPG), it encapsulates various interaction modalities including combat, exploration, puzzle-solving, and character development. The game's combat system relies on a character-switching mechanism that promotes strategic combination of different character abilities, while its progression system encourages continual exploration of the game's vast world.

The incorporation of 'gacha' mechanics, where players can obtain random virtual items or characters, illustrates the application of probability theory and the role of randomness in player motivation. It taps into the psychological principle of intermittent reinforcement, incentivizing continuous engagement through the thrill of uncertain rewards.

Conclusion

While the psychological manipulation techniques employed in game design can effectively enhance player engagement and generate revenue, they also pose potential risks. Fostering addictive behaviours, encouraging excessive spending, and creating unfair environments are significant concerns.

Understanding these techniques, their implementation, and their implications can inform ethical game design practices. It can also stimulate critical conversations about the role of psychological manipulation in product design and the responsibilities that designers and developers bear in ensuring a balanced and fair gaming experience. It's essential that the gaming industry continually assesses these techniques' ethical implications to provide enjoyable, immersive, and ethical gaming experiences.

References:

Fogg, B. J. (2009). A behavior model for persuasive design. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Persuasive Technology - Persuasive '09. doi:10.1145/1541948.1541999.

Skinner, B. F. (1938). The Behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.

Przybylski, A. K., Murayama, K., DeHaan, C. R., & Gladwell, V. (2013). Motivational, emotional, and behavioral correlates of fear of missing out. Computers in Human Behavior, 29(4), 1841-1848.

Cialdini, R. B. (2006). Influence: The psychology of persuasion. New York, NY: Harper Collins.

Arkes, H. R., & Blumer, C. (1985). The Psychology of Sunk Cost. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 35(1), 124-140.

Zagal, J. P., & Deterding, S. (2018). Modes of Play: A Frame Analytic Account of Video Game Play. Games and Culture, 13(8), 854–877.

Hunicke, R., LeBlanc, M., & Zubek, R. (2004). MDA: A formal approach to game design and game research. Proceedings of the AAAI Workshop on Challenges in Game AI.

Consalvo, M. (2009). Cheating: Gaining Advantage in Videogames. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Walz, S. P. (2010). Toward a Ludic Architecture: The Space of Play and Games. ETC Press.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The "What" and "Why" of Goal Pursuits: Human Needs and the Self-Determination of Behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.

King, D., Delfabbro, P., & Griffiths, M. (2011). The convergence of gambling and digital media: Implications for gambling in young people. Journal of Gambling Studies, 27(2), 193-213.

Hamari, J., Alha, K., Järvelä, S., Kivikangas, J. M., Koivisto, J., & Paavilainen, J. (2017). Why do players buy in-game content? An empirical study on concrete purchase motivations. Computers in Human Behavior, 68, 538-546.

Zeigarnik, B. (1927). Das Behalten erledigter und unerledigter Handlungen. Psychologische Forschung, 9, 1-85.

Hu, J., Gao, H., & Wang, Q. (2017). Examining digital cheating in video games from a moral perspective. Ethics and Information Technology, 19(4), 243–255.

Griffiths, M. D., & Nuyens, F. (2017). An overview of structural characteristics in problematic video game playing. Current Addiction Reports, 4(3), 272-283.

Paulus, F. W., Ohmann, S., von Gontard, A., & Popow, C. (2018). Internet gaming disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 60(7), 645-659.

Zhu, J., & Zhang, W. (2019). Arising of the ethical issues in the digital era of game industry. International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 15(1), 1-18.

[queerbaobab]

Managing anxiety as a sustainable business owner

Managing anxiety as a sustainable business owner has been a work in progress since I started Kewbie UX, my digital marketing collective, in 2022. Yes, I quit my abusive corporate job while a global pandemic raged in order to preserve my mental health. All things considered, my mental health now is far better than it was when I led a team of 20-odd financial risk research analysts in a racist…

[je-suis-tombe-sur-un-os]

FIlm: Deep Impact (1998)

[undertakeruo]

GENSHIN IMPACT | CONSTELLATIONS ASSETS [VFX]

[kreativemachinez4]

Your Website Design, UX And SEO- How They Correlate?

he design and layout of your website plays a very important role on User Experience (UX), your overall marketing strategy and conversion rate.

[anouchard]

AN EXTRA MESSAGE FOR EARLY ACCESS FOLK:

(This has no impact on any other codes)

Jkgx Kgxr4 Giikyykxy,

O nuvk 4u0 ngj l0t 2ozn zngz utk! Zngz ygoj, sg4hk "l0t" oyt'z w0ozk znk xomnz 2uxj ...

Znoy ngy tu osvgiz ut gt4 uznkx iujky, vgyz ux l0z0xk. Nu2k1kx, 4u0 ng1k tu2 nkgxj s4 lg1u0xozk susktz O ng1k k1kx xkiuxjkj. O nuvk oz yu0tjkj gy muuj zu 4u0 gy oz lkrz zu sk.

Znk xkyz ul znk iujky somnz hk yzgxzotm zu sgqk g rozzrk suxk yktyk tu2, otir0jotm znk ozgroiy. VRKGYK, ol 4u0 mkz 2ngz'y ngvvktotm, qkkv znk ykixkz lxus k1kx4utk kryk. O jut'z 2gtz zu yvuor znoy lux znks. O's y0xk 4u0 0tjkxyzgtj.

Zngtq 4u0 lux 4u0x y0vvuxz. Oz zx0r4 skgty znk 2uxrj. ❤️

Un, gryu:

T33pRJ8vsrq

6.66 - 6.6b

[evelili]

aaaand part 2

happy monday morning please participate in some totally ethical user research (part 1) xoxo

[yujofficial]

The Future is Personal: Need for AI-Driven Hyperpersonalization in Digital Products

In a world where customers demand tailored experiences, AI-driven hyper-personalization is revolutionizing digital interactions. At our UX design studio, we help businesses harness this innovative approach to create deeper connections, boost engagement, and enhance customer satisfaction. Unlock the potential of personalized experiences with a trusted UX design agency and stay ahead in the competitive landscape. Read the blog here.