Persuasive technology

Discussion articles

• 10 ways computers manipulate people
  My most recent captology course at Stanford focused on 10 ways computers manipulate people. Some of these are discussed briefly here.

• Captology: computers as persuasive technologies
  The Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab creates insight into how computing products--from websites to mobile phone software--can be designed to change what people believe and what they do.

• Persuasive architecture: how to get your visitors to take action
  The best constructions out there do more than just arrange space so you can figure out where you can go; they are built to help you go where you need to go--as that is understood both by you and the architect--in a way that appeals and delights.

• Persuasive navigation
  Persuasive navigation is navigation that persuades a user to do something. That something can be anything that you want the user to do--buy a product, sign up for a newsletter, or download a game. By understanding user needs and matching them up with business goals, you can persuade users to go where you want them to go, making them happy at the same time.

• The five issues that persuade visitors
  Whenever visitors land on your web site, they consciously or subconsciously deal with five issues until they're satisfied, or better yet, delighted. These five issues will either induce the visitor to take the action you want them to take, or a lack of satisfaction may push them to find a competitor. None of these five issues is easy to measure. None has objective factors that are easily influenced. But all are nonetheless key to converting visitors.

• Using computer-based narratives to persuade
  In January of 2003 we began investigating how computer systems can use the power of narrative to change people’s beliefs and behaviors. Our approach was unusual: rather than using computers to change the nature of narrative, we investigated how computers can weave together sequences of interactivity and narrative (what we call 'WIN') to produce an impact more powerful than using either interactivity or narrative alone. We believe this WIN pattern has never before been investigated systematically.

Books and book reviews

• Persuasive design: new Captology book
  Review of B.J. Fogg's new Persuasive Technology book, which provides useful principles on how to think about creating persuasive design, but rarely gives detailed design guidelines. The exception is a section on enhancing website credibility.

• Review of Persuasive Technology
  We could say that Persuasive Technology is a colossal book that will change the way you view computers, but that's a lie.  The brilliance of Persuasive Technology is the way it analyses the way we already view computers.  The only difference is that in the end, you'll be aware of the hidden assumptions that drive people's computer usage, and perhaps have an idea or two on how to harness those assumptions.