This post is part of the ongoing series of reading reflections on HCI papers and articles. You can find the other posts ‘here.’
Principles and Techniques of Social Influence - Robert Cialdini (1995)
Available online at: https://osf.io/8a3es/download
The article discusses some of the most powerful principles that motivate us to comply with another’s request:
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reciprocity
“One should be more willing to comply with a request from someone who has previously provided a favor or concession.”
How it can be used/abused?
unsolicited gift, followed by a request for a favor / donation
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social validation
“One should be more willing to comply with a request for behavior if it is consistent with what similar others are thinking or doing”
How it can be used/abused??
List technique: List others who have donated / bought the product
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consistency
“Afer committing onself to a position, one should be more willing to comply with requests for behaviors that are consistent with that position”
How it can be used/abused??
- Foot-in-the-door technique and low-ball technique: start with a small request, followed by a larger one
- bait-and-switch technique: induce a commitment to a position, then remove the inducements that led to the commitment
- legitimization-of-paltry-requests technique: put people in a position where saying no would be inconsistent with their previous commitments
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friendship /liking
“One should be more willing to comply with requests of friends or other liked individuals”
How it can be used/abused??
Tupperware-model: Having people who are already friends or liked by the target person to make the request
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scarcity
“One should try to secure those opportunities that are scarce or dwindling”
How it can be used/abused??
- Limited-time offer: “Offer expires in 24 hours”
- Limited quantity: “Only 10 left”
- Limited availability: “Only available in select stores”
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authority
“One should be more willing to follow the suggestions of someone who is a legitimate authority”
How it can be used/abused??
“Recommended by experts”
While I agree that these are proven ways to get users to comply, I felt most of the methods discussed to be manipulative, deceptive and unethical. I think that the article is a good reminder that we should be aware of the ways that we are being influenced and manipulated and that we should be careful not to use these methods ourselves.
Software should be designed to be used as tools, with specific goals in mind, with its users as its primary benefactors. Therefore, software design must be based on a thorough understanding of the users’ needs and goals, rather than manipulating or altering users’ behavior for the sake of the software’s goals.