Stop guessing. Start designing with proven psychology.
Move beyond the 8 motivational principles with 70 specific tactics grounded in behavioral science. Each card gives you concrete ways to strengthen your product's motivational foundation.
Each tactic is designed to strengthen one of the 8 core motivations. Some tactics strengthen multiple motivations—look for the secondary badges.
We prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains
Duolingo's 'Don't lose your 47-day streak!' motivates more than 'Keep building your streak'
Highlight what users stand to lose, show progress that could disappear, create urgency around expiring benefits, use 'save' language over 'back up'
We tend to accept whatever's pre-selected
Organ donation rates jump from 15% to 90% when switched from opt-in to opt-out
Set the safest/best option as default, auto-enable security features, pre-select recommended settings, guide without forcing
Visible processes reduce anxiety about what's happening
Monzo shows every transaction instantly with clear categorization—no mystery charges
Show real-time status, explain what's happening behind the scenes, make data usage visible, never hide information
We value things more once they feel like ours
Free trials with full access make canceling feel like losing something you already had
Give before asking, use 'your' language ('your dashboard,' 'your workspace'), trial with full features not limited ones
We're reluctant to abandon something we've invested in
Spotify users with years of playlists stay despite competitors because abandoning that curation feels costly
Help users accumulate value over time, show total investment, make switching painful by highlighting what they'd lose
We resist behaviors when we feel forced
'You must upgrade to continue' creates resistance; 'Unlock more features' invites voluntary action
Frame choices as opportunities not requirements, give users control, avoid heavy-handed prompts, suggest don't demand
Inviting users to leave at the right moment builds trust
Headspace's 'You've completed your session—take the rest of your day mindfully' ends on user terms
Don't trap users, provide clear exits, respect their time, end interactions gracefully, build trust through respect
Group information to reduce overwhelm and improve memory
Phone numbers as 555-123-4567 not 5551234567—chunking makes information digestible
Break forms into sections, group related settings, organize features into categories, don't present walls of information
It's easier to recognize things than recall them from memory
Multiple choice is easier than fill-in-the-blank; menus are easier than remembering commands
Show options don't require memory, use autocomplete, provide visual cues, make past choices visible
We're more motivated to complete something we've already started
Loyalty cards with 2 stamps already filled get completed 82% more often than blank cards
Pre-fill progress bars partially, give starter credits, show 'You're 20% there,' award early wins, create artificial head starts
Motivation increases as we approach a goal
Coffee shop punch cards show increased visit frequency as customers near their free drink
Break long journeys into visible stages, show proximity to next milestone, create multiple mini-goals, celebrate near-completions
Concrete progress indicators drive completion
LinkedIn's 'You're 60% complete—add 2 more skills to reach All-Star'
Use progress bars, show percentages, display checklists, visualize advancement, make every action count toward something visible
Breaking goals into achievable steps maintains momentum
Duolingo doesn't ask 'learn Spanish'—it asks 'complete today's 5-minute lesson'
Chunk large goals into daily/weekly targets, celebrate micro-achievements, make next step always visible and achievable
We judge experiences by their peak moment and ending
Uber's 'You've arrived' animation with 5-star prompt—ending the ride on a high note
Design memorable peaks in the experience, end interactions positively, don't fade out, make closing moments special
We remember incomplete tasks better than completed ones
LinkedIn's incomplete profile nags at you more than completed sections satisfy you
Show what's unfinished, create open loops, remind about incomplete tasks, use tension to drive completion
We rely heavily on the first piece of information we see
Showing a $200 plan first makes a $50 plan feel like a bargain
Lead with premium options, show original prices crossed out, establish high-value anchors, frame subsequent choices against initial reference
We remember the first and last items in a list best
Navigation menus put most important items first and last, burying less critical ones in the middle
Position critical actions at beginning or end, bury less important items in middle, prioritize prime positions
When users invest themselves, they're more likely to return
GitHub's contribution graph—days of green squares represent invested effort you don't want to break
Create visible investment records, show accumulated effort, make contributions permanent, celebrate ongoing commitment
We follow through on commitments to maintain consistency. Small commitments create momentum toward larger actions
Asking 'Will you vote?' before election day increases turnout—public commitment drives follow-through
Get small commitments first, make pledges visible, reference past choices, build on previous decisions
We value things more when we've put effort into creating them
Notion users are deeply attached because they built their workspace from scratch
Let users customize, build, or assemble; make creation effort visible; show their contribution; avoid fully pre-made solutions
We seek ways to communicate our identity
Spotify's year-in-review becomes shareable because it reflects personal taste and identity
Enable profile customization, allow style choices, create shareable artifacts, let users show who they are
Users are less overwhelmed when exposed to complexity gradually
Figma hides advanced features until you're ready—layers reveal as you explore
Show basics first, reveal advanced features progressively, don't overwhelm with everything upfront, let users discover at their pace
Limitations focus creative energy rather than limiting it
Twitter's 280-character limit forced creative brevity; Instagram's square format became an artistic constraint
Set clear boundaries (time, format, tools), limit options to prevent overwhelm, create structure that enables expression
Users engage more with experiences appealing to multiple senses
Duolingo's satisfying sound effects and animations make correct answers feel rewarding beyond just seeing 'correct'
Add sound feedback, use haptics, create visual delight, engage multiple senses, make interactions feel physical
People remember unexpected and playful pleasures
Slack's loading messages ('Reticulating splines...') turn a boring moment into a smile
Add Easter eggs, surprise with unexpected moments, inject personality, make mundane moments memorable
Users have preconceived opinions of how things work
Folders and files mimic physical desktops because users understand that mental model
Match existing mental models, use familiar patterns, don't reinvent without reason, test if your model matches users'
Users adapt more easily to things resembling real-world objects
Early iPhone calculator looked like a physical calculator—instant familiarity
Use real-world metaphors for new concepts, provide familiar anchors, help users transfer existing knowledge
People prefer familiar experiences
Facebook resists radical redesigns because familiarity reduces cognitive load for billions of users
Evolve don't revolutionize, keep core patterns consistent, introduce changes gradually, respect learned behaviors
People remember pictures better than words
Airbnb's photo-first listings—you remember the space, not the description
Use visuals over text when possible, combine images with words for retention, make key info visual
People remember things when associated with locations
Notion's sidebar structure becomes a mental map—you remember where things are spatially
Create consistent spatial layouts, let users build mental maps, keep important items in predictable locations
We look to others' behavior to guide our own
Booking.com's '23 people are looking at this hotel right now' creates urgency through peer behavior
Show user counts, display popular choices, highlight what similar users did, use testimonials from peers
Public acknowledgment motivates more than private rewards
Strava's kudos—visible recognition from your network motivates more than personal stats alone
Make achievements visible to others, enable peer acknowledgment, create public profiles, show social validation
Collective targets increase individual commitment
Fitness apps with partner challenges see 40% higher completion than solo goals
Create team challenges, show group progress, enable accountability partners, make success collective
People feel compelled to return favors
Dropbox giving extra storage for referrals—you got value, now help others get value
Give before asking, provide value upfront, make reciprocation easy and beneficial, create mutual benefit
Users attribute more importance to opinions from authority figures
'Recommended by experts' or 'As featured in...' signals credibility and guides decisions
Show expert endorsements, display credentials, use authority voices appropriately, build credibility through association
People judge things based on their feelings toward one trait
Apple's design excellence creates assumption that everything they make works beautifully
Excel at one visible thing, let that quality halo other aspects, make first impressions count
Users adopt beliefs proportional to how many others already have
'Join 50,000+ users' signals safety and popularity—if that many people use it, it must be good
Show adoption numbers, display trends, highlight growing popularity, make joining feel safe through numbers
Users care disproportionately about an individual vs. a group
Charity: Water showing one specific person whose life changed is more powerful than 'we helped 10,000 people'
Tell individual stories, show specific examples, make impact personal not statistical, humanize data
We value things more when they're in limited supply
Supreme's limited drops create lines around the block—scarcity creates desire
Limit time/quantity authentically, show spots remaining, create waitlists, offer early access tiers
We favor those who are part of our group
GitHub's green contribution graph signals 'you're a developer' to other developers—tribal membership
Create insider language/symbols, build visible membership tiers, show who else is in the group, use tribal signaling
Visible markers of achievement drive behavior
LinkedIn's 'Top Voice' badge or Twitter's checkmark—signals others can see
Make status visible to others, create tiered badges, show rankings publicly, enable reputation building
Adding a third option makes one choice more attractive
Pricing: $10 Basic, $30 Pro, $25 Pro (limited features)—the middle option makes $30 look like better value because it dominates the $25 option on all dimensions
Create options designed to be rejected, make target choice look better by comparison, use strategic anchoring
People tend to choose the middle option
Pricing tiers with 'Most Popular' highlighted in the middle position
Put desired choice in middle position, use visual emphasis, guide without forcing
Users are more likely to take action with feelings of new beginnings
Gym memberships spike in January—'new year, new me' creates motivation
Leverage temporal landmarks (Mondays, months, years), create fresh start moments, frame as new chapters
Unpredictable rewards create stronger engagement than predictable ones
TikTok's For You feed—you never know if next video will be gold, so you keep swiping
Randomize content discovery, surprise with bonuses, vary timing of rewards, keep uncertainty in the system
We're driven to close gaps between what we know and want to know
Netflix's 'Continue Watching' with progress bars creates tension—you need to know what happens
Tease without revealing everything, create cliffhangers, show partial information, build anticipation
New experiences activate reward centers in our brains
Spotify's Discover Weekly—new music every Monday keeps users returning
Rotate content regularly, introduce features gradually, create scheduled discovery moments, keep something fresh
Hidden elements drive exploration
Notion's template gallery constantly features new submissions—always something to discover
Hide advanced features until ready, create Easter eggs, reward exploration, make the product feel infinite
More options leads to harder decisions and slower action
Amazon's 'Buy Now' vs 15 shipping options—too many choices paralyze
Limit options to essentials, guide toward best choice, use progressive disclosure, don't overwhelm
Vary placement and format to maintain attention
Right-side ad placements get ignored because users learned to filter them out
Vary placement and format, don't repeat same patterns, surprise users, avoid predictable positions
Items that stand out are noticed and remembered more
Pricing tables with one option highlighted in different color—it gets chosen more
Make important elements visually distinct, use contrast strategically, break patterns intentionally
Previous stimuli influence subsequent decisions
Seeing 'premium' and 'luxury' words before pricing makes higher prices feel more acceptable
Set context before key moments, use language strategically, create associations, prime desired perceptions
Create moments when users first realize your product's value
Twitter's 'aha moment' is seeing your first interesting tweet from someone you don't know personally
Identify and optimize for this moment, get users there fast, make value obvious early
The ease with which users can find features
Figma's right-click context menus—power features are there when you look but don't clutter the main interface
Make features findable not hidden, use progressive disclosure, provide discovery paths, don't bury critical functions
People perceive beautiful designs as easier to use
Apple products—elegant design makes people more forgiving of learning curves
Invest in visual design, create polished experiences, use beauty to build perceived usability, sweat the details
Showing aggregate contribution creates meaning
Wikipedia: 'This article has been read 2.3M times, and you edited it'—your work mattered to millions
Display total community impact, show individual contribution to whole, quantify collective achievement
How you describe an action changes its perceived significance
Hospital janitors who see work as 'helping patients heal' report higher satisfaction than those who see it as 'cleaning'
Connect tasks to meaningful outcomes, use purpose-driven language, reframe utility as mission, show the 'why'
Connecting present actions to future identity motivates behavior
Retirement apps showing aged photos of yourself with estimated savings increase contributions 30%
Show long-term outcomes of current choices, visualize future states, connect today's action to tomorrow's self
Users prefer socially responsible companies
Patagonia's 'Don't Buy This Jacket' campaign—environmental mission strengthens brand loyalty
Make values visible, take stands on relevant issues, demonstrate commitment through action, build mission-driven brand
People remember stories better than facts
Airbnb's 'Belong Anywhere' campaign with host stories—narrative creates emotional connection
Frame information as stories, use narrative structure, make data human, create emotional arcs
Subtle hints can significantly affect decisions
Slack pre-selecting #general channel for new messages—guides behavior without forcing
Guide gently don't force, use defaults strategically, make desired choice easiest, respect autonomy
Total mental effort required to complete a task
Multi-step checkouts lose conversions—every field adds cognitive burden
Minimize decisions, reduce form fields, simplify language, break complex tasks into steps, remove unnecessary options
Large and close elements are easier to interact with
Mobile buttons at thumb-reach, not top corner—positioning matches physical ease
Make important actions large, place frequent actions within easy reach, consider input method, test physical interaction
Friction should match motivation strength
Path asks 30+ questions for property search—high friction appropriate for high-stakes decision
Add friction for important decisions (prevent mistakes), remove friction for exploratory actions, match effort to stakes
Concrete 'if-then' plans dramatically increase follow-through
'If it's 7am, then I'll meditate' doubles compliance vs 'I'll meditate daily'
Help users set specific triggers, suggest contextual prompts, create 'when X happens, do Y' logic
Task-switching leaves cognitive residue impairing performance
Slack's 'Do Not Disturb'—recognizing that notifications during focus time hurt both tasks
Batch similar actions, create focus modes, minimize context switching, group related tasks
People value things more when they see the work behind them
Grammarly showing 'Checking grammar... Analyzing tone... Checking clarity'—making invisible AI work visible builds trust
Show behind-the-scenes work, make effort visible, don't hide complexity entirely, demonstrate value creation
Hard tasks are less daunting when paired with something desirable
Only allowing yourself to watch Netflix while on the treadmill—bundle the hard with the pleasant
Pair difficult tasks with rewards, make unpleasant actions more appealing, create positive associations
Users are more likely to act when effort feels small
'Just 2 minutes to complete' converts better than displaying a long form upfront
Make first step tiny, build momentum with small actions, reduce perceived effort, create easy entry points
When users act, immediate feedback confirms what happened
Button states changing on click—micro-interactions confirm your action registered
Provide instant feedback, show state changes, confirm actions completed, never leave users wondering
Identify which tactics will strengthen your product. First find your spine, then apply the right tactics.