Variable Rewards
Unpredictable rewards hold attention far longer than predictable ones.
What it is
When a reward arrives on a fixed schedule, people learn the schedule and stop caring. When it arrives unpredictably, they keep checking. Feeds, notifications and inboxes all run on this. Used well, it makes a product feel alive. Used badly, it makes a product feel like a slot machine, and people eventually resent it.
The research
Animals on variable-ratio reinforcement schedules responded at higher, steadier rates and were far slower to give up than those rewarded on fixed schedules.
Skinner, 1957
How to use it
Vary the content, not the promise
A weekly email that always has one surprising thing in it gets opened. One that always has the same thing does not.
Reward the behaviour you want
Small, occasional recognition for finishing a task or hitting a milestone keeps people coming back to do more of it.
Do not manufacture it
If there is nothing new, say nothing. A notification with no reward inside teaches people to ignore the next one.
Related
Sources that shaped this entry: Digital Psychology, growth.design.