Web Content Mavens

April 28, 2015

Sarah Newcomb, Ph.D.

Behavioral Researcher

HelloWallet

Encouraging ActionThrough Design and Testing

Encouraging

Behavior Change

WHERE WE’RE HEADED1. Decisions in The Age of Consumer Empowerment

2. How to Encourage Action

3. Bottom Line: Test!

Consumer Empowerment

Factors

Freedom of Choice Expansion of Information

Potentially lead to increased satisfaction…BUT…Come at the cost of cognitive load.

Mo’ Choices, Mo’ Problems

• Selection difficulty is one of the key drivers of DECISION AVOIDANCE 1

1. Anderson, C. J. (2003). The psychology of doing nothing: Forms of decision avoidance result from reason and emotion. Psychological Bulletin, 129, 139–167.

2. Schwartz, B., Ward, A., Monterosso, J., Lyubomirsky, S., White, K., & Lehman, D. R. (2002). Maximizing versus satisficing: Happiness is a matter of choice. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83, 1178–1197.

• Maximization motives 2

• Greater regret• More social comparison• Greater incidence of

depression

Encouraging Action:

Make it Simple

Morningstar’s Style Box simplifies complex investment vehicle information by risk and

return.

A simple heart icon was better at improving diet choices than calorie/fat

content info3.3. Boonme, K., Hanus, B., R. Prybutok, V., A. Peak, D., & Ryan, C. (2014). Visual information influences consumer fast-food choices. Nutrition & Food Science, 44(4), 279–293.

Encouraging Action:

But not Too Simple!

Perceived task complexity drops when the focus is placed on key attributes4.

BUT...Too few options can promote the search for more options, triggering the Maximizing Motive and the user will ultimately be less satisfied5.

Incomplete information about key attributes increases decision difficulty.

4. Broniarczyk, S. M., & Griffin, J. G. (2014). Decision Difficulty in the Age of ConsumerEmpowerment. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(4), 608–625

Encouraging Action:

Decision Aids Pros & ConsAdapted from: Broniarczyk, S. M., & Griffin, J. G. (2014). Decision Difficulty in the Age of Consumer

Empowerment. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(4), 608–625.

Encouraging Action:

The Tightrope

Brevity Completeness

TESTING

Test to Learn What Works

We’re testing everyday: big theoriesSOCIAL PROOF GAIN LOSS AVERSIONCONTROL

Clear Winner!!

We’re Testing Every Day: Big Theories

We’re testing everyday: small details

Time of day, day of week

• Tuesday at 10:30AM

• Wednesday at 10:30AM, 12:00PM, and 5:30PM

• Thursday at 10:30AM

• Sunday at 5:30PM

Clear Winner!!

We’re Testing Every Day: Small Details

We learned a lot, and increased

conversion by 80%!

Key Findings: What’s Worked

Call to Action

Original: “Start Today”

New: “Get My Account”

Result: 42% Conversion Increase

Time of Day & Subject Line

Original: “[Employer] Associates, Introducing a new

tool from your 401(k) plan!” at 11:00AM EST

New: “[Employer] Associates, Your HelloWallet

Account is Ready!” at 10:30AM EST

Result: 13.7%* Conversion Increase

Ease of Sign Up

Original: Email to Landing Page

New: Email to Sign Up Page

Result: 36% Conversion Increase

Key Findings: We’re Wrong!

Aspirational Template

Base: Original Template Design

Tested: Aspirational template design

Result: 37% Conversion drop for test group

Unique Subject Line & Sender

Base: [Employer] Benefits sender and “Reminder, Your

HelloWallet Account is Ready!” subject

Tested: “Your Financial Future” sender and “Come Find

me On HelloWallet” subject

Result: 66%* Conversion drop for test group

Omit “Free” and Shift to Social Proof

Base: Reminder with “Free” in Header and no social

proof

Tested: Remove “free” and include social proof statement

Result: 36% Conversion drop for test group

Testing Helped Us increase Conversions By 80%

Resources

45 posts on A/B, Multivariate, and Usability Testing:

http://tinyurl.com/pa259rx

http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Behavior-Change-Psychology-Behavioral/dp/1449367623

https://whichtestwon.com/