009Pattern
Curiosity Gap
When presented with obviously-incomplete information, people have a tendency to try and fill in the blanks.
Why it matters
People often even experience a craving to complete the information.
The human brain is keen to solve puzzles—for example, what is the car that people are so excited about below?
The wheels are a clue. You might not even care, but it's hard to not want to know.
This is why clickbait titles work so well.
The Knowledge Gap refers to information that the user must know, in order to complete a task. i.e., a gap in their knowledge.
The Curiosity Gap is more the tendency to find missing information, even if it's not necessary for them to solve. i.e., a curious omission, like a missing puzzle piece.
What to inspect
- Check whether the experience reflects this: The human brain is keen to solve puzzles—for example, what is the car that people are so excited about below?
- Map each visible element to how it supports or undermines: When presented with obviously-incomplete information, people have a tendency to try and fill in the blanks.
- Walk the primary task once with time pressure; note where attention drops.
- Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the product to paraphrase the screen in one sentence.
Common anti-patterns
- Assuming users consciously notice every place where "When presented with obviously-incomplete information, people have a tendency to try and fill in the blanks" could apply.
- Dense copy and parallel actions that increase mental effort unrelated to the user’s goal.
- Ignoring downstream effects on conversion rates when shipping this pattern.
Critique prompts
- The human brain is keen to solve puzzles—for example, what is the car that people are so excited about below?
- Where on this screen would "Curiosity Gap" show up as friction or misunderstanding?
- What would a first-time user misunderstand here in under five seconds?