014Effect
Ego Depletion
After exerting energy on a task, you may be less motivated to start another.
Why it matters
If you have to force yourself to do something, you are less willing or less able to exert self-control when the next challenge presents itself.
i.e., unless you're given a strong incentive to do so, people will often feel demotivated to continue with tasks, even if it's towards a goal that they want to achieve.
This is one reason why you're far more likely to snack on ice cream in the evenings, after a long day , than in the morning. Your ability to make a healthy decision (self-control) has been impeded.
A discovery made by Baumeister, shows that ego depletion is not just a metaphor, but a measurable biological process .
The nervous system consumes more glucose as the brain completes effortful tasks (such as decision-making, self-control or moderate cognitive exercise).
Having low glucose increases the likelihood that you'll give in to an easier route, or give up entirely. It becomes harder to do hard things .
What to inspect
- Check whether the experience reflects this: This is one reason why you're far more likely to snack on ice cream in the evenings, after a long day , than in the morning.
- Check whether the experience reflects this: Your ability to make a healthy decision (self-control) has been impeded.
- Map each visible element to how it supports or undermines: After exerting energy on a task, you may be less motivated to start another.
- 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 "After exerting energy on a task, you may be less motivated to start another" 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
- This is one reason why you're far more likely to snack on ice cream in the evenings, after a long day , than in the morning.
- Your ability to make a healthy decision (self-control) has been impeded.
- Where on this screen would "Ego Depletion" show up as friction or misunderstanding?
- What would a first-time user misunderstand here in under five seconds?