018Principle
Framing
The way in which information is presented, is influential in how it's perceived and understood.
Why it matters
People are influenced by how information (or options) are presented.
This is true both individually (i.e., how this specific option is worded), and collectively (i.e., the range of available options).
The same facts (or options) presented in two different ways, will often lead to different outcomes.
Associating words, concepts and ideas happens all the time, subconsciously.
For example, imagine that you're sat on a beach right now, and you've been asked to find the one word that is associated to these :
• RACE, SHOES, LESSONS
You'd be more likely to think of:
• Swimming race , swimming shoes , swimming lessons.
Than you would a non-beach related word, such as:
• Driving race, driving shoes, driving lessons.
This is because the context of being at the beach is influencing how you perceive the world.
People associate words to emotions—for better and worse.
For example, imagine that there are two internet services available to you. One has capped speeds, and the other does not.
You'd find that people associated more negativity towards " slow speeds", and so if you wanted more users to opt for that package, you might relabel it as a " data saver ".
i.e., the value is framed by the emotion conveyed in the content.
What to inspect
- Check whether the experience reflects this: RACE, SHOES, LESSONS
- Check whether the experience reflects this: Swimming race , swimming shoes , swimming lessons.
- Check whether the experience reflects this: Driving race, driving shoes, driving lessons.
Common anti-patterns
- Assuming users consciously notice every place where "The way in which information is presented, is influential in how it's perceived and understood" 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
- RACE, SHOES, LESSONS
- Swimming race , swimming shoes , swimming lessons.
- Driving race, driving shoes, driving lessons.
- Where on this screen would "Framing" show up as friction or misunderstanding?
- What would a first-time user misunderstand here in under five seconds?