The Point when impulse meets emotion: The game of triggers.

Impulses of users don’t coincidently match with the emotions of the users. This intersection is well planned and initiated by the developers. An external trigger leads to habit, then habit leads to external triggers. An internal trigger happens when a product is supported by a thought, an emotion or a pre-existing habit. This thought is created by external triggers like get the app now to learn more! Purchase now or never statements.

Once a user is made to think about a product, then the user generates an emotion and habit towards it. This emotion can be FOMO, excitement, gratification etc. It can be just enough and more for the user to get hooked. The gradual transition of users from the external trigger to internal trigger is the point of intersection between impulse and emotion of the users

Social and Sensory rewards let users independent of external triggers

After using a product, the user gets all his esteem needs, psychological needs, and social needs fulfilled from constant recognition and acceptance. Social and Sensory rewards get showered on the users. Spontaneous likes and comments for photos, Reposts, shares and conversation around a content posted online can keep the users on and on to gel and commit to the product. These internal triggers happen on their own once the users are committed to the products. Constant drive to find a better self of the users in themselves will require them to use the product more and more. This benefits the user and the product in massive ways. The user constantly gets users boosts like confidence, gratification, better ability to communicate , reach over others using the product, influential capacities etc. and the product gets immense power with the kind of conversations that the users make around the product and also the visibility that’s created.

Persistent routine in user’s life with trigger

The play of the app designers with internal and external triggers create a persistent routine in a user’s life. The phases in the which the user uses the app and the comfort that the app provides is planned by these designers after constant research on user behavior and psychology.

“Design is in everything we make, but it’s also between those things. It is a mix of Craft, Science, Storytelling, Propaganda and Philosophy” -Erik Edigard

Triggers to be practiced right from welcome message to hooking.

Trigger 1

Welcome message: First trigger is vital to the product. A welcome mail with vital features of the application is a good way to introduce a new feature to the user. It reintroduces the benefits of using the product.

Trigger 2

Smooth triggers at the beginning: No triggers can affect the UI experience for the users. Push notifications should go along with features and concise steps to proceed in the application. Designers always make sure to push triggers at the onboarding by being careful to not jeopardize the efforts by placing heavy content in the design

Trigger 3

Early bird effect: It always better to work trigger in the early 72 hours of app activation. The users can be enabled to receive personalised offers, messages and advantages

Trigger 4

Reactivation triggers: Dead users can be awakened with reactivation triggers in the forms of newsletters giving them a personalized message. It depends upon recency, frequency and monetary value. These are values corresponding the consumer traits

Trigger 5

Transactional triggers: Trigger messages after every transaction, shipment and delivery should be executed. This helps reflecting the efficiency of the product in serving the users

Trigger 6

Milestone triggers: A product can track the usage details and give a quantitative value to the number of the time the user is using the application. Milestone messages give a reason for emotional obligation from the side of the users. It is a great way to pave way for long term commitment from the users

Trigger 7

Time sensitive: Deadlines for payments, attending an event or maybe closing a deal works well enough to create a great trigger. Giving time in the applications does show some sign of credibility and responsibility from the side of the product. It also activates a serious FOMO in users if they tend to leave out such messages from the application. Therefore, being time sensitive is quite a big deal

Trigger 9

Real time triggers: Triggers associated with real time events can also exceptionally work well more as feature than a trigger. It is considered as a gesture of help to the users and users feel more in control when an product offers such features to them

Every trigger above mentioned are carefully planned after exactly researching on when impulses meet emotion of a user. Starting from the phase when the application is introduced to the user to the phase of long term commitment of the user towards the product, a shift of external trigger to internal trigger is leveraged effectively to hook user to the product for life. Emotions are simply manifested in a user’s mind with simple tricks and strategies. It is eventually automated, and the users commits for life to the product. Therefore, an ultimatum for ethical designing must be viewed in mind before a designer decides to commit their users with triggers. After all, it is more about helping them than creating a deep negative impact that could lead them to lose their minds. Mindful triggering should be the talk of the designer’s town at least from now.