A technique that makes users feel entitled to something they must act to keep
Core Idea: The Rightful Heritage technique first makes users believe something belongs to them, then creates motivation through the fear of losing what they perceive as rightfully theirs.
Key Elements
-
Psychological Mechanism:
- Creates a sense of ownership before actual possession
- Shifts perception from "what I might gain" to "what I might lose"
- Leverages loss aversion (we feel losses more strongly than equivalent gains)
-
Implementation Methods:
- Accumulation First, Action Later: Allow users to build up credits/points through exploration, then require an action to "save" them
- Word Framing: Change from "Sign up to get X" to "You've earned X - sign up to claim it"
- Progressive Earning: Show users accumulating greater benefits as they explore, then require action to secure them
-
Real-World Examples:
- eCommerce sites showing increasing discounts as you browse: "You've earned a 20% discount! Click here to get the code"
- "Your actions have earned you 3000 credits. Sign-up to save your credits!"
- Startup employee equity with vesting periods (work for 1 year to "earn" what already feels like yours)
-
Effectiveness Factors:
- Works best when users feel they've already invested effort or time
- Creating a clear visual representation of what might be lost increases motivation
- Most effective when the threatened loss feels proportional but meaningful
Additional Connections
- Broader Context: Core Drive 8 - Loss and Avoidance (the core psychological principle)
- Applications: Conversion Optimization Techniques (how websites apply this principle)
- See Also: Endowment Effect (the psychological bias that makes owned things feel more valuable)
References
- Yu-kai Chou, Actionable Gamification
#gamification #psychology #conversion #loss-aversion
Connections:
Sources: