Pavlov's dogs and our conditioned behaviours

Pavlovian conditioning, a concept dating back over a century, stands as one of psychology's enduring subjects. It remains at the core of psychological exploration, representing an intellectually demanding area where significant and captivating progress continues to unfold.

A physiologist named Ivan Pavlov was researching canine salivation rates. Dogs always salivated when fed... but Pavlov noticed that dogs started salivating even before seeing the food. In fact, they began drooling whenever a researcher opened the door.

And guess what?! It's not just with dogs! Just think about the smell of your favourite childhood food... bet you pictured that food. Maybe you are even salivated. Or when you walk past that bakery, and the smell of fresh bread wafts through the air (like in those old Woody Woodpecker cartoons) and you start craving a bite (I do!).

It's basically associative memory. It's a kind of automatic and unconscious learning. Connecting two different stimuli can be a good way to learn something or generate responses.

Linking two different stimuli means this: connecting smells to images, images to messages, sounds to behaviours, and a myriad of other things. Are you catching on to where this story is heading? Yep, design. UX design.

The fact is, this isn't anything new. Designers have been using these associations everywhere; just look at our environments and behaviours. When I first set foot here in Australia, I was surprised by the traffic light sounds. Yes, we use that in Brazil too, usually only if the button to assist visually impaired people is pressed. But the thing for me wasn't that it's a standard thing, regardless of pressing the button. It's the sound itself. It's kind of speedy, right? Makes me feel like I need to hurry up and cross the street, almost anxious to finish crossing. An experience that associates the sound with movement and a feeling. Ask Billie Eilish about it.

I'm already conditioned. The problem is at corners when the sound comes from the traffic light next to me, and I end up putting that same foot on the road just to startle myself and quickly return to the sidewalk, embarrassed for doing it again (and with a heart racing from the near-death experience).

This also happens in the digital world. When we hear a notification on the phone and immediately look at it and click on whatever is appearing on the screen. Some apps even use custom sounds (fancy or "well-intentioned"?).

As designers, we can use Classical Conditioning to create habits in users, making them form associative memories. The use of these strategies can aim for an increase in engagement, ultimately leading to increased conversions.

Creating associations

Classical Conditioning of Pavlov, also known as respondent conditioning, involves associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus to create a conditioned response. In terms of UX Design, this can translate to creating positive associations and conditioning users to have enjoyable experiences. This is crucial in any design that needs engagement to convert. This stimulus-response logic is used on a large scale in big techs, like Facebook, where behavioural psychologists and experience designers work together to increase user acquisition, retention, and engagement.

Here are some examples of building these associations:

1.Colours and Positive Feedback:

In the financial management app "Mint" - and in many others, green is often used to indicate successful transactions, budget compliance, and achieved goals.

• Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Successfully completing an action on the website/app.

• Neutral Stimulus (NS): A specific colour (e.g., green).

• Conditioned Response (CR): Users associate the color green with successful actions.

2. Sounds and Notifications:

The messaging app "WhatsApp" uses a distinctive sound for received messages, creating an immediate auditory association with the arrival of a new message.

• US: Receiving an important message or update.

• NS: A specific notification sound.

• CR: Users associate the sound with the importance of the message.

3. Animated micro-interactions:

The "Headspace" app uses animated micro-interactions to indicate the successful completion of a meditation session, reinforcing the user's achievement.

• US: Successful completion of a task.

• NS: A subtle confirmation animation.

• CR: Users learn that the animation indicates success.

4. Loading Indicators:

The "Google" website uses fast and smooth loading indicators, creating an association between fast loading and efficient service.

• US: Quick completion of an action.

• NS: An animated loading indicator.

• CR: Users associate the speed of the indicator with efficient performance.

5. Tactile Feedback (Haptic):

The tactile feedback of the "iPhone" keyboard provides haptic feedback when pressing keys, giving users a tactile sensation associated with responsive typing.

• US: Completion of an interaction.

• NS: Vibration or tactile feedback.

• CR: Users learn the association between vibration and task completion.

6. Content Personalization:

The streaming platform "Netflix" uses algorithms to personalize content recommendations based on a user's viewing preferences, creating an association with relevant content.

• US: Finding relevant content.

• NS: Use of algorithms to personalize suggestions.

• CR: Users associate the system with providing relevant content.

7. Forms and Microcopy:

The food delivery service "Uber Eats" uses friendly and direct microscopy in its forms, guiding users clearly and positively during the ordering process.

• US: Successful completion of a form.

• NS: Specific language used in prompts.

• CR: Users learn to associate specific language with successful interaction.

Bringing these ideas together can make the user experience much more positive. Like, users automatically associate certain design details with situations where everything went well. If the solution offers a mix of cool associations to maintain interest and build trust, it will consequently be a solution with better engagement rates.

It's important to ensure that these associations align with what the application or site aims to achieve, right? That's what makes users interact positively with the platforms, generating good outcomes for both.

References:

Pavlov, I. P. (1927). Conditioned reflexes: an investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. Translated by G. V. Anrep. New York: Dover Publications.

Kreidlow, Rogério. Abordagens e técnicas em Design Comportamental. https://awariprodutoux.substack.com/p/abordagens-tecnicas-design-comportamental

Reeves, Donavan. Pavlovian Conditioning: Using UX Psychology To Train Users. 2020. https://www.fyresite.com/pavlovian-conditioning-using-ux-psychology-to-train-users/