In my last blog entry, I wrote about the neuroanatomy of attention and how this applies to web design. Today, I’m examining the dopaminergic system, how it makes people crave information and how we can use this information to design better websites. In the brain, dopamine functions as a neurotransmitter: a chemical released by nerve cells to signal other nerve cells. There are more than one dopaminergic systems in the brain, but the one I will be examining today is involved in reward-motivated behavior. In my last blog entry, I talked about how food, sex and danger influences most of our decisions. But we are also strongly driven to seek out information about our environment. Learning causes an increase in the level of dopamine in the brain, causing us to feel pleasure. The largest group of dopamine neurons in the brain is located in an area called the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Within this area, there are dopamine cells that will fire as a person makes an association between a cue and a reward. Then, the firing patterns disappear as the association becomes well established. But as any teacher will attest, being exposed to information is not enough for learning to take place. So what makes people engaged in learning? Motivation. And what causes people to be motivated to learn? Dopamine neurons are activated by novelty, which connects back to my previous blog post stating that we pay attention to what is different and novel. Novel, exciting and rewarding stimuli causes the release of dopamine in our brain, which makes us feel good. Users feel engaged when information is presented in a novel way. This is one reason that I have tried to add some interactivity to each of my personal web projects. With so many completely static sites out there, anything that engages the user a bit more may help them remember the website.
A good example of using reward to attract users is Lomography.com, a website whose shop is dedicated to retro analogue photography. Lomography has an online community where there are a variety of ways to earn points, such as sharing photos and having your photo picked as “photo of the day”. The points can then be used on their online store to buy cameras and accessories. Lomography is smart about providing a clear reward system of just the right amount at the right time, to keep users visiting the website. It also makes use of another psychological phenomenon in UX, which is that people use technology to be social. By providing an online community where customers can interact, they are providing a positive social experience, as well as a place to shop. Finally, users like the social construct of guidance from others, so the website cleverly provides a place where users can read each other’s reviews of products.
So, to recap:
- The dopaminergic system makes learning rewarding, but this is better achieved by conveying information in a novel, interesting and rewarding way.
- People are social, so creating an online community where people can connect and review products, is a smart marketing move.