Anxious Mistake
Interfaces amplify urgency through signals like limited availability, viewer counts, or popularity cues to heighten anxiety and pressure users into faster decisions.
Altruheuristics
Biology
- Anxiety: Worry arises when other people are looking at the same time.
- Trust: Not possible to tell if copy is real.
- Values and Boundaries: User could have existing anxiety disorder.
CBT Distortions
- Shoulds e.g. I should buy this quickly.
- Catastrophizing e.g. What if it becomes sold out?
Biases
- Framing Bias
- Negativity Bias
- Loss Aversion
- FOMO
- Conformity Bias
Circ’s Principles
- Balance: Always think about keeping the user in allostasis.
- Transparency: Reduce anxiety by removing uncertainty and explaining algorithm updates.
Mental Health
- None.
Traditional Heuristics
Jakob Nielson Principles
- User Control and Freedom: There is no freedom when there is pressure.
Gestalt
- Continuation: Danger or warning messages breaks scannability.
Don Norman Principles
- None
Graphic Design
- None
Deceptive Patterns
- Fake Urgency: The user is pressured into completing an action because they are presented with a fake time limitation.