Use defaults to your advantage
Giving careful thought to the default options could be a game changer for your product or service
We all love the power of choice. But have you ever thought how much thought you give when you are presented with a choice? Most of the choices that we make in our lives are essentially choices made without the bother of choosing. This habit of our brain to choose the option that is already chosen is called the default bias or status quo bias
Status quo bias is an emotional bias; a preference for the current state of affairs. The current baseline is taken as a reference point, and any change from that baseline is perceived as a loss
Why this works?
Laziness and inertia
The status quo is the choice that takes the least amount of effortLoss aversion
The brain fears that making a wrong choice might cause a loss and hence avoids making a choice. For the brain, losses are more painful than gains are blissfulTrust on the advisor
If you lack expertise in a certain area, there is an implicit perception that the default choice must be a good choice
Fun fact: When asked around, more than 90% of the people in the US said that they support organ donation, but only 3-5% opt in for it. Countries like Netherlands and England have passed a law that makes anyone over the age of 18 an organ donor, unless they specifically opt out. These countries expect to see an increase in the number of organ donation because of the effects of default bias
Where to use this?
Payment Plans
Hobby, Advanced or Business …. you make the choice for the user
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And the possibilities are endless.
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