The Psychology Of Persuasion: Design Elements That Drive Sales On Your Website
- MarsDevs
- Jul 12, 2024
- 4 min read

User behavior and expectations are the two most important considerations in design. The peculiarity of human behavior is frequently what intrigues a designer the most.
Following that, designers become increasingly keen to answer issues like, "What motivates the user to select a certain product over another?, Why do they spend extensive time on a website? & Why do they need enough choice to decide?"
It’s where the usage of compelling design comes into the picture. In this MarsDevs article, we will help you better understand persuasive design and how you can use it as a designer to investigate and influence human behaviors. So, let's get started!
The Fundamentals Of Persuasive Design

There is power in suggestion. Persuasive design influences decision-making by studying human behavior, most typically seen on eCommerce and tourism websites. The science of persuasion is also utilized to improve web experiences on desktop and mobile devices and wearable technology.
As authors, Daniel Berdichevsky and Erik Neuenschwander write, “The creators of a persuasive tech should never seek to persuade anyone of something they wouldn’t want to be persuaded.”
Persuasion is a powerful tool that competent designers may employ for good. Persuasive design can reduce friction and make digital experiences more user-friendly. For example, the Internet banking startup Simple makes tipping at restaurants simple.
They incorporate two persuasive design concepts—authority and social proof—to urge users to tip generously by displaying the percentage (social proof, as 20% is inferred as "standard") and amount (authority, as customers trust a bank to determine an amount for them) while paying for a meal.
Similarly, many designers utilize persuasive design to understand psychological triggers, user behavior, and what motivates them the most. They then use their discoveries to create an easy-to-use website and improve the user experience.
Persuasive Design Principles - 6 Pillars To Know
UX UI designers frequently harness six persuasive concepts to improve user experiences: framing, reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, authority, and salience. Let's take a closer look at each of these appealing design ideas.

Framing
People often make comparisons before purchasing a product or joining up for a service because they want to make the best decision possible. The persuasive design principle of framing contrasts with various options more appealingly called the Goldilocks principle (the "just right" way).
Reciprocity
Reciprocity is the principle of returning a favor. People often feel bound to reciprocate favors. They want to avoid taking advantage of someone's charity. Understand it this way: when someone offers you anything, they expect you to reciprocate, even by saying "thank you."
Scarcity
The scarcity principle asserts that the scarcity of something increases its value. People prefer to make quicker selections when they believe something won't survive or the amount is restricted.
For example, travel booking websites frequently display a sign indicating that there is only a limited time to purchase a vacation package. You must have also noticed the fast-filling indicator on Book My Show when ordering movie tickets, which creates a sense of urgency for the customer to decide.
Social Proof
The concept of social proof holds that people will usually do what they see others do/wait until they see others do something before doing it themselves. Social proof reduces fear by reassuring them that they are not alone in taking action.
Authority
The persuasive design concept of authority shows that people require experts & trusted sources of knowledge to implement them before deciding further. If your users receive a suggestion from an expert about a product, field, and industry trends, they are more likely to act. It may seem like extra work to educate your customers, but you must demonstrate your expertise to establish credibility.
Salience
The salience principle states that people pay attention solely to what is most relevant to them at the time. The Google search page is a great example of this persuasive design idea.
Putting Persuasive Design Into Action
There are numerous crucial factors to consider when convincing people to buy online. These factors combine to provide an engaging and persuasive online sales experience.
Building trust and credibility

Trust & credibility are vital elements of any successful sales campaign. Before customers will make a purchase, they must be confident in your company's legality and reliability.
According to popular experts, “There are multiple strategies to elevate credibility by portraying trust badges, posting client testimonials & reviews by providing simple & legit data about your products/services.”
2. Leveraging persuasive design elements
The design of your website is quite important in influencing customers to make purchases. Using colors, fonts, and imagery can elicit specific emotions and impact client behavior. Incorporate contrasting colors to highlight critical features, such as call-to-action buttons.
Use easy & intuitive navigation to direct customers via the sales process. Leverage compelling design features like visual clues, customer testimonials, and trust badges to boost confidence and conversions.
3. Adding persuasive techniques in email marketing
Email marketing is a reliable choice to surge your online sales. By using persuasive strategies in your email marketing, you can effectively engage your subscribers and nurture them toward a purchase.
Personalize emails based on client preferences and previous behavior. Use engaging subject lines to capture recipients' attention and convince them to open your emails. Create compelling and concise email copy that emphasizes the benefits of your products or services. Include appealing calls-to-action that explicitly direct recipients to make a purchase.
Wrapping Up

User research provides psychological and sociological insights that are useful for persuasive design. Persuasive design helps you understand your users' needs and what motivates them the most. At the same time, understanding your audience allows you to create functional, convincing websites and highly engaging user experiences that elicit user behavior.
Whether you want to improve the UX design of an existing website or create a new application, persuasive design may help you drive greater engagement, boost the average time spent on the platform, and potentially raise sales dramatically.
Want to create a powerful website with persuasive design elements? Get on a free 15-minute call with MarsDevs today and take full advantage of the psychology of persuasion to create a website in your niche market!
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