Signified
A concept (the ‘signifié’, or signified) abstract meaning ex. forbidden fruit and lust
ULTIMATE UX DICTIONARY
Gamification Technique: "Beginners Luck"
When playing games with new players, the phrase beginner’s luck is often coined when they do well unexpectedly against more experienced players. In board games and sports this is often indeed a case of luck or unexpected discovery of a skilled person, however in computer and video games this can be a programmed element to …
Reciprocity
We RETURN FAVORS and exchange gifts. Sometimes we do this out of love or for fun. But many times we give gifts or favors out of a sense of obligation. If I give you a gift or do you a favor, you will feel indebted to me. You will want to give me a gift …
NMED: Donald Norman's Theory of Emotional Design
Donald Norman’s theory of Emotional Design. A theoretical model of the way the human brain responds emotionally to the designs we produce. Norman describes three levels at which we judge the appeal of designs: The ‘Visceral’, ‘Behavioral’, and ‘Reflective’ Visceral Level – The most immediate level of processing, in which we react to visual and …
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Gamification Technique: Virtual In-Game Economy
is an emergent economy existing in a virtual persistent world, usually exchanging virtual goods in the context of an Internet game. People enter these virtual economies for recreation and entertainment rather than necessity, which means that virtual economies lack the aspects of a real economy that are not considered to be “fun” (for instance, avatars …
Peer Advice, Reviews, & Ratings
A factor in both trust and persuasion. In trust, users expect to see customer ratings and reviews against the goods or services offered for sale by reputable e-commerce sites. In persuasion, ratings and review comments support both ‘social proof’ and ‘social learning’ persuasion techniques.
Interaction Cost
The interaction cost is the sum of efforts — mental and physical — that the users must deploy in interacting with a site in order to reach their goals. Zero interaction cost and is the holy grail of usability as a field. Most of the time, users have to look around, read, possibly scroll, find …