Want people to love your products? Start showing more effort.
The labour illusion is a cognitive bias (a systematic pattern of deviation from rationality) that’s triggered by the simple appearance of effort, which brings an increase of perception of value.
The interesting set of words here are the “appearance of effort”.
So. If you show your work, list the hours it took to build, or give a behind-the-scenes tour of production, your product is seen as more valuable.
Let’s put this concept to work for you by:
Choosing the perfect project
Showing the appearance of effort (your work)
Watching certain pitfalls
Onward to premium pricing.
Choosing the perfect project
Stop what you’re working on.
Now, look at your "somewhat organized" desk. Flip open that to-do list, read the post-its littering your computer, or click to open that notes app with the pile of ideas you’ve collected. Somewhere there’s a project that's perfect for showing the effort you put in.
Maybe it’s a presentation? A redesign of some sort? Could you be building something and prepping it for delivery?
Whatever you choose, think about the actual effort that has gone into making it happen. It’s more than you realize and something you should showcase.
Let's look at this newsletter.
It simply lands in your inbox. You read it, take some ideas that help you, and then delete it. I never talk about the effort. You never think about it.
Well, each issue takes nearly a week to build. I start with researching a topic, building my rough notes, crafting my first draft (which always feels sooo rough—Ugh), then I do my BIG editing, complete my second draft, and obsess over each sentence.
All of that content gets placed into my newsletter service. Here, I test how it looks and feels in email. I repeat the previous process again because email looks and feels different. It's time well spent.
By the end, every issue takes roughly 17.5 hours. It's a lot, but I'm just starting and hope to get better with each issue.
Let’s drive people to realize the value of your project. More examples.
Showing the appearance of effort
Ever been to a restaurant where you can see the kitchen? You ooh and aahat the smells. The flames of the grill excite your senses. The theatre of busyness behind the counter waters your mouth as they prep your meal. You're awed by the effort.
Ever had a caesar salad made table side? There's effort.
I know you remember (and value) these meals more than ones that just appear from an unseen kitchen.
For your project, like in the open kitchen, find ways to make the effort visible. A few examples to get your mind going:
Show feedback. Uber and Lyft show you where your driver is prior to pickup.
Show how many times you’ve tried before you got it right. Some Dyson ads include the fact that he tested over 5,126 prototypes before he found the perfect vacuum.
Highlight the care. Build furniture? Show people your workshop and the different stages of building.
Include the process. Dominos takes you through what stage your pizza is at in the assembly process.
Starbucks highlights when they’ve started preparing your order.
For digital tools, include a progress bar or small audio cues.
Consider a travel site. Your progress bar might show that you just checked Jet Blue, then Delta, now you’re scanning United for the best flights.
For software (SaaS) landing pages, list the number of hours (days, weeks, or months—I like hours because it’s bigger) that you’ve spent building your product to get it right.
When new systems are being configured, include clear details of the effort. Actually list that you’re personalizing the set up for the user.
Applicant tracking systems could show, “We’re finding the right candidates based on your requirements.” and then rotate through a list of names.
You get it.
On top of building value, you’re creating a little anticipation too. Our world needs heaps more of anticipation. I love seeing the excitement it brings.
“When websites engage in operational transparency by signalling that they are exerting effort, people can actually prefer websites with longer waits to those that return instantaneous results — even when those results are identical”
~ Buell, Norton, 2011
Showing progress, the process, or effort as feedback helps to tell your customer that everything’s working as planned. They’ll be thrilled with how much you care about their product.
Using the labor illusion in digital products is important. Image credit: CursorUp.
Watch these pitfalls
Crap products are still crap
Don’t deceive your buyer. Your product or service still needs to be good. Showing the effort on a lousy product doesn’t impress anyone. After your first bad Google review, you’ll wish you didn’t. Quality wins.
Squish assumptions
Understand that when you don’t show any work, users fill the gaps with assumptions. Keep people informed. Always give more.
Transparency
Don’t be the guy in the gym that quickly picks up the weights when girls walk around the corner. You suck, buddy. Keep it real.
Be truthful with your effort. Transparency is critical for trust and relationships. Never lose trust by padding your effort. Keeping a customer (and having repeat customers) is easier than finding new ones.
Pick the right place in a customer's journey
If someone’s about to hit your Buy Now button, DON'T interrupt them. The friction you’ll be adding will hurt more than trying to get a premium price.
If they’ve just bought your product, now you show them the process as the product is created. Keep your buyer from guessing if the order was received or how long it will take to complete. The immediate feedback is powerful.
It’s your turn. Where can you insert the appearance of effort?
That’s all for this week.
🔗 Take a deeper dive. 6 helpful references related to this email.
↪ Ryan W. Buell, Michael I. Norton, “The Labor Illusion: How Operational Transparency Increases Perceived Value”, July 15, 2011, https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/Norton_Michael_The%20labor%20illusion%20How%20operational_f4269b70-3732-4fc4-8113-72d0c47533e0.pdf
↪ Richard Shotton & Will Hanmer-Lloyd, “Consumers think better of a product when they see the work that goes in”, MarketingWeek, February 18, 2021, https://www.marketingweek.com/richard-shotton-labour-illusion
↪ Craig Barber, “The Art of Illusion: How Labour Illusion Enhances User Engagement”, https://www.cursorup.com/blog/labour-illusion
↪ Krisztina Szerovay, “The Labor Illusion”, September 22, 2023, https://uxknowledgebase.com/the-labor-illusion-a80f7d809b7f
↪ Malcolm Drakes, “The Labour Illusion: How Leaders Can Use Behavioural Techniques to Influence Behaviour”, Malcolm Drakes’ Blog, February 27, 2023, https://malcolmdrakes.wordpress.com/2023/02/27/the-labour-illusion-how-leaders-can-use-behavioural-techniques-to-influence-behaviour
↪ “Cognitive bias”, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_bias