Nudge Vs. Sludge: How Clarity Will Always Win The Long Game

Getting people to do what you want isn’t bad. The key is to make sure it aligns with what they want–and that it’s done without complexity or misleading tactics. 

A company website I was on recently claimed its solution offered property management “without the headache.” 

That’s a large claim to deliver–or substantiate. Every rental property owner I’ve known would say property management always leaves room for headaches (unless you completely remove management). 

What the company should have said was “less of a headache.” But that does sound as compelling, does it?

Unfortunately, large, unrealistic claims like this are often part and parcel for growing companies who need to quickly gain traction and turn profits—but don’t have an established team of seasoned writers creating and editing content. 

As content writers, we get it—absolutes are catchy, enticing, and easy to overlook when you’re focused on the goal of selling without thinking about the story you’re actually selling. 

To win the long game, remember this: your audience is relying on your words to convey an accurate product offering. They’re relying on your transparency and your good will towards them shown through thoughtful word choices. 

Absolutes lack the accuracy your customers deserve (and expect); they also only create short-term wins. 

Fortunately, there’s another way to encourage action that is both in the best interest of your company and your customer to create long-term wins. They’re called nudges. 

A “nudge” is the use of motivational techniques most people respond to–such as the need to fit in with social norms–and changing choice architecture to help the user make self-beneficial choices. No strings, no ethical compromises. (Of course, the hope is that the user’s gain is also the company’s gain.)

A real-world example of a nudge would be arranging the fruits and veggies in a school cafeteria so they are easy to remember and reach—but their location isn’t obscuring the chocolate milk. A nudge could also appear as a school employee reminding each student to take an apple as they fill their tray with other items. It’s a term made popular through the work of economist and Nobel-prize winner Richard Thaler and his book Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness.

“Sludge,” on the other hand, is a behavioral economics term for any friction or unnecessary complexity that makes it hard or frustrating for a person to reach the desired good, service, or opportunity. When used intentionally to block a customer from what they want, it’s unethical manipulation and is also known as deceptive or “dark” patterns. 

These patterns on websites and apps are tricks that make you do things you didn't intend (like buying or signing up for something), and their tactics can include trick wording, fake scarcity, fake social proof, and obstruction.

Don’t get us wrong. A great hook is both acceptable and useful—as long as your audience is hooked by a real proposition with appropriate clarity. 

Just remember: positive nudges influence behaviors through minor changes to content or decision structures but assist in achieving the users goals—not just yours. 

Some great uses of nudges can be seen in the interplay of copy and design. Microcopy that provides useful context enables easier decision-making for users and, combined with layout, can create fluid processes that reduce the amount of required effort. 

Microcopy, content, and a good UX design can work together as a sort of air traffic control tower, smoothly landing users where they need—and want—to be. 

Sludge, conversely, is like a rerouted flight you didn’t sign up for. Instead of landing in Baja, your plane gets diverted to Boise. Oh, and you’re charged for the extra leg. 

Not all sludge is intentionally orchestrated to herd consumers towards the company’s goal; many times it’s just ignorance or obliviousness or hurriedness. Either way, at minimum it can cost a company a frustrated user who will remember and resent the experience. At maximum, it can cost a company its brand reputation and large sums of money. 

In 2018, LendingClub was found liable by the FTC for deducting hidden up-front fees from loans and failing to provide consumers with clear and conspicuous privacy notices. Despite claiming "no hidden fees," LendingClub was found to have charged borrowers hundreds or even thousands of dollars in undisclosed fees. They paid $18 million in settlement fees. 

More recently, Noom, Inc. was accused of tricking customers into signing up for "risk-free" trial periods only to force them into automatic and costly renewals that were difficult to cancel. They reached a settlement with the FTC of $62 million.

And as with any effective content, successful nudging requires you to match your solution to the problem. For example, if someone isn’t remembering to put their Ridwell bags out on a regular basis (and it risks the customer undervaluing their subscription) a weekly reminder nudge will help them to take full advantage of the product. 

For Peloton customers, remembering to get a workout in may not be the issue. It may be that people dread working out so your nudge must motivate them, not just remind them. 

Gamification and social norming are powerful nudges that excel in this arena; as a consumer I personally love them because they help me get in that 20-minute bike ride I loathe thinking of—but also want. To help improve clarity in your communications, here’s a helpful list of four types of positive nudges:

Microcopy - Small bits of copy that facilitate form and process navigation and help manage expectations (eg: confirmations that there are no additional costs or credit card required for signup…or vice versa, communication that there are additional costs or a required credit card for signup).

Timely reminders - Emails and text reminders for something a person may want to do, such as medication adherence, event sign-ups, vaccination appointments, etc. A nudge that you left items in your online shopping cart with a helpful link from the retailer are great for the busy multi-tasker who simply got distracted. 

Progress trackers - Showing visual representations of where a user is in a process provides clarity, focus, and even motivation to finish. 

Social norming - Letting people know what their peers are doing is known as social norming and plays on our instinctive human desire to be part of the main group. When you emphasize actions the majority of people are taking, that’s a nudge. People are eager to follow social norms. They don’t want to be left out.

This week, consider taking time to see where you can better differentiate your product or service with the power of nudges for a superior customer-focused experience.