[acoyfellow]

It's not saying use some kind of development trick to ID your user. I believe the purpose of this tip is to make a stronger emotional connection with the users.

By using a recommendation as opposed to just a list of choices, that lends itself to a more "personalized experience" -- even if that list is exactly the same

[PavlovsCat]

the purpose of this tip is to make a stronger emotional connection with the users

Actually, the idea is to "make them" make an emotional connection with product.

This is as nice as the Japanese using robot pets to keep the elderly company. This is not an emotional connection, this is playing tricks on fools to sell them shit they don't need.

Whatever happened to the idea that maybe, just maybe, some people land on your page for whatever reasons, and not because they have any use for what you're selling? That you're not entitled to every single last one of them? If they see 5 products, and don't really want any of them, what's the problem with that? Why nudge and prod and leer ever which way?

[acoyfellow]

I disagree with your drastic metaphor. I don't think that using a single word: "Recomended" is any kind of masterful psychological ploy. It's very subtle, and undemanding.

And a trick is only a trick if it dosen't work. Otherwise, they are providing value. Even if it's just a Japanese Robotic Dog.

If you consider it a "trick", then I would suggest you look into "Dark UI patterns" -- there is no intention to deceive.

"Whatever happened to the idea that maybe, just maybe, some people land on your page for whatever reasons, and not because they have any use for what you're selling? " -- then why would the user even be there? It'd be a void of information, without attempting to provide value to the user (even if the value comes in the form of a item they need to purchase).

Prodding and nudging have negative connotations attached to them-- and I really don't think that just by attempting to humanize a the user experience deserves such harsh judgement.

[PavlovsCat]

> I disagree with your drastic metaphor. I don't think that using a single word: "Recomended" is any kind of masterful psychological ploy.

Where did I call it masterful? What even gave you that impression? Huh.

> And a trick is only a trick if it dosen't work. Otherwise, they are providing value. Even if it's just a Japanese Robotic Dog.

The question is, to whom are they providing value, and what value is it. Just "providing value" is like "being safe", it's, to quote you, a "void of information". Maybe just skip to doubleplusgood, same thing.

> If you consider it a "trick", then I would suggest you look into "Dark UI patterns" -- there is no intention to deceive.

There's always something worse. There's always something better, too. For starters I recommend "Politics and the English Language" by Orwell (or anything he wrote on writing really, consider it a crash course in intellectual honesty) and this http://fadeyev.net/2012/06/19/moral-design/

A trick doesn't require intent, either. An insect might camouflage itself just because it happened to evolve that way, no thought process involved.

> then why would the user even be there?

Because it's kinda hard to see what's on a webpage without going to it, duh...

This is like having a pet food shop, and then wondering why some people even look at your shop, when they don't even have pets, or don't want your pet food. This is how mindless the web became in roughly a decade. Just astonishing.

> Prodding and nudging have negative connotations attached to them-- and I really don't think that just by attempting to humanize a the user experience deserves such harsh judgement.

What do you even mean by "humanize" in this context? I know what it means in electronic music, to just shuffle stuff around so it seems human when it's really not. So either rephrase, or thanks for making my point for me.

This is about conversion ratios, not the human condition, unless I missed something. This is about making gifts so people feel like they owe you something, making sure the gift is less worth to you than what the average customer will give you for it. This is about acting nice while not actually being nice.

I wouldn't care as much if people groomed by marketing wouldn't also fall for politicians employing the same tricks, and maybe if the web could retain a bit breathing room from all the huge fonts and "hero shots" that show you "what you'll get" (a woman holding an agenda, that's the product? No wait... gotta love how marketers can't even help bullshitting each other).

[aw3c2]

But how is that not psychological trickery?

[acoyfellow]

Because it's not intended to deceive. It's intended to provide additional value to the user.