Motivation increases as users get closer to their goal.

<aside> ℹ️ The closer users are to reaching a milestone (e.g., completing a task, reaching a goal, etc), the faster they work towards reaching it. Interestingly, even artificial or estimated progress indicators can help to motivate users. That's why it's crucial that your experience provides a clear indication of progress to provide this feedback to your users.

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Origins

American Behaviouralist, Clark Leonard Hull, hypothesised that the goal-gradient effect is a tendency to increase efforts when approaching a goal that’s in proximity. Hull tested his theory by experimenting with rats in a maze. He concluded that the furry rodents run faster as they near a reward — a piece of cheese, than at the beginning of the path.

Rats run faster as they approach a food reward” — Hull, 1934

The same theory applies to humans. In 2006, Kivetz, Urminsky, & Zheng, built on Hull’s hypothesis in their paper titled — The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected: Purchase Acceleration, Illusionary Goal Progress, and Customer Retention.

Humans increase effort as they approach rewards such as gift certificates — Kivetz, Urminsky, & Zheng

After conducting various field experiments, the authors made the following key findings:

1. Participants in a cafe reward programme purchase coffee more frequently the closer they are to earning a free drink.
2. Internet users who rate songs in return for gift certificates visit the rating website more often, rate more songs than often and persist longer in the rating effort as they approach the reward goal.
3. The illusion of progress toward the goal induces purchase acceleration.
4. A stronger tendency to accelerate toward a goal predicts greater retention and faster reengagement in a programme.

However, if the perception of the reward remains too far off, then people are unlikely to exhibit goal-gradient behaviour.

Resources

Designing for motivation with the goal-gradient effect

Moving the Finish Line: The Goal Gradient Hypothesis

The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected: Purchase Acceleration, Illusionary Goal Progress, and Customer Retention

Goal-Gradient Effect

How Uber uses psychology to perfect their customer experience

The Goal-Gradient Hypothesis Resurrected: Purchase Acceleration, Illusionary Goal Progress, and Customer Retention