The Manual #18 - Power of Influence
Some crazy stuff!
Before I get into the latest newsletter, I wanted to share something I’ve been working on for the past couple of months, that is RedesignManual.
We currently have it on pre-order and discounted for early birds, for a limited time only. The full package will also include an exclusive Discord channel for customers where you can join like-minded designers and be part of the community.
So check out RedesignManual.
The Psychology of Persuasion
I recently finished reading the book The Psychology of Persuasion and there were some absolute gems in it which really blew my mind. I wanted to share them in this edition of The Manual as it’s stuff I haven’t stopped thinking about.
Consumers are much more likely to leave a larger tip at restaurants if paying by credit card.
The mere presence of credit card logos such as Mastercard, Visa, AMEX…etc, would make people spend more money. These logos could be on display in a room, shop floor or on a website.
Using the word “SALE” anywhere increased purchases. Even if the items were not discounted from their original price.
Using terms such as “Most Popular” increased dish sales at a restaurant by 13-20%. The social proof of something being seen or marked as popular would make others consider it more than other items.
An automotive retailer had their normal ads perform poorly. But one time they put out an ad looking for a new sales rep as their showroom was getting busy and their car sales were popular. This led to a 41% increase in sales in Jan from the previous year.
You can acquire “trustworthiness” by being up front about drawbacks about a product or service, before trying to the benefits. This not only applied in selling, but in general everyday social situations.
Five stars is too good to be true. A product or service was more likely to sell if the rating is between 4.2 - 4.7. Potential purchasers are more suspicious of only good reviews.
Negative reviews establish credibility. If customers saw a negative review alongside other positive reviews, they were 67% more likely to purchase!
Acknowledging failure and sharing it in job interviews can push your career further. This goes back to being upfront about drawbacks, maybe a time you failed in your career, employers see it as someone willing to accept their failures and are more trustworthy.
Scarcity, such as marking an item as “low in stock”, naturally makes it sell quicker. I think everyone knows this one though as it’s become a big part of our lives in the past few years.
When a form has lots of fields, splitting it up and putting as few as possible on the first page, and then distributing the others on more pages, would increase form completion. Just reducing the number of first-page fields from four to three would increase completion rate by 50%!
MacBook Pro 2021 Review
I shared my MacBook Pro review, going through my spec, what I use it for, how much I paid and how I made somewhat of a mistake.
TLDW: I wish I had gone with the M1 Pro instead of the M1 Max. For my workflow, the Max doesn’t provide a big enough bump.
Day In The Life
I finally made a Day in the Life video. Been putting this off for a long time, mainly because my day is pretty average. I don’t work crazy hours. I don’t do super interesting stuff. I live a pretty simple and easy life.
Link Lowdown
A collection of links to stuff I think are worth sharing.
Skyfall and Spectre - A very interesting Twitter thread going through the color grading and choices for each of the Bond films. Love stuff like this.
The Work Pod — A small office pod that you can put in your garden. Really want one of these and would most likely also add the same value, if not more, into the property.
Value of $1000 invested 5 years ago — Kinda glad I invested in most of these. But there’s always that feeling “ah I wish I had invested more”. Ah well, can’t get attached to things you can’t control.
Microsoft Loop — Microsoft have pretty much ripped off Notion. But ignoring that, the design direction of Microsoft’s visual team is stunning.
Excel TikToker — There is a content creator that literally only makes guides on using Microsoft Excel. Yet she's making six figures a month. And sometimes six figures A DAY! Seriously incredible stuff.
Few — Curating high quality essential products. Love websites like this. All about that aesthetic.