An Introduction to Digital Psychology

Digital psychology, also known as web psychology, is the study of human behavior and rationality in the context of a digital environment. And if you have an analytics account, you’re already collecting and contributing to the exponentially expanding pool of digital human behavior data out there. If you're training up in your skills as a digital data analyst, then you're already in possession of the tools needed to succeed. You can learn more about this specific skill set in this post by Greg Benson

A great example of a company using digital psychology, and in an industry that has been greatly affected by the digital age, is GrubHub. GrubHub uses social proof, or informational social influence, to help guide your food buying experience.

The first thing you notice about the site is its design: the home screen is comprised of tiles with ample blank space between them. This is a design that is commonly associated with social networks, as if each restaurant were a post. The first piece of information after the restaurant’s name is their star rating. This star rating is also the only part of the tiles that produce an informational pop-up when hovered over, giving a written review and links to more reviews. Creating a familiar aesthetic and putting the opinions of hundreds of individuals front-and-center is a truly social take on the digital food ordering experience.

Another brilliant use of digital psychology is the ubiquitous Amazon. This retail behemoth had a stroke of genius when they launched Amazon Prime. Prime isn’t just a proven commitment device – it’s a commitment device that people pay one hundred dollars for. And free shipping removes a mental barrier between a customer and purchasing, a pairing of two digital psychology tactics that have paid out (and are still paying out) increasingly large dividends for Amazon.

A lot of digital psychology strategies sound obvious at face value. But the real trick comes in executing the strategies in elegant, powerful ways that make purchasing goods online a seamless, nearly habit-induced action by the user.