Incentive Science
SCIENCE DOMAIN

INCENTIVE SCIENCE

Design compelling incentives that go beyond carrot-and-stick. Leverage tangible rewards, surprise, and curiosity gaps to create genuine motivation.

3 strategies|9 techniques
DOMAIN OVERVIEW

INCENTIVE SCIENCE

Incentive Science explores how rewards, surprises, and curiosity gaps drive behaviour. Beyond simple carrot-and-stick, this domain encompasses the psychology of variable rewards, the power of novelty, and the irresistibl...

"Is your incentive structure creating genuine motivation - or just temporary compliance?"

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INCENTIVE SCIENCE

OVERVIEW

Incentive Science explores how rewards, surprises, and curiosity gaps drive behaviour. Beyond simple carrot-and-stick, this domain encompasses the psychology of variable rewards, the power of novelty, and the irresistible pull of information gaps. Effective incentives don't just reward - they intrigue, surprise, and create anticipation.

KEY QUESTION

Is your incentive structure creating genuine motivation - or just temporary compliance?

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STRATEGIES

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

TANGIBLE

make it tangible

Make rewards concrete, visible, and immediately felt. Abstract benefits are easy to ignore - tangible rewards create a direct, visceral connection between action and outcome. Whether monetary, physical, or experiential, ...

"Can people see, touch, or immediately feel the reward for their behaviour change?"

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TANGIBLE

TECHNIQUES
#31

Monetary Rewards

Encourage people to take action and achieve goals with monetary benefits (e.g., cash bonuses, prizes).

#34

In-game Currency

Introduce a currency to facilitate microtransactions (in-game purchases) or incentivizing specific activities.

#36

Self-rewards

Prompt people to reward themselves once they have successfully changed their behaviour.

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

UNEXPECTED

make it unexpected

Break patterns, violate expectations, and introduce surprise to capture attention and create memorable experiences. The brain is wired to notice what's different - unexpected moments cut through habituation and create la...

"Where in the experience can you introduce a moment of genuine surprise that reframes the entire interaction?"

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UNEXPECTED

TECHNIQUES
#134

Set and Violate Expectations

Establish a pattern or expectation, then deliberately break it to create surprise and heightened attention.

#131

World-view Disruptor

Present information or an outcome that doesn't fit into people's understanding of the world.

#132

Delighter

Provide unexpected micro-moments of surprise (e.g. interaction or animation) to delight users with or without people's inputs.

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STRATEGY
3 TECHNIQUES

INTRIGUING

make it intriguing

Create information gaps, curiosity hooks, and the promise of discovery. The human brain is compelled to close open loops - when you create a gap between what people know and what they want to know, they are driven to act...

"What information gap can you create that makes people genuinely curious to find out more?"

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INTRIGUING

TECHNIQUES
#125

Novelty

Attract people's attention with information and experiences that are new or perceived to be different, unusual or unfamiliar.

#122

Blurred Information

Obscure part of the information to create an information gap which can be revealed by taking the desired action.

#128

Oracle Effect

Provide a mechanism and knowledge to enable people to predict an outcome (e.g actions, events or competitions).

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