WORK

Creating positive friction

OSC audit ask: assess users’ risk tolerance more accurately.

Creating a content design experience that is frictionless has positive friction and encourages the user to think about their tolerance instead of choosing the first option.

Create Positive Friction: Show Options from risk tolerant to Risk averse

You’ve invested $50,000 into a portfolio that tracks global stock markets. 3 months later, the stock market and your portfolio lost 35%. Your investments are now worth $32,500. What would you do?

Markets can experience drastic and unexpected ups and downs. Knowing how you might react helps us understand the level of risk you’re comfortable taking.

Invest a lot more

You’d see this as an opportunity to invest at lower prices

Invest a little more

You’d invest a little bit but will keep a close watch on your portfolio

Continue investing as before

You think ups and downs are normal so you wouldn’t react

Sell some of my investments

You’d be worried but would like to keep part of your portfolio invested

Sell everything

You’d be worried and sell all your investments

Purposeful use of a large dollar amount, low time period and high percentage loss to convey high market volatility and evoke an emotional reaction within the question.

The goal: get an accurate picture of emotional risk tolerance.

Descriptive and contextualized options.

Sequence of options goes from risk tolerant to risk averse to:

  • Reduce primacy effect

  • Increase positive friction

Result

Encourage users to pause and choose an option instead of the first as default and meet the OSC’s ask to get more information on the users’ risk tolerance.