Users love restrictions. Why 140 characters of the text, 6 seconds of video and disappearing photos conquer the world
All below is a strongly authoring translation of the Andrew Chen’s essay. Constrained by the author (me) about the structure of the world in general and products in particular.
New word on social networks - products with restrictions. The most famous, but by no means the only, example of a social network with limitations is Twitter. If you heard about this, then let's understand what caused his success.
Over the past few years, the world has learned learned a lot of products, the key features of which were restrictions:
- Write 140 characters or less (Twitter)
- Record a video with a length of 6 seconds (Vine)
- Download a design with a resolution of no more than 400x300 pixels (Dribbble)
- View the photo for 3 seconds, after which it will disappear (Snapchat)
It's amazing why products with such “strange” restrictions become unrealistically successful? Doesn't it mean better anymore ? Would these products be better if you remove all restrictions? And what, any restriction makes the magic or selected at random?
')
It is safe to say only one thing. Limitations are a fundamental part of the product, so to speak, the secret of success. Products with custom content have deduced the “one percent rule” . It says: only 1% of users create content, 9% edit and supervise it, and the remaining 90% simply view it. Wikipedia and YouTube have repeatedly confirmed the excellent performance of this rule. Of course, when only 1% of users create content, this is not cool. Let's talk about how to fix it, make it “cool” and what real advantages it all gives.
Easy and quick content creation
In fact, any application with restrictions makes the process of creating content simple. Even an experienced miller can type 140 characters. Or take a photo. Or hold the video recording button for 6 seconds. And all of the above is very different from the “big empty space for text” in traditional blogging. Everyone knows about the fear of a white sheet or a black hole. Everyone except LiveJournal or Photoshop image editor. These products require much more energy to create content.
It is very important that the restrictions are combined with a simple user interface (UI). Limitations literally mean: the product supports fewer ways to use the product (use cases). Accordingly, the product is a toy that is easy and fun to use. It is enough to press one button to create a link. Vine or Snapchat - great! Clicked - created the author's content. And as soon as they reached the limit - the end! And what's important, you don’t need to worry about editing or composing content.
The simplicity of creating duet content with a simple user interface makes interaction with the product predictable. At the same time, conversion to users who create content is growing significantly.
This is confirmed by many researchers. In particular, in his book “Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products” , Denis Hopetley suggests understanding the reason why people use the product. Then - describe the steps needed by the consumer to get the result. And when the task sequence from intention to implementation becomes clear, it is advised to start removing links in the chain until it becomes as simple as possible. People will quickly adopt a technology or product, where fewer steps are needed to achieve a result.
So now users have the ability to quickly and easily create content. The next step is to shift the context to communication. Yes, yes, forget about the simple publication of content. Communication facilitates user engagement. The “one percent rule” looks good on paper. Now think about it in the context of communication products. What is the percentage of users who create content, for example in emails? And skype? Whatsapp or iMessage? I am sure that much more than 1%. I am not afraid to say that it is almost equal to 100%. The key communication feature is that all participants are involved in content creation and are involved in the process. Wider circle (s)!
Twitter (and now Facebook) has @ mentions, Dribbble rebounds, and Snapchat is basically a messenger. Many projects have understood the principle and are trying to increase the percentage of users creating content. How? The best way to do this is through communication. Instagram added Direct feature. On YouTube, you can also @ mention users in the comments. There is even a mobile application for quick video postings. Facebook for crazy money buys instant messaging services. Social networks have gone even further - the buttons retweet and share allow you to create content in one click! And all for the sake of 90% of users, consumers and noble "peepers". For the sake of their motivation to create content.
90% of users only consume content
These functions motivate people to participate in the process, creating a context around which communication takes place. In addition, allow to increase the frequency of use of the product. For example, sending email or push notifications. And, you see, to receive notification of new messages looks more logical than just the advertising text. This notification is based on a healthy user-user communication, and not on “pairing”. In addition to the frequency, increased involvement and virality of the product, this approach also gives a box of "cookies".
It is difficult to create something from scratch. Content creation is no exception. Likewise, it is difficult to start a dialogue first. Everyone at least once in their lives presented themselves to a stranger or a stranger, and they know this feeling. And at the same time, the answer is very simple. If someone made a selfie, having made a funny face or duck-face on Snapchat before, it will be quite natural to make a funny face in response. Even more! If you know that the photo was sent to you, then you feel that you have to answer in the tone in which the communication was started. Virtual etiquette he is.
Nobody likes "show off". In fact, a platform with a very large number of "hangouts" does not generate enough content. This is due to the natural reluctance to compete with the best (stronger, successful, beautiful, hairy). Fear of defeat in its purest form.
And it is restrictions that reduce the variation in content creation! They blur the line between experienced users and users with fewer skills. Thus, a much larger number of people can enjoy the use of the service. A good analogy comes from childhood: pioneerball VS volleyball. In the pioneer ball no special skills are needed, this is a game about participation, not about victory. For the same reason, football is the most popular game in the world - anyone who has legs can push the ball. And if there is no ball, then a plastic bottle or a tin can will do. Dribbble is a community of designers, where the placement of intermediate work in the resolution of 400x300 is the norm. More frequent use of the platform is necessary for its participants. Unlike Behance, where people post only finished works and update their profile only a few times a year.
Content availability is also an important factor. If your platform is too easy to find better or professional content, there will be pets. You yourself will create a kind of leaders, the presence of which prevents the creation of content by others. Although the quality of the content that the user finds is growing. Here is a compromise.
All recommendations will lead to more simple content creation. And the most frequent use of the product. This is a powerful tool. High frequency of use opens up more opportunities for both users and the platform itself. The more users create content, the more their number is involved in viral rings. So more users will come, thanks to the "viral effect."
At the same time, the context shift towards communication will increase the frequency of use of the product. In Snapchat, it's very easy to ask a user to add multiple recipients after the user has replied to the previous message. Or after the user has created a video with a duration of 6 seconds, it is easy to ask to share it on social networks. After you have taken a photo, selected a filter, tagged friends, added a comment, Instagram offers to immediately place this photo on all available social networks.
And the next time you are going to create a new social product, do not forget to add restrictions. But think carefully about which ones. Add one restriction that makes creating content easy and communication oriented. This is the best way to defeat the “one percent rule” and motivate the user not only to view the content, but to generate it. For example, the same Medium is doing just that now.
And the cherry on the cake will be the formation of the habit of using your product. Believe me, it's not easy at all. The easier it is to create content, the more it will be created, the more often the user will use the product, the faster the habit will be formed. And the habit is a terrible force, it allows you to increase LTV, increase the viral loop and attract a lot of users by spending a minimum of resources.
New word on social networks - products with restrictions. The most famous, but by no means the only, example of a social network with limitations is Twitter. If you heard about this, then let's understand what caused his success.
Over the past few years, the world has learned learned a lot of products, the key features of which were restrictions:
- Write 140 characters or less (Twitter)
- Record a video with a length of 6 seconds (Vine)
- Download a design with a resolution of no more than 400x300 pixels (Dribbble)
- View the photo for 3 seconds, after which it will disappear (Snapchat)
It's amazing why products with such “strange” restrictions become unrealistically successful? Doesn't it mean better anymore ? Would these products be better if you remove all restrictions? And what, any restriction makes the magic or selected at random?
')
It is safe to say only one thing. Limitations are a fundamental part of the product, so to speak, the secret of success. Products with custom content have deduced the “one percent rule” . It says: only 1% of users create content, 9% edit and supervise it, and the remaining 90% simply view it. Wikipedia and YouTube have repeatedly confirmed the excellent performance of this rule. Of course, when only 1% of users create content, this is not cool. Let's talk about how to fix it, make it “cool” and what real advantages it all gives.
Content creation should be extremely simple.
Easy and quick content creation
In fact, any application with restrictions makes the process of creating content simple. Even an experienced miller can type 140 characters. Or take a photo. Or hold the video recording button for 6 seconds. And all of the above is very different from the “big empty space for text” in traditional blogging. Everyone knows about the fear of a white sheet or a black hole. Everyone except LiveJournal or Photoshop image editor. These products require much more energy to create content.
It is very important that the restrictions are combined with a simple user interface (UI). Limitations literally mean: the product supports fewer ways to use the product (use cases). Accordingly, the product is a toy that is easy and fun to use. It is enough to press one button to create a link. Vine or Snapchat - great! Clicked - created the author's content. And as soon as they reached the limit - the end! And what's important, you don’t need to worry about editing or composing content.
The simplicity of creating duet content with a simple user interface makes interaction with the product predictable. At the same time, conversion to users who create content is growing significantly.
This is confirmed by many researchers. In particular, in his book “Something Really New: Three Simple Steps to Creating Truly Innovative Products” , Denis Hopetley suggests understanding the reason why people use the product. Then - describe the steps needed by the consumer to get the result. And when the task sequence from intention to implementation becomes clear, it is advised to start removing links in the chain until it becomes as simple as possible. People will quickly adopt a technology or product, where fewer steps are needed to achieve a result.
Communication is more important than publishing.
So now users have the ability to quickly and easily create content. The next step is to shift the context to communication. Yes, yes, forget about the simple publication of content. Communication facilitates user engagement. The “one percent rule” looks good on paper. Now think about it in the context of communication products. What is the percentage of users who create content, for example in emails? And skype? Whatsapp or iMessage? I am sure that much more than 1%. I am not afraid to say that it is almost equal to 100%. The key communication feature is that all participants are involved in content creation and are involved in the process. Wider circle (s)!
Twitter (and now Facebook) has @ mentions, Dribbble rebounds, and Snapchat is basically a messenger. Many projects have understood the principle and are trying to increase the percentage of users creating content. How? The best way to do this is through communication. Instagram added Direct feature. On YouTube, you can also @ mention users in the comments. There is even a mobile application for quick video postings. Facebook for crazy money buys instant messaging services. Social networks have gone even further - the buttons retweet and share allow you to create content in one click! And all for the sake of 90% of users, consumers and noble "peepers". For the sake of their motivation to create content.
90% of users only consume content
These functions motivate people to participate in the process, creating a context around which communication takes place. In addition, allow to increase the frequency of use of the product. For example, sending email or push notifications. And, you see, to receive notification of new messages looks more logical than just the advertising text. This notification is based on a healthy user-user communication, and not on “pairing”. In addition to the frequency, increased involvement and virality of the product, this approach also gives a box of "cookies".
The answer is easier than creating from scratch.
It is difficult to create something from scratch. Content creation is no exception. Likewise, it is difficult to start a dialogue first. Everyone at least once in their lives presented themselves to a stranger or a stranger, and they know this feeling. And at the same time, the answer is very simple. If someone made a selfie, having made a funny face or duck-face on Snapchat before, it will be quite natural to make a funny face in response. Even more! If you know that the photo was sent to you, then you feel that you have to answer in the tone in which the communication was started. Virtual etiquette he is.
Predictable content
Nobody likes "show off". In fact, a platform with a very large number of "hangouts" does not generate enough content. This is due to the natural reluctance to compete with the best (stronger, successful, beautiful, hairy). Fear of defeat in its purest form.
And it is restrictions that reduce the variation in content creation! They blur the line between experienced users and users with fewer skills. Thus, a much larger number of people can enjoy the use of the service. A good analogy comes from childhood: pioneerball VS volleyball. In the pioneer ball no special skills are needed, this is a game about participation, not about victory. For the same reason, football is the most popular game in the world - anyone who has legs can push the ball. And if there is no ball, then a plastic bottle or a tin can will do. Dribbble is a community of designers, where the placement of intermediate work in the resolution of 400x300 is the norm. More frequent use of the platform is necessary for its participants. Unlike Behance, where people post only finished works and update their profile only a few times a year.
Content availability is also an important factor. If your platform is too easy to find better or professional content, there will be pets. You yourself will create a kind of leaders, the presence of which prevents the creation of content by others. Although the quality of the content that the user finds is growing. Here is a compromise.
What to do with all this?
All recommendations will lead to more simple content creation. And the most frequent use of the product. This is a powerful tool. High frequency of use opens up more opportunities for both users and the platform itself. The more users create content, the more their number is involved in viral rings. So more users will come, thanks to the "viral effect."
At the same time, the context shift towards communication will increase the frequency of use of the product. In Snapchat, it's very easy to ask a user to add multiple recipients after the user has replied to the previous message. Or after the user has created a video with a duration of 6 seconds, it is easy to ask to share it on social networks. After you have taken a photo, selected a filter, tagged friends, added a comment, Instagram offers to immediately place this photo on all available social networks.
And the next time you are going to create a new social product, do not forget to add restrictions. But think carefully about which ones. Add one restriction that makes creating content easy and communication oriented. This is the best way to defeat the “one percent rule” and motivate the user not only to view the content, but to generate it. For example, the same Medium is doing just that now.
And the cherry on the cake will be the formation of the habit of using your product. Believe me, it's not easy at all. The easier it is to create content, the more it will be created, the more often the user will use the product, the faster the habit will be formed. And the habit is a terrible force, it allows you to increase LTV, increase the viral loop and attract a lot of users by spending a minimum of resources.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/292996/
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