behavioral-levers

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• SKILL.md
• behavioral-levers.skill
• routing.yaml · evals/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# Behavioral Levers

Behavioral levers apply behavioral economics and cognitive heuristics to product interfaces, pricing displays, and checkout funnels. Ethical behavioral design eliminates cognitive load, anchors value expectations, frames trade-offs transparently, and leverages social proof to overcome decision paralysis.

## 1. Core Behavioral Economic Frameworks

### A. Price Anchoring & Asymmetric Decoys (Tversky & Kahneman)
- **High-Anchor First**: Present the premium enterprise tier first ($299/mo). Subsequent options ($79/mo) are cognitively perceived as affordable by comparison.
- **The Decoy Effect (Asymmetric Dominance)**:
  - *Option A (Digital Only)*: $50
  - *Option B (Print Only - Decoy)*: $100
  - *Option C (Digital + Print Bundle)*: $100
  - Option B exists solely to make Option C an irresistible value proposition.

### B. Loss Aversion & Endowment Effect
Humans feel the pain of losing something roughly **2x to 2.5x more intensely** than the pleasure of gaining the equivalent value:
- **Trial Design**: Instead of "Upgrade to get Feature X", frame as "Don't lose your custom dashboard and saved data when your trial ends on Friday."
- **Endowed Progress**: Progress bars that start pre-filled (e.g. "Step 1 of 5 already completed!") have significantly higher completion rates than empty trackers.

### C. Social Proof & Herd Behavior
Social proof must be hyper-specific to the prospect's cohort:
- *Weak*: "Trusted by thousands of developers."
- *Strong*: "Over 14,000 backend engineers use Skillary to manage agent workflows."
- Position logos, customer quotes, and verifiable metrics immediately adjacent to high-friction action points (e.g. checkout forms, credit card inputs).

### D. Choice Architecture & Default Bias
Users overwhelmingly choose the default pre-selected option:
- Set the recommended tier ("Pro / Team") as the highlighted default.
- Default billing toggles to "Annual (Save 20%)" while clearly stating the monthly equivalent price.

## 2. Decision Friction Audit Checklist

| Friction Point | Behavioral Cause | Design Solution |
|---|---|---|
| **Form Abandonment** | Analysis paralysis from too many form fields | Progressive disclosure: split into 2 low-friction micro-steps |
| **Pricing Hesitation** | Uncertainty about future costs or hidden fees | Clear risk reversal: "Cancel anytime with 1 click; 30-day full refund guarantee" |
| **Feature Overwhelm** | Paradox of Choice (Barry Schwartz) | Highlight top 3 differentiating features; collapse exhaustive feature lists |

## Critical Rules
1. Never employ deceptive "dark patterns" (hidden subscriptions, disguised ads, difficult cancellation paths); dark patterns destroy brand equity and trigger regulatory action.
2. Social proof claims and statistics must be 100% verified and factually true.
3. Every urgency trigger (e.g. "Offer ends at midnight") must represent an actual operational deadline.

## Verification Checklist
- [ ] Value anchor established before presenting secondary options.
- [ ] Social proof placed directly next to primary conversion forms and buttons.
- [ ] Endowed progress applied to multi-step signup and onboarding workflows.
- [ ] Risk reversals (money-back guarantee, no card required) explicitly stated at decision points.
- [ ] Interfaces audited to confirm zero deceptive dark patterns.

## Anti-Patterns
- NEVER use fake countdown timers that reset upon page refresh.
- NEVER pre-check optional paid add-ons or marketing spam checkboxes by default.
- NEVER hide cancellation or refund options behind phone calls or difficult support ticket queues.

From poorvith-mp/skills-marketing, MIT.

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