Framing Effect Cheat Sheet

👁 8 additional examples of the Framing Effect

Here are more examples from different companies and industries:

1. LinkedIn availability reframing

On LinkedIn desktop messenger, if a user is offline but has the app installed on their phone,
they aren't marked as "Offline". They are instead marked as "Available on mobile". It's a clever
reframing that makes people feel like their connections are just a message away and are
always available, even if they aren't on Linkedin on their desktop.

2. Online Audio Compression

The site onlineconverter.com reframed "low quality" as "good compression" to leverage the
associative priming effect:

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3. Betterstack pricing psychology
Betterstack monitors if your applications are still in operation. That's typically a critical piece
of information for a tech company, so they reframed their high price as a "buying a piece of
mind." The implicit message is "if a competitor is cheaper, they're probably less reliable":

4. Tesla total cost of ownership

Tesla cleverly reframes the fairly high price of their Model 3 by reframing it as a total cost of
ownership that includes gas savings, tax credits, etc. Notice how they also cleverly compare
that price to two of the world's most popular and most cost-effective cars: the Toyota
Corolla and Toyota Camry. They also made an anchor comparison frame to BMW, which
alludes to its premium aspect at a lower cost.

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5. Medical treatment framing
In a famous research by Kahneman and Tverskyref, physicians were given statistics about
treatment alternatives for lung cancer. The outcomes were framed either in terms of survival
rates (positive framing) or mortality rates (negative framing). For example:
- Positive Framing: "Of 100 people having surgery, 90 are alive after 5 years."
- Negative Framing: "Of 100 people having surgery, 10 are dead after 5 years."
Even though the statistics convey the same information, physicians' recommendations were
influenced by how the outcomes were framed. When the outcomes were framed in terms of
survival rates (positive framing), 82% accepted the treatment. But when the outcomes were
presented in terms of mortality rates (negative framing), only 22% accepted the treatment.

6. Brave Metrics
Brave browser frames the core value of its app around privacy and speed. To make sure you
remember this, they constantly show three metrics on their dashboard: trackers and ads
blocked, bandwidth and time saved. That's a powerful Positive Framing.

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7. MyFitnessPal
MyFitnessPal frames dietary choices by showing “calories remaining” instead of “calories
consumed” to focus users on the goal of eating a certain amount per day instead of simply
counting calories up indefinitely.

8. Facebook privacy settings

Facebook, for instance, often frames its privacy adjustments in terms of empowerment,
urging users to "review" or "check" their settings. Instead of a passive "Account settings."
Note that this framing is slightly dubious considering Facebook's history of data and privacy
practices.

Your turn.
What's another example that you've seen in the wild?
Share it with us at team@growth.design
—Dan Benoni & Louis-Xavier Lavallée

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🛣 7 DO's and DON'Ts
When it comes to applying the Framing Effect…

DO:
Prioritize User Needs: Use the Framing Effect if it addresses genuine user pain points or
aspirations. For instance, "Simplify your workflow" speaks to a user's desire for efficiency rather
than just promoting a feature or benefiting your company. To better understand how your users
feel and perceive value (e.g., anticipation, hope, fears, etc.), refer to the Behavior Map.

Amplify User Empowerment: Frame options or actions in ways that make users feel in control
and respected. "Choose your privacy level" emphasizes user agency over a simple "Privacy
settings" label.

Acknowledge Emotions and Context: Frame messages by understanding and recognizing the
user's emotional state or context. For a user who hasn't engaged with a feature, "Discover
what's new!" can be more inviting than "You haven't used this feature."

DON'T:
Manipulate User Emotions Unethically: Don't use the Framing Effect to exploit fears or
insecurities. For instance, avoid overly exaggerated phrases like "You're missing out!" which can
uselessly prey on the fear of missing out (FOMO).

Assume One Size Fits All: Don't apply the same frame universally without considering user
diversity. What's beneficial or comforting for one user group might not resonate with another.
For example, studies have shown that the impact of number framing can vary by country
because of currency differences.

Oversimplify or Patronize: While framing should be clear, don't oversimplify to the point of
patronizing. Users appreciate honesty. Instead of "Everything's fine!" during a service
disruption, opt for "We're on it, here's what happened..."

Overpromise and Underdeliver: Don't use positive framing to set expectations that your
product or service can't consistently meet. Avoid statements like "The fastest ever!" unless
you're certain it's an experience you can deliver on, as failing to meet these expectations can
erode trust quickly.

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📈 Business Impact
As shown in the Google search example, a well-designed framing effect can increase engagement
by 17%ref.

🌱 Your next steps

1. Understand: Read and understand the Framing Effect case study.

2. Identify: Find a critical moment where your product could reframe your product. Make sure
you respect the previous rules and checklists.

3. Empathize: Using customer research, write down the user state at that moment
(key emotions, expectations, feelings, perceived value and benefits, risks).

4. Ideate: Brainstorm 3 ideas of applying the Framing Effect to make the user experience more
delightful or reassuring.

5. Experiment: Run experiments with variants with/without Framing Effect (A/B split)

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💡 Want to use psychology to build better products?
If you're looking for more ways to sharpen your product skills using psychology, check these out:

Product Psychology Course.

If you want to learn how to use psychology to create better
experiences for your customers, check out our course:
https://growth.design/course

Cognitive Biases Cheatsheet.

100+ cognitive biases and design principles that affect
your product experiences. Tons of product examples, tips,
and checklists to improve your user experience:
https://growth.design/psychology
—Dan Benoni & Louis-Xavier Lavallée

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