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Avoid future problems with "Upstream Thinking"
Level up your product psychology
Improve your CTA labels
Did you know that Uber Eats drivers openly share strategies on Reddit about which orders to cancel, prioritise, or pass onto less savvy drivers?
There's almost a pseudoscience for detecting likely tip baiters (don't worry, I'll explain what this is later).
Call me naive, but I assumed that when drivers stole food, or cancelled an order that's in progress, their wives were having a baby or something.
It's nothing like that.
I know this, because I spent a few weeks roleplaying an Uber Eats highwayman. I just stole everyone's food.
So what's this got to do with UX?
This is the second time I've published an analysis on being an Uber Driver. The first study looked at how the driver's app was poorly designed and difficult to learn.
This time we're tackling a bigger problem: how product psychology could reduce stolen (or delayed) orders, increase tips and make drivers happier, before the event occurs.
This kind of preventative design is sometimes labelled "Upstream Thinking".
And in about 10 minutes, you'll have this in your arsenal to try for yourself.

A behind the scenes look at how I redesigned the Built for Mars sign-up flow, and iterated from early feedback.
The two "obvious" fixes that did nothing
Why you shouldn't always force an input
Why limiting the user's choices can be beneficial
Hinge built its reputation on a single promise: it's the dating app that wants you to leave. This is a breakdown of how the interface is actually engineered to make sure you don't.
How dating apps keep you engaged (not romantically)
The design equivalent of clickbait headlines
How Hinge leverages social scarcity
The challenge for a navigation app isn't to efficiently show you the best route, it's to make you believe that you've found the best route.
How strategy influences design
Waze is cornered, and slowly shrinking
What Apple's strategy appears to be

From rat mazes to coffee apps: why the motivation to reach a reward increases the closer your users get to their goal.
How to use the Goal Gradient Effect
Spinning the flywheel of purchases
Why your rules need to be clear
Sometimes, the best onboarding is no onboarding, and simple products get bogged down with unnecessary explanations. This case study on Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Asda demonstrates when to just let the user try it for themselves.
Sometimes the best onboarding, is no onboarding
“Show, don’t tell” often beats education
Data can’t always tell you when onboarding is wrong

An analysis of Monzo’s 1p challenge, focusing on the middle slump, where progress slows and motivation quietly fades.
Delight can replace progress, but only temporarily
"The middle" is the real retention problem
Motivation needs contextualised reference points
Avoid future problems with "Upstream Thinking"
Level up your product psychology
Improve your CTA labels
Did you know that Uber Eats drivers openly share strategies on Reddit about which orders to cancel, prioritise, or pass onto less savvy drivers?
There's almost a pseudoscience for detecting likely tip baiters (don't worry, I'll explain what this is later).
Call me naive, but I assumed that when drivers stole food, or cancelled an order that's in progress, their wives were having a baby or something.
It's nothing like that.
I know this, because I spent a few weeks roleplaying an Uber Eats highwayman. I just stole everyone's food.
So what's this got to do with UX?
This is the second time I've published an analysis on being an Uber Driver. The first study looked at how the driver's app was poorly designed and difficult to learn.
This time we're tackling a bigger problem: how product psychology could reduce stolen (or delayed) orders, increase tips and make drivers happier, before the event occurs.
This kind of preventative design is sometimes labelled "Upstream Thinking".
And in about 10 minutes, you'll have this in your arsenal to try for yourself.

A behind the scenes look at how I redesigned the Built for Mars sign-up flow, and iterated from early feedback.
The two "obvious" fixes that did nothing
Why you shouldn't always force an input
Why limiting the user's choices can be beneficial
Hinge built its reputation on a single promise: it's the dating app that wants you to leave. This is a breakdown of how the interface is actually engineered to make sure you don't.
How dating apps keep you engaged (not romantically)
The design equivalent of clickbait headlines
How Hinge leverages social scarcity
The challenge for a navigation app isn't to efficiently show you the best route, it's to make you believe that you've found the best route.
How strategy influences design
Waze is cornered, and slowly shrinking
What Apple's strategy appears to be

From rat mazes to coffee apps: why the motivation to reach a reward increases the closer your users get to their goal.
How to use the Goal Gradient Effect
Spinning the flywheel of purchases
Why your rules need to be clear
Sometimes, the best onboarding is no onboarding, and simple products get bogged down with unnecessary explanations. This case study on Waitrose, Sainsbury's and Asda demonstrates when to just let the user try it for themselves.
Sometimes the best onboarding, is no onboarding
“Show, don’t tell” often beats education
Data can’t always tell you when onboarding is wrong

An analysis of Monzo’s 1p challenge, focusing on the middle slump, where progress slows and motivation quietly fades.
Delight can replace progress, but only temporarily
"The middle" is the real retention problem
Motivation needs contextualised reference points