Social Proof

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Social Proof

People adapt their behaviour based on others. Our subconscious shortcut is to use social proof, and look at what others are doing.

Featured in 60 UX Bites

Similar psychology:

Likely impacts:

Sharing and Referrals

Perception of Value

Purchases

Last updated: 23/09/2026

How to utilise this in your designs

You could tailor the social proof on an upgrade prompt to the content being viewed, e.g., showing job titles of similar readers so it feels relevant.

White UI with black text listing member benefits on Medium with eight experts' circular portraits and titles from Netflix, Google, Nasdaq, DataedX, UCSD, Meta, JPMorgan Chase. Blue "Upgrade" button.

Example from

Medium

Try making customer logos more credible social proof by revealing how long each company has been a customer on hover, adding specificity.

Loops UI shows email service for software, backed by Y Combinator. Highlighted dates: "SINCE NOV 2023" for Copilot, "SINCE MAR 2024" for Linear in black text, blue border.

Example from

Loops

During sign-up, you could experiment with showing how many of a user's phone contacts were active in the last month, as friends are stronger social proof.

Snapchat Add Friends screen with "31 of your contacts were online this month!" shown. Quick Add list includes Amanda, Steohanie, Rory with blue checkmarks and green online dots.

Example from

Snapchat

When prompting an upgrade, you could show how many people started a trial this week, using a specific, recent number as social proof that others are joining.

Example from

Speechify

You could try showing other users on a map in near realtime by default, giving immediate social proof that the product is actively being used.

Waze UI with a white control panel showing traffic jam, reports, other Wazers (enabled), bin lorries toggles; map with road names, colored route, and Wazer avatars.

Example from

Waze

Possible impacts

Showing specific social proof at key moments, e.g., sign-up or upgrade prompts, could increase conversion rates, as users feel reassured others made the same choice.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Loops Showing social "proof"

You might see an increase in sharing and referrals, as users are more inclined to share a product when social proof suggests their friends already share it.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Waze Waze's social proof

Social proof from friends or trusted experts may raise the perceived value of your product, as people value things they believe others already like.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Loops Showing social "proof"

Signals like reviews, ratings or low-return badges could act as social proof before checkout, potentially increasing purchases by building buyer confidence.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Written by Peter Ramsey

Consultant to 100+ companies

Published: 03/09/2023

How to utilise this in your designs

You could tailor the social proof on an upgrade prompt to the content being viewed, e.g., showing job titles of similar readers so it feels relevant.

Example from

Medium

Try making customer logos more credible social proof by revealing how long each company has been a customer on hover, adding specificity.

Example from

Loops

During sign-up, you could experiment with showing how many of a user's phone contacts were active in the last month, as friends are stronger social proof.

Example from

Snapchat

When prompting an upgrade, you could show how many people started a trial this week, using a specific, recent number as social proof that others are joining.

Example from

Speechify

You could try showing other users on a map in near realtime by default, giving immediate social proof that the product is actively being used.

Example from

Waze

Possible impacts

Showing specific social proof at key moments, e.g., sign-up or upgrade prompts, could increase conversion rates, as users feel reassured others made the same choice.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Loops Showing social "proof"

You might see an increase in sharing and referrals, as users are more inclined to share a product when social proof suggests their friends already share it.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Waze Waze's social proof

Social proof from friends or trusted experts may raise the perceived value of your product, as people value things they believe others already like.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof

Loops Showing social "proof"

Signals like reviews, ratings or low-return badges could act as social proof before checkout, potentially increasing purchases by building buyer confidence.

As seen in:

Medium Medium's dynamic social proof