Boosts user motivation and reduces drop-off near task completion.
Motivation can drop sharply after goal completion if next steps aren't clear.
The Goal Gradient Effect was first observed by behaviourist Clark Hull in 1932. In animal studies, Hull noted that rats ran faster as they neared the end of a maze to reach food. This early work showed that proximity to a goal increased effort. More recently, this principle has been validated in human behaviour studies, including a notable 2006 experiment by Kivetz, Urminsky, and Zheng. They analysed loyalty card data from a coffee shop’s reward programme.
Participants who were closer to earning a reward (e.g. 8 of 10 stamps) visited the shop more frequently than those who had just started. Even when initial progress was artificially advanced (e.g. 2 free stamps on a 12-stamp card), users accelerated their behaviour as they neared completion. This confirmed that perceived progress increases motivation.
1.
Show visible progress (e.g. steps or bars) to motivate completion.
2.
Start users with a small head start to boost initial engagement.
3.
Break large tasks into smaller, trackable goals to maintain momentum.
