Progress and momentum

Goal-gradient effect

People speed up as they get closer to a goal.

Well supportedSeveral studies or meta-analyses point the same way.

Example

With one stamp left on a loyalty card, people come back sooner.

Why it works

The shorter the remaining distance looks, the more the next step seems worth. The idea began with rats running faster near food and has since been observed in purchases and online contributions.

On the web

Show progress as a percentage or count remaining. Make late steps shorter and keep "one more" visible.

When it backfires

Activity drops right after the goal is reached. Use the completion screen to point to the next goal or a related action.

Sources

  1. Proposes the goal-gradient hypothesis from rats running faster as they near the goal.

    Hull, C. L. (1932). The goal-gradient hypothesis and maze learning. Psychological Review, 39(1), 25-43. Open source

  2. Café customers bought coffee more often as they neared a free drink, slowed after redeeming, and sped up again toward the next reward.

    Kivetz, R., Urminsky, O., & Zheng, Y. (2006). The goal-gradient hypothesis resurrected. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(1), 39-58. Open source

  3. Stack Overflow users increased the targeted activity as they approached a badge and returned to their usual level after earning it.

    Anderson, A., Huttenlocher, D., Kleinberg, J., & Leskovec, J. (2013). Steering user behavior with badges. WWW 2013, 95-106. Open source

Patterns that apply it

11 patterns

Start

Head-start progress bar

A new profile starts at "2 of 6 done" and the remaining steps fill in one by one.

Start

Setup checklist

A five-item checklist on the first screen ticks off as items are done.

Progress

Steps and time left

A "3 of 4, about 1 minute left" indicator updates with every step.

Progress

Lighter toward the end

Each step asks for less, until the last one is a single confirm button.

Progress

Build your plan

Each choice adds a piece to a preview of the finished plan.

Return

Forgiving streak

The streak grows day by day, and a rest day is marked without breaking it.

Return

Badge collection

A collection grid shows how close the next badge is.

Return

Gentle reminder

A reminder about a draft quote says "2 fields to go."

Share

Referral meter

A meter fills toward the next reward as referrals come in.

Share

Shared goal

Everyone’s contributions add up toward a common goal.

Share

Nearby leaderboard

Only your rank and your neighbors appear, with the gap to the next place.