Tension systems

Psychologist Kurt Lewin developed a theory that human behavior consists of goals, barriers, drives, and psychological environments. Each time a person has the intention to achieve a goal, they encounter obstacles, and psychological tension is built. The tension is released when an individual completes the task. For example, when users come to a website, they may feel highly motivated to buy a product (driving forces). But, when they're suddenly asked to sign up at the checkout stage, it could create confusion, irritation, and doubt (restraining forces), impeding users from acting and achieving the goal. What can designers and UX writers do to solve this issue?

Studies prove that, sometimes, removing barriers is more likely to help people than adding extra incentives. So, instead of forcing users to create an account to buy products, provide them an alternative to leave their contact details for the delivery and pay without any extra effort. As a designer and UX writer, your goal is to detect potential barriers for action and eliminate them before users decide to leave.