Laws & Patterns

Cognitive Bias

Curiosity Gap

Leverage the user's innate desire to fill information gaps to drive engagement and exploration.

Definition

The Curiosity Gap is a psychological phenomenon where the need to fill information gaps motivates users to seek additional content. It's a powerful tool that can be used to engage users, encourage exploration, and deepen user interaction with your product or service.

Do

Create compelling narratives or questions that leave some information out to incite curiosity
Use progressive disclosure to gradually reveal information
Make use of effective CTAs that prompt users to learn more or explore

Avoid

Avoid leaving out crucial information that could frustrate users
Do not overuse this principle, as it can lead to user fatigue
Don't create false curiosity gaps that mislead or misinform the user

When to apply

When designing onboarding experiences to introduce features
When creating marketing or promotional content
When designing content-heavy interfaces like blogs or news sites

Related topics

curiosity-gap user-engagement content-design information-gap

Similar principles

Aha! Moment

The moment users comprehend and appreciate the core value of a product.

Attentional Bias

Users naturally gravitate towards information that matches their current mindset.

Barnum-Forer Effect

Users often perceive generic information as uniquely applicable to them.

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