Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

096 IKEA Effect

The act of creating a thing increases the perceived value of that thing to the creator.

The IKEA effect is the sense of emotional attachment resulting from creating or partially creating a thing (e.g., assembling furniture). People are willing to pay more for products they create than equivalent preassembled products and value things they personally create — even if shoddily constructed — as much as if those things had been created by an expert. The effect only applies to projects that are completed and dissipates if individuals disassemble their creations. The IKEA effect is not unique to humans and has been observed in animals such as rats and starlings, which seem to prefer food from sources that required effort on their ...