Chapter 18. Motivation: Affiliation
Social media and games have become a huge part of the Internet, and the main motivations behind all of them are the same. One of those motivations is the desire to belong.
Affiliation, and the next two motivations, are purely relative. They only matter when you compare yourself to other people. My favorites.
Affiliation
Belong to a group. Any group. The fans of a team. People with “UX” in their job title. People from your home country. People who fish on the weekends. People who hate people who fish on weekends.
Whatever.
Being part of a group (or believing we are part of it) makes us feel proud. We wear their colors, sing their songs, buy their swag, display their symbols, etc. It could be a sports team, a band, a school, a country, or just your family. If your group has an opponent, there is a good chance you will hate that opponent. If your group has a common belief, there is a good chance you will hate anyone who disagrees with that belief.
As a UX Designer
Allow users to belong to a group or be identified by things they have in common—like joining guilds or “Liking” pages or choosing color schemes.
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