Safety: Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs | UX design study
Safety is one of our basic, evolutionary needs. Most of our decisions and actions are based on sustaining or improving our circumstances. While we may not be in constant danger like an early man and woman, we are no less driven by the need for safety for ourselves and our loved ones. For this reason, products must not only be sold to us with strong indications that they will protect us from potential threats, but they must back these claims up with clear evidence that they do, in fact, offer some protection and/or ‘shelter’, too. Let’s see how it works, and how to tap into this in our own designs.
consider the checkout procedure on any trustworthy eCommerce website. If the user was told their details would automatically be placed into the hands of some unknown third party, the alarm bells would start ringing in our minds. Designers must ensure users feel comfortable and safe, confident that they will come to no harm physically, psychologically or financially, by interacting with the products.
Safety: An Evolutionary Carryover
On an average day, we have to make lots of decisions: what to wear (according to the weather), what to eat (according to our health), where to go (according to our personal and physical interests), and whom to see (family, friends, colleagues, etc.). All of these decisions are based on maintaining or improving our physical and psychological well-being. Even when we do things for other people, we are tending to some personal need, either to ensure the safety of others close to us or to make us feel safe in our environment (we generally avoid confrontation, even with people that drive us mad).
Taking advantage of the safety needs
Products do not necessarily have to satisfy this need directly in order to influence our drive for safety. Countless products are advertised using imagery that plays on our safety needs.
For example, financial products are often sold to us with images and scenes depicting a safe, secure, and happy family settling into their new home, after taking out a mortgage or investing their savings. These images capture the lifestyle(s) we associate with safety: clean, fashionable homes, 2.4 children, well-dressed and happy parents, and a cat/dog in tow.
The connections you draw between the products you are designing/selling and the safety-providing qualities they might or might not possess are what help to secure the consumer’s attention.
Trust is one of the most important aspects of e-commerce, especially; without trust, the users are not prepared to enter their details, let alone make a purchase. Therefore, images or text and any other elements that suggest or guarantee safety encourage the users to trust you and complete purchases as a direct result.
