Nudge for Deliberativeness: How Interface Features Influence Online Discourse
This work addresses the challenge of improving deliberativeness in online discourse for users, but it is incremental as it builds on existing literature on interface effects.
The paper tackled the problem of cognitive load hindering deliberative online discourse by proposing three interface nudges: word-count anchor, partitioning text fields, and reply choice prompt. In a factorial experiment with 80 participants, the word-count anchor and partitioning text fields significantly increased deliberativeness and word count, while the reply choice prompt negatively affected response quantity.
Cognitive load is a significant challenge to users for being deliberative. Interface design has been used to mitigate this cognitive state. This paper surveys literature on the anchoring effect, partitioning effect and point-of-choice effect, based on which we propose three interface nudges, namely, the word-count anchor, partitioning text fields, and reply choice prompt. We then conducted a 2*2*2 factorial experiment with 80 participants (10 for each condition), testing how these nudges affect deliberativeness. The results showed a significant positive impact of the word-count anchor. There was also a significant positive impact of the partitioning text fields on the word count of response. The reply choice prompt showed a surprisingly negative affect on the quantity of response, hinting at the possibility that the reply choice prompt induces a fear of evaluation, which could in turn dampen the willingness to reply.