Invite to action

Purchase decisions sometimes require patience. However, people prefer action—doing something feels better than waiting. The question is: In what situations does taking action prove harmful while waiting helps? How strong is the urge to act, and what does the evidence tell us?

Studies

Goalkeeper during a penalty kick

Bar-Eli, Azar, and their colleagues uncovered a striking paradox in professional soccer in 2007. They analyzed 286 penalty kicks in top European leagues and documented every goalkeeper reaction. Although 29% of all shots went to the center, goalkeepers stayed put in only 6% of penalties—they almost always jumped left or right. The paradox: Those who stayed in the center saved 60% of shots, while those who jumped saved only 30%. Nevertheless, the professionals systematically acted against their own odds of success because conceding a goal after jumping feels less painful than conceding one where you "did nothing."

The norm to act

The researchers directly surveyed 32 professional goalkeepers from top European leagues: 'What feels worse – conceding a goal after diving or after staying still?' 94% answered: Staying still feels worse, even when the outcome is identical. The keepers described the social pressure: 'Why didn't you do anything?' teammates and fans would ask. One player put it succinctly: 'Better to dive the wrong way than stay put and be right.' Remarkably, this attitude statistically reduced their success, yet taking action satisfied social expectations, even when it was objectively counterproductive.

Doctors and unnecessary antibiotics

In 2000, Patt and Zeckhauser investigated action bias among 847 general practitioners. They presented physicians with cases of viral infections where antibiotics are medically ineffective. Nevertheless, 68% prescribed antibiotics when patients explicitly requested them—despite knowing that watchful waiting would be the superior treatment. The reasoning was consistently the same: "The patient expects me to do something." Particularly striking: even experienced physicians with over 20 years of practice exhibited this bias just as strongly. The need to act outweighed the medical evidence.

Principle

Which principle for Customer Experience Design can be derived from this? Visible activity reassures customers and builds trust, even when the action itself provides no direct benefit. Companies should therefore deliberately communicate recognizable actions when addressing customer problems or wait times, rather than working silently in the background. Particularly during crises or extended processing times, demonstrated activity has a calming effect and prevents customers from feeling neglected. However, the activity shown must appear credible and relevant—purely superficial actions can permanently damage trust if exposed. The following guidelines show how to implement this principle in practice.

Guidelines

Make progress continuously visible

For longer processes or content, continuously display progress using scrollbars with chapter markers, "You are at step 3 of 7" notifications, or estimated time remaining for forms. The mechanism: progress indicators create small goals and moments of achievement that sustain attention. Without orientation, the process becomes a monotonous, endless loop—ideal conditions for mind-wandering. Particularly effective: non-linear progress bars that fill faster toward the end, leveraging the goal-gradient effect.

Proactively communicate errors and mishaps

In case of problems or mishaps: Contact customers proactively before they reach out to complain. Communicate transparently about the specific causes, corrective measures, and expected timeline—fast, open communication builds trust rather than frustration. The following examples illustrate this guideline:

• Buffer: Following the 2013 hack: detailed timeline of the attack, affected data, flaws in the security architecture, concrete measures. Customer loyalty increased.
• GitLab: In 2017, accidentally deleted production database. Recovery was live-streamed on YouTube, including all setbacks. Reputation was strengthened.

Decide in favor of the customer when in doubt

In complaints and problems: Assume good faith, decide in the customer's favor when in doubt, and act immediately—using interim solutions if necessary. Treating customers like suspects destroys trust; responding generously and quickly creates advocates. Overcompensation beats perfection—customers forgive imperfection but not inaction. The following examples illustrate this guideline:

• Amazon: Immediate refund for most complaints, without return. The cost savings from reduced logistics and support effort outweigh the abuse cases.
• Ritz-Carlton: Every employee can spend up to $2,000 per guest to resolve issues – without approval. This signals trust in both employees and guests.