62. People are Motivated by Autonomy

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We've all seen the memes and social media posts about the ever "difficult" and "job stealing" self checkout lines. For all the complaints though, you can still see long lines of people waiting to use them everyday. So why do people continue to use these apparently very hated machines? It's all about autonomy and the feeling of being independent. Our unconscious brain is constantly in protection mode and one of the oldest ways to feel safe is by being in control and doing everything yourself. This unconscious thinking is what motivates you to use the ATM over visiting the bank or to make appointments online rather than over the phone.

As Designers if we ever are tasked to promoting a self service, keeping people's love for autonomy in mind and even incorporating it into your concept will go a long way towards increasing users.