flpbalada Curiosity Gap
Reveal enough to create interest. Hide enough to motivate action. Deliver real payoff.
Goal
Create useful information gaps. Increase engagement without misleading users.
Rules
- Define payoff before writing the gap.
- Make the promise specific and believable.
- Match promise and delivery.
- Do not use fake urgency.
- Do not exploit fear, shame, or anxiety.
- Make resolution easy to reach.
- Watch satisfaction and return engagement, not only clicks.
Gap Types
- Knowledge gap: user wants to know how or why.
- Outcome gap: user wants to know what happened.
- Opinion gap: user wants to compare views.
- Resolution gap: user wants conclusion or answer.
Flow
- Define audience and context.
- Define the payoff.
- Choose gap type.
- Reveal relevance and value.
- Conceal only the missing piece.
- Check ethics.
- Measure click, completion, satisfaction, and trust.
Calibration
- Too small: no reason to act.
- Too large: feels vague or unbelievable.
- Too strong: gets clicks but harms trust.
- Good: user knows what they will gain, not the full answer.
Ethics Test
- Does payoff match promise?
- Would the user feel satisfied after clicking?
- Is this building trust?
- Can the user resolve the gap easily?
If any answer is no, revise or stop.
Resources
- Information Gap Theory - Loewenstein (1994)
- Made to Stick - Chip & Dan Heath
- Hooked - Nir Eyal
- Growth.Design Case Studies
Output
## Curiosity Gap Design
- Context: [where used]
- Audience: [who]
- Payoff: [what user gains]
- Gap type: [knowledge/outcome/opinion/resolution]
- Current: [copy]
- Improved: [copy]
- Ethics check: [pass/fail and why]
- Metrics: [CTR, completion, satisfaction, return rate]