The Decoy Effect

The Useless Option

"The Useless Option – How a bad choice forces you to buy the expensive one" reveals the secret weapon of pricing psychology: The Decoy Effect (or Asymmetric Dominance). Why does the cinema sell a medium popcorn for $6.50 when the large is $7.00? The medium exists not to be sold, but to make the large look like a bargain. Marketing expert Martin Trap dissects how this cognitive bias manipulates decisions in everything from software subscriptions to real estate. The book explains that humans are bad at judging absolute value, so we look for comparisons. By adding a "decoy"—an option that is obviously inferior to the target option—marketers can steer customers toward the most profitable product. "The Useless Option" is a field guide to spotting and using these invisible nudges. It teaches entrepreneurs how to structure their prices to guide customer behavior, proving that the most important product on your menu might be the one nobody buys.

The Psychology of Food Safety and Consumption

HCI International 2025 – Late Breaking Papers

The 16-volume set LNCS 16331–16346 constitutes late breaking papers from the 27th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, HCI International 2025, held in Gothenburg, Sweden, during June 22-27, 2025. A total of 7972 individuals from academia, research institutes, industry, and government agencies from 92 countries submitted contributions. 1430 papers and 355 posters (as short research papers) were included in the volumes of the proceedings published just before the start of the conference. Additionally, 439 papers and 104 posters were included in the volumes of the proceedings published after the conference, as “Late Breaking Work”. The papers were organized in topical sections as follows: Part I: Theoretical and Conceptual Advances in HCI; and User Interface and Interaction Design; Design for Inclusivity and Social Impact. Part II: Robotics, Embodied Agents, and Human-Robot Interaction; Smart Environments and Manufacturing Systems; Human-AI Interaction and Generative AI in Design; and Ethics, Privacy and Sustainability in Digital Systems. Part III: Human Experience in Virtual Environments; Human Factors in Intelligent and Autonomous Systems; and Computational Methods for Human Behavior Analysis. Part IV: Human Performance and Safety in Aviation; Human-Automation Teaming; Eye Tracking, Cognition, and Situation Awareness; and Innovations in Adaptive and Responsive Environments. Part V: Accessibility and Inclusive Interaction Design; Accessibility and Innovations in Intelligent Environments; and Human-Centered Technologies for Autism and Neurodiverse Populations. Part VI: Designing for Positive Change: Well-Being, Inclusion, and Social Impact; Cross-Cultural and Creative Design Futures; Design and Engineering of Mobility Experiences; and Human Factors, Safety, and Driver Assistance. Part VII: Social Media, Society, and Digital Communities; LLMs and Intelligent Agents in Social Computing and Security; Understanding User Behavior in Social Computing; and Security, Privacy, and Trust in Digital Environments. Part VIII: Frameworks and Computational Methods in XR; Human Factors and User Experience in XR; XR, Culture, and Immersive Heritage Experiences; Extended Reality in Healthcare and Medical Training; and Serious Games and Interactive Narratives. Part IX: Ergonomics and Digital Human Modeling; Digital Human Modeling in Fashion and Textiles; Artificial Intelligence and Smart Services in Digital Human Modeling; and Health Monitoring, Decision-Making, and Care Optimization. Part X: Generational Differences and Technology Acceptance in Older Adults; Healthy Lifestyle, Physical Activity, and Active Aging; Cognitive Health, Well-Being; and Preventive Care; Intelligent Systems, Safety, and Aging in Place; and Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare and Well-Being. Part XI: User Experience and Interaction for Positive Social Impact; User Experience Methods, Tools, and Metrics; User Experience in Education and Learning; and User Experience in Digital Heritage and Art. Part XII: User Experience in Product and Service Design; User Experience, AI, and Emerging Applications; Digital Innovation and Interactive Design for Cultural Heritage; and Technology-Driven Cultural Shifts: AI, Metaverse, and Digital Society. Part XIII: Human-Centered Perspectives on New Technologies Adoption and Impact; AI-Empowered Ageing, Education, and Healthcare; Advances in Commerce, Marketing, and Consumer Behavior; and Digital Transformation of Business and Governance. Part XIV: Immersive Technologies for Learning; Inclusive and Collaborative Learning Design; Adaptive Instructional Systems; AI, Data, and Intelligent Support in Education. Part XV: Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Frameworks and Lessons Learned; Frameworks and Approaches for Trustworthy and Explainable AI; Large Language Models – Capabilities, Biases, and Applications. Part XVI: Generative AI in Creativity and Design; Human-AI Interaction and Collaboration; and Mobile Technologies for Health, Education, and Digital Engagement.