Can computers change what you think and do? Can they motivate you to stop smoking, persuade you to buy insurance, or convince you to join the Army? "Yes, they can," says Dr. B.J. Fogg, director of the Persuasive Technology Lab at Stanford University. Fogg has coined the phrase "Captology"(an acronym for computers as persuasive technologies) to capture the domain of research, design, and applications of persuasive computers.In this thought-provoking book, based on nine years of research in captology, Dr. Fogg reveals how Web sites, software applications, and mobile devices can be used to change people's attitudes and behavior. Technology designers, marketers, researchers, consumersâ€Â"anyone who wants to leverage or simply understand the persuasive power of interactive technologyâ€Â"will appreciate the compelling insights and illuminating examples found inside. Persuasive technology can be controversialâ€Â"and it should be. Who will wield this power of digital influence? And to what end? Now is the time to survey the issues and explore the principles of persuasive technology, and B.J. Fogg has written this book to be your guide. * Filled with key term definitions in persuasive computing *Provides frameworks for understanding this domain *Describes real examples of persuasive technologies
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Just ok:
The book covers the subject matter very broadly, but lacks in-depth detail and practical applications. It could be more concise in sections (especially about the author)and more in-depth in usage, application, and research.
Great Introduction to Persuasive Psychology / Captology:
Dr. Fogg has done a great job of creating an introductory work for Captology. The book is well written and well cited. It's rare to see a technology book that has research cited to back its claims. Often times claims are made based on experience without any real claim to validity. Dr Fogg's writing is more academic and in that sense refreshing. Although, it would certainly be nice to see both aspects, experience and reproducible controlled tests, in a single book. If you are well versed in both... more info
Will Do - Can Do - User Perspective:
Having spent 8 years in the field of Web Development and after being a part of many Internet and Intranet web projects and applications. There was one question that was constantly bothering me. We as a team, on almost all the occasions tried very hard to make the applications and websites as much user friendly as much as we could so that the users CAN DO it when he is there. The question was if we create something that user-friendly that he CAN DO what he wants to do, does it mean that he WILL DO it?more info
Guide to a Rising Area of Study:
Dr. BJ Fogg has created a new area of study: captology, the study of computers as persuasive technologies. This book is an excellent introduction to this new field: it outlines the different arenas within the field, expands on its implications, and explores the ethical issues related to the topic. As a student of Persuasive Technology at Stanford, I found this book to be extremely helpful in my understanding of the topic. It's very easy to read and understand and is not reminiscent of a text book at... more info
