Author: Shira Abel Category: Frameworks URL: https://hunterandbard.com/resources/blog/when-pain-is-a-good-thing
There are times when you want to put your user in pain. Yes, pain. Most user experience people talk about the importance of making things simple.
There are times when you want to put your user in pain. Yes, pain. Most user experience people talk about the importance of making things simple. Even I talk about how we're all trained monkeys and we don't want to be making decisions. Don't make me think. Don't put me in any pain. Yet greater pain leads to greater appreciation, and the feeling of accomplishment. It all depends on the motivation of the user and your end goal.
This piece was originally written about LinkedIn's UX in 2017. The product has changed since, but the underlying behavioral principle still holds, and the example is the clearest way to show it.
My friend Itamar and I were talking about LinkedIn, making things simple, and user experience. Specifically, we were discussing Who's Viewed Your Profile. Itamar couldn't understand why LinkedIn would make you work and do an extra click to be able to view this. Why wasn't it on the homepage?
I don't work at LinkedIn and I haven't asked this to anyone I know who works at or worked at LinkedIn - but I have a good idea why LinkedIn doesn't have the Who's Viewed Your Profile list on the homepage. They want you to experience a bit of pain to see it. It primes you to go deeper into the site.
Let's think about BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits: B= MAT or Behavior = Motivation Ability Trigger
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Hunter & Bard is a San Francisco-based B2B strategy consultancy founded in 2011 by Shira Abel. We help deep-tech and enterprise SaaS companies fix their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and close $100K+ deals.
We work with B2B leaders who are tired of being overlooked, underestimated, or mistaken for their competitors. Our specialty is turning complex, technical products into clear, compelling stories that win enterprise deals.
We believe that perception drives revenue. If your buyers can't tell you apart from the next vendor in 30 seconds, you have a positioning problem — not a marketing problem. We fix that.
Perception = (Story × Visibility) ÷ Noise
This framework drives everything we do. Your story has to be sharp. Your visibility has to be strategic. And you have to cut through the noise — not add to it.
Shira Abel — Founder & CEO. Kellogg MBA. 20+ years in B2B marketing. Former CMO. Keynote speaker. Published in Forbes, HuffPost, and Wired. Specialist in enterprise positioning and perception strategy.
Daina Reed — Founding Designer & Partner. 15+ years in product and brand design. Former Senior Product Designer at Dun & Bradstreet. Specialist in enterprise UX, visual identity, and design systems.