-172 upvotes, 12 direct replies (showing 12)
Features are often opt-in to help discoverability and adoption. Typically we see one out of seven users opt out of a feature. This means around 85% of people will use and benefit from the feature under opt-in by default, vs. 2% under opt-out by default. That's a 42x increase in people using a feature at the cost of 15% of people having to take action to opt out. Currently, there isn’t a way to see a list of all the things you can opt in and out of, but it’s never a bad idea to do a tour of your user settings to know what options you have. (Personally, I do this any time I sign up for a new app.)
Comment by Vet_Leeber at 10/09/2021 at 21:01 UTC*
216 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This is (I hope unintentionally) a bit misleading.
Just because 15% of users actively dislike something enough to want to never see it again, doesn't mean the other 85% are "using and benefiting from" the feature. Personalized ads is a good example: I guarantee a significant percentage of users that haven't opted out of personalized ads use some form of ad blocker, and never see ads anyways. You can't then claim "
It is widely known, and quite well documented, that opt in/opt out systems are ***HEAVILY*** biased towards whatever option is the default, regardless of what the system is related to. See Opt-In vs. Opt-Out organ donor programs. % of users choosing the non-default option in a setting is rarely relevant except for when significant amounts are choosing it (which usually speaks to the default being a bad experience).
Currently, there isn’t a way to see a list of all the things you can opt in and out of, but it’s never a bad idea to do a tour of your user settings to know what options you have. (Personally, I do this any time I sign up for a new app.)
The problem is, it's rarely, if ever, actually communicated to us when we're given new settings options. Especially when you do not even add these settings to the old.reddit preference page.
Sure, you check the settings when you sign up, but be honest, how often do you really ever go back and check them again, without prompting?
If you added a modal that locked out the site until each user selects "Yes" or "No" for the feature, do you really believe the number would stay at that 85/15 split?
edit:spelling
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Also, as a PSA, this is a great opportunity to remind people to double check your privacy settings on reddit (and go visit new.reddit.com to check there too, if you use old reddit), even if you've set them up before. Because I've had settings get reset back to the default opt-in without my consent multiple times.
Comment by glitterswirl at 11/09/2021 at 00:10 UTC
22 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I hate that whether or not to allow followers is an "opt-out" thing. That gifts stalkers, harrassers, abusers, creeps etc power *by default*, and it's not immediately obvious to everyone how to change the settings. (Especially if using old reddit, if people prefer that style.)
Users should receive a message or user guide on how to change ALL of their settings to their preferences. Even if people *do* tour apps they join, not everyone is super tech-savvy. Yes you have people on Reddit who know enough to write bots or whatever; but you also have some people who literally just surf the internet and *don't* have a lot of knowledge. There should be an easily-accessible, **highly visible** user guide/manual at the top of the page, that users don't have to search for (but have the *option* to hide, maybe?).
For some of us, followers are creepy. It's like being in a massive arena with thousands of people, having conversations with various people... and then being told, "hey, some other people, who *haven't* even spoken a word to you or interacted with you in any way, have been following you around all night and listening in to everything you say". These people often enjoy trampling over explicit boundaries. I literally state on my profile I don't want followers, and posted a topic on my profile expressing my feelings about it. Until I actually learned how to shut off the option of followers, some people *specifically* followed me *precisely because they found it hilarious to follow someone who doesn't want followers*.
Comment by xtriickster8 at 10/09/2021 at 21:21 UTC
31 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Unless you prompt users with the choice to opt-out/in initially, those statistics will always be skewed due to hiding features under settings menus. People don’t routinely deep dive their settings in apps to see what’s changed. Telling users to just look up the settings routinely is a bandaid solution to a poorly implemented feature.
Comment by JeveStones at 10/09/2021 at 21:02 UTC
43 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Are you measuring for inactivity in those numbers? And user awareness of the opt out feature? I'd like to see how those values and the story change when you critically measure instead of broad aggregation.
Comment by Rebeleleven at 10/09/2021 at 22:57 UTC
42 upvotes, 1 direct replies
This is dumb logic and extremely deaf to user experience.
Only legacy power users opt out of new “features” that ruin the experience. That in no way means the feature is a success.
The fact that 1 in 7 opt out should be extremely concerning. That’s an awful fucking metric and nothing to be proud of…
Comment by SoundOfTomorrow at 10/09/2021 at 21:14 UTC
61 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Typically we see one out of seven users opt out of a feature.
Provided they knew the functionality to opt out existed.
Comment by goldstarstickergiver at 11/09/2021 at 08:01 UTC
12 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This means around 85% of people will use and benefit from the feature under opt-in by default, vs. 2% under opt-out by default
That is a real smooth brained reading of statistics right there.
Comment by OldschoolSysadmin at 10/09/2021 at 22:01 UTC
20 upvotes, 2 direct replies
How do I access the follower settings from old.reddit.com?
Comment by [deleted] at 11/09/2021 at 00:16 UTC
15 upvotes, 0 direct replies
This means around 85% of people will use and benefit from the feature under opt-in by default, vs. 2% under opt-out by default.
It means that they don't care enough to figure out how to disable it.
Comment by automated_reckoning at 11/09/2021 at 06:09 UTC
6 upvotes, 0 direct replies
That's pretty hilarious, because you HAVEN'T GIVEN USERS THE ABILITY TO OPT OUT of your worst ideas!
Comment by Gonzobot at 11/09/2021 at 14:17 UTC
3 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Forcing someone to use something without telling them it's a choice is not them discovering it nor is it them adopting it. People not being aware they can remove a bad thing does not mean they're utilizing it or benefiting from it, *especially when you hide the way to shut it off on purpose to "increase discoverability and adoption.*
Comment by wasmachien at 10/09/2021 at 20:59 UTC
48 upvotes, 0 direct replies
"benefit"