placebo button
Illusory control mechanism
A placebo button is a button that appears functional but does nothing, installed to give users a sense of control.
The classic examples are elevator "close door" buttons and crosswalk buttons that don't actually change signal timing.
The term extends to any interface element—physical or digital—that provides psychological comfort without real effect: Half the buttons in this app are placebo buttons.
Overestimating one's influence
- user satisfactionPositive feeling after service
- cognitive biasSystematic deviation from rationality
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
- feedback loopSelf-modifying cyclical process
human factors · affordance · usability · deception · nudging · mental model · user experience · agency
Inactive substitute for medicine
- clinical trialHuman subject research experiment
- beliefTrust held as true
- mind-bodyMental-physical relationship
- noceboHarm from negative expectation
Not serving its purpose
- disconnectedSeparated from a source
- decorativeServing to beautify
- inactiveNot currently functioning
- dummyLifelike substitute figure
sham · fake · symbolic · vestigial · cosmetic · ornamental · bypass · disabled
Settled regular tendency
- routineRegular sequence of actions
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
- repetitionAct of redoing
muscle memory · ingrained · conditioned response · reflexive · ceremony · custom · practice · learned behavior
illusion of control
Overestimating one's influence
- user satisfactionPositive feeling after service
- cognitive biasSystematic deviation from rationality
- expectationBelief about future outcomes
feedback loop · human factors · affordance · usability · deception · nudging · mental model · user experience · agency · empowerment
sugar pill
Inactive substitute for medicine
- clinical trialHuman subject research experiment
- beliefTrust held as true
- mind-bodyMental-physical relationship
non-functional
Not serving its purpose
- disconnectedSeparated from a source
- decorativeServing to beautify
- inactiveNot currently functioning
dummy · sham · fake · symbolic · vestigial · cosmetic · ornamental · bypass · disabled · decoupled
habit
Settled regular tendency
- routineRegular sequence of actions
- superstitionBaseless belief in omens
- compulsionIrresistible urge to act
repetition · muscle memory · ingrained · conditioned response · reflexive · ceremony · custom · practice · learned behavior · fidgeting
pedestrian crossing
Designated road-crossing zone
placebo, button, placebos, buttons, buttoned, buttoning, please, pleasant, pleasantly