UX and the Psychology of Anticipation
Michael Curtis
I Teach Soft Skills That Get You Hired & Promoted – Design the UX of You – Sr. UX Designer @1800Contacts
ADVANCED UX: Customer experience doesn’t start and end within the boundaries of a screen.
Hello, Anticipation!
Anticipation is a powerful, subtle force shaping a person’s experience before, during, and after their interactions with a product. Anticipation, while initially recognized as a feeling, is a psychological lens through which people form expectations, experience emotions, and decide whether to engage with a product again. Anticipation fuels the initial excitement of a new experience, informs expectations during use, and lingers as they wait for a product to arrive or a service to fulfill its promise.
Designing for anticipation means tuning into these layered moments — understanding what people expect, what they hope to find, and what will make their experience feel complete. Anticipation unfolds in touchpoints.
Each stage impacts how people feel about a product, whether they’ll use it again, and how they’ll talk about it to others.
Defining Anticipation in UX
Anticipation is a proactive emotion — an energy focused on what lies ahead. In UX, it can manifest as eagerness, curiosity, or hope, but it can also surface as doubt, worry, or frustration. Each moment of interaction (waiting for a page to load, a package to arrive, a message to come through, etc.) contributes to their overall experience. This highlights a key UX truth:
Customer experience doesn’t start and end within the boundaries of a screen.
Anticipation affects everything from initial impressions to the lingering feeling that stays with a person after they’ve left the digital space.
When designers acknowledge these anticipatory touchpoints, they can create products that meet or exceed expectations and pave the way for positive, memorable experiences that don’t fade as soon as the screen does.
Anticipation Before the First Interaction
Anticipation begins before a person even opens an app or visits a site. The design, branding, and marketing set expectations that shape how they approach the experience. Even word-of-mouth from friends and family affects their level of anticipation.
Promises of a sleek design, fast service, friendly help, low prices, or personalized recommendations give people something to look forward to. But setting expectations too high can be a double-edged sword. If the experience doesn’t live up to what’s advertised, anticipation can quickly turn to disappointment.
This stage of anticipation is delicate and means offering a glimpse of the value without exaggeration. Honest reviews and realistic promises build trust, while gimmicks and inflated promises can backfire, leaving people feeling misled. By respecting a person’s expectations and building curiosity instead of hype, you can prime them for a journey grounded in reality.
Anticipation During Use
Feedback, progress, and control
Once people are interacting with a product, anticipation is still at work. Now, it’s about setting a rhythm that respects their flow and keeps them engaged without overwhelming or frustrating them. This is where elements like feedback, progressive disclosure, and thoughtful loading states come into play.
1. Feedback: The anticipation of progress
Feedback is essential in managing the anticipation that builds as a person completes a task. Loading indicators, success messages, and even subtle animations signal that their actions are recognized and keep them engaged.
Feedback is a form of confirmation, reassuring people that they’re on the right path, and alleviating the anxiety that can arise from uncertain or delayed responses.
When feedback is responsive and clear, it becomes a seamless part of the experience, fulfilling their need for acknowledgment without interrupting their flow.
2. Progressive disclosure: Unfolding the experience at the right pace
Progressive disclosure helps maintain clarity and control by aligning experiences with how people naturally process information.
This principle shapes anticipation by gradually revealing information, reducing cognitive load, and keeping people focused.
Instead of bombarding them with all options and details upfront, progressive disclosure allows designers to introduce elements step-by-step, letting the anticipation build in manageable stages.
3. Loading states: Meeting anticipation with perceived realism
In moments when loading is unavoidable (and necessary at times), well-designed loading states can respect a person’s patience, allowing anticipation to build without frustration.
Clear progress bars, expected wait times, or even delightful microinteractions provide transparency and set realistic expectations.
Loading states don’t have to merely “fill the gap” — they can actively communicate that a process is underway and that the experience will continue soon. Loading can even signal that the product is doing something on the person’s behalf, which is a powerful trust-building technique between your product and the customer.
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Anticipation After the Interaction
The lasting impact
The experience isn’t over when someone closes an app or finishes a purchase. Anticipation lingers in the form of expectations for what comes next. This is especially relevant in e-commerce, subscription services, and any product or service with a tangible result that takes time to deliver. People anticipate receiving a product, using it, and perhaps even sharing their thoughts about their experience.
1. Anticipating fulfillment: The waiting period
The waiting period can be an exciting time, but uncertain for products that require shipping or further follow-through. Brands that stay in touch through order updates, tracking links, dashboards, or thoughtful follow-up messages help people feel engaged and not forgotten.
Transparent communication transforms the waiting period from an anxious gap into a natural extension of the experience. By keeping people informed without bombarding them, brands can sustain positive anticipation, building trust, loyalty, advocacy, and excitement.
2. Reflective anticipation: Memory and meaning
Once the product arrives or the service is complete, there’s a final moment of reflection where people process and evaluate the experience as a whole.
If the product delivers on its promise, people will often look back on the experience favorably, reinforcing their loyalty. However, if the journey was marred by unclear expectations, poor communication, or gaps in service, people may feel let down, regardless of the product’s quality.
Reflective anticipation is why every interaction matters — the impact of the entire experience is often more memorable than any single touchpoint.
Designing for Anticipation with Integrity
Anticipation is a precious emotion and needs to be handled with care. When we design with awareness of these layered moments, we acknowledge that anticipation is a powerful, nuanced emotion. Practitioners must aim to meet expectations that feel genuine and not inflated. Products should respond to a person’s desire for progress and control and look to close the loop with transparency and care.
A responsible approach to anticipation doesn’t try to exploit or prolong it.
Instead, it recognizes that a person’s life exists beyond the digital experiences. Rather than using endless notifications, emails, or push alerts to keep people engaged, we can design experiences that respect their time and let them leave on their terms, feeling fulfilled and not depleted.
This balance between anticipation and respect is where meaningful, lasting user experiences are built.
Designing Through the Lens of Anticipation
Every step — from the first mention of a product, the glimpse of a website, to the final reflection — is part of a connected customer journey that builds trust, excitement, and connection. By designing with an understanding of anticipation, we give people an experience that feels complete, responsive, and attuned to their needs.
When we treat anticipation as a pathway rather than a hook, we move beyond design for engagement alone and instead focus on creating something genuinely valuable.
Anticipation is a promise and a responsibility, a reminder that every experience begins and ends with a human being who trusts us with their time, money, and attention.
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