Cueing Customer Behaviour: Using Values and Thinking Styles to Influence Decision Making

Understanding what motivates your customers and how they think is powerful, but how do you put this knowledge into practice? The key lies in cueing - deliberately designing experiences, messaging, and touchpoints to steer customers towards a desired action. By aligning with their values (Criteria) and thinking styles (Language and Behaviour Patterns), businesses can influence behaviour in a way that feels natural and authentic.

In this article, I explore how to use UX insights from Criteria and LAB Patterns to create cues that effectively guide customer decisions and improve engagement, conversion and loyalty.

What Is Cueing?

Cueing is the knack of subtly guiding a person’s actions or decisions through external triggers. It’s about using the right language, design, and structure to prompt the behaviour you want, all whilst aligning with the customer’s underlying motivations and thought processes.

For example, if your segment values 'convenience', a quick and simple sign-up process becomes a powerful cue. If your customers value 'innovation', showcasing cutting-edge features and exclusive offers can trigger excitement and engagement.

Cueing works because it taps into the automatic, subconscious responses that customers have to certain stimuli. When the cues align with their values and decision-making patterns, customers feel compelled to act without feeling pushed.

How to Design Effective Cues

Align Cues with Customer Criteria (Values)

The first step is to know what matters most to your customer segments. Is it price, quality, convenience, status, or something else? Aligning cues with their Criteria ensures the experience feels relevant and attractive. Here are some real-life examples...

Marks & Spencer's Emphasis on Quality and Trust

Marks & Spencer understands that a significant portion of its customer base values quality and trustworthiness. Their cueing strategy consistently reflects this. They often highlight the provenance of their ingredients in food products ("sourced from British farms"), emphasise the durability and craftsmanship of their clothing, and promote their long-standing reputation for reliable service. Slogans like "This is not just food..." and their focus on premium materials serve as constant cues that resonate with their target audience's core values.

Tesco's Focus on Value and Convenience

Tesco effectively cues the values of affordability and convenience for a large segment of its customers. Their "Clubcard" loyalty scheme offers discounts and rewards, directly appealing to the value-conscious. They also heavily promote online grocery shopping and delivery services, highlighting the convenience of saving time and effort. Clear signage indicating special offers and easy-to-navigate store layouts further reinforce these key Criteria.

Understand How They Process Information (LAB Patterns)

The way customers process information affects how they respond to different types of cues. For instance:

• Toward-Oriented customers might be driven by positive cues, such as “Achieve your goals today!” Away-From-Oriented customers will respond better to cues like “Avoid missing out on this limited-time offer!”

• Options-Oriented customers need flexibility, so provide cues that highlight a range of choices, whilst Procedure-Oriented customers will respond best to clear instructions or a structured path.

Make Cues Visible and Easy to Act Upon

Cues should be easy for the customer to recognise and act upon. Make your call-to-action buttons clear and prominent, use language that matches their priorities, and reduce friction by offering simple paths to conversion.

Timing and Context Matter

When you present the cue is just as important as the cue itself. For example, offering a limited-time discount might be more effective when customers are already in the decision-making process or are about to abandon their basket.

Practical Example: Recipe Box Service

Let’s say you’re designing a recipe box service and want to cue a customer segment that values convenience and time-saving (Criteria), but they are also toward-oriented (seeking to achieve goals like healthier eating) and procedure-oriented (preferring a clear, guided process).

Cues Aligned with Criteria (Convenience and Time-Saving):

• Offer a one-click ordering feature and quick delivery options to highlight convenience.

• Show easy-to-follow recipe cards or video tutorials to reinforce simplicity.

Cues Aligned with LAB Patterns (Toward and Procedure-Oriented):

• Use messaging like “Achieve your healthy eating goals with our quick, nutritious meals.”

• Provide a clear, step-by-step breakdown of the meal prep process to appeal to their preference for structure and clarity.

By tailoring the cues to these values and patterns, the experience feels intuitive and persuasive. Customers are more likely to follow through with their purchase because the process feels designed for them.

The Psychology Behind Cueing

Cueing taps into deeply ingrained behavioural responses. People are naturally influenced by subtle, well-timed cues that resonate with their personal preferences and mental shortcuts. By aligning with the customer’s values and cognitive traits, you’re not just guiding them towards a decision—you’re making that decision feel like the natural, easiest choice.

Effective cueing doesn’t just encourage one-off actions—it builds trust and loyalty by making customers feel understood and supported throughout their journey.

Why Cueing Works

• It Reduces Decision Fatigue: Customers are bombarded with choices at every turn. Clear, well-designed cues make it easier to decide by eliminating confusion and simplifying the process.

• It Aligns with Subconscious Motivations: By aligning your cues with the customer's internal values and decision-making style, you’re tapping into subconscious drivers, leading to more natural and comfortable behaviour.

• It Increases Conversion: When cues are aligned with the customer’s Criteria and LAB patterns, customers are more likely to take the desired action—whether that’s purchasing, signing up, or engaging with your content.

Cueing is just one way to influence customer behaviour, but when paired with insights into customer Criteria and LAB patterns, it’s a powerful tool for driving conversions and enhancing customer experience.

If you'd like to know more about how to discover and implement the right cues to influence your customers' behaviour, drop me a message and I'll be happy to help.