In a natural experiment on a popular German Question & Answer community we investigate the applicability of the small-area hypothesis to the activation of user contributions through virtual rewards in the form of badges. Koo and Fishbach’s (2012) small-area hypothesis states that individuals in pursuit of a goal exhibit stronger motivation when they focus on whichever is smaller in size: their accumulated progress or remaining efforts (e.g., 10% achieved is more effective than 90% remaining). This has direct implications for the framing of user progress on websites. For the optimal design of a badge system, therefore, it is of interest to academics and website managers alike to understand the underlying behavioral mechanisms towards badges. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we find that the small-area effect activates user contribution behavior to the point of almost doubling user contributions. Our findings thus provide empirical support for the application of the small-area hypothesis in the context of online communities with virtual rewards in the form of badges.
Session 6A (2nd presentation), paper 34