Social Experiment of Attention - Banners

If you're reading this, congratulations — you just clicked one of our experimental banners and you're in a middle of a test designed to explore playfulness. Well, and if you haven't clicked any banner to get here, you're a curious blog reader—and we celebrate explorers like you.

Context

It is said that banners don’t work anymore. People ignore them. They scroll past. They’ve become visual noise. So, we asked: Can we make people click again — if we throw away all the restrictions and apply pure psychological design? No rules. Just behavioral design, game mechanics, and curiosity.

The goal: a click.

The method: a behavioral game disguised as a banner.

The environment: the biggest news outlet in Lithuania — DELFI (www.delfi.lt)

The Mechanics 

Here’s how we designed your decision — and why it worked:

1. The Forbidden Loop

"Don’t scan this."

That’s the start of our behavioral loop:

Prohibition → Curiosity → Action → Reward.

This structure powers billion-dollar games and high-conversion campaigns alike.

2. Challenge & Reward

Telling someone not to do something creates friction. And friction breeds engagement.

We created a micro-challenge: resist the scan.

Humans are wired to overcome small obstacles — it feels good.

3. Illusion of Control

You felt like you made the choice to engage.But we designed every step to make that choice feel like yours — while leading you exactly where we wanted.

This is core to game design: offer "freedom" while secretly scripting the path.

4. Progression Instincts

Our banner hinted there were “1 of 3” parts.

That subtle cue triggers a completionist itch — the same one used in mobile games and binge-watch algorithms.

Now you're in. You want to see the rest.

Visual Breakdown

Color Psychology

We used it— not for aesthetics, but for behavior.

• Red triggers urgency and resistance.

• Neon green feels glitchy and alive, evoking motion and modernity.

• White backgrounds created contrast and focus on the call to action.

Text & Copywriting

Short. Bold. Slightly rebellious.

“Don’t scan this.” — not a message, but a provocation.

The tone was carefully calibrated to feel playful, not aggressive.

Typography

We chose it for its clean, bold legibility. It conveys confidence.

Headers are tight and compact, delivering impact.

Motion Design

The banner wasn’t static — it moved just enough.

Micro-animations like a pulsing QR code underline simulate “aliveness” — making the element feel clickable or urgent.

Why It Matters

At SEMIHUMAN, we use game design principles to hack attention.

Because games are the purest form of voluntary engagement.

If you can win attention in a banner, you can win it anywhere.