Persuasive technology is broadly defined as
technology that is designed to change attitudes or behaviors of the users through
persuasion and
social influence, but not through
coercion. Such technologies are regularly used in
sales,
diplomacy,
politics,
religion,
military training,
public health, and
management, and may potentially be used in any area of human-human or human-computer interaction. Most self-identified persuasive technology research focuses on interactive, computational technologies, including desktop computers, Internet services, video games, and mobile devices, but this incorporates and builds on the results, theories, and methods of
experimental psychology,
rhetoric, and
human-computer interaction. The design of persuasive technologies can be seen as a particular case of design with intent.