Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to introduce the theme issue on “Persuasive design”.

Design/methodology/approach
– This editorial describes the essential ideas and purposes of persuasive design (PD). PD's relation to other IT‐disciplines and rhetoric in general is discussed. A special emphasis is put on the possible wider implications for the concept of information.

Findings
– PD makes an important difference for information systems design. It is also an obvious part of a wider development towards user involvement. PD rests not only on persuasive techniques adapted to information systems, but also on overall information architecture. For that reason PD may be seen as having wider implications for the very ideas of information and information systems.

Originality/value
– The introduction of the essential ideas of PD is per se mainly descriptive. The emphasis on the relation to rhetoric and the concomitant implications for library and information systems is largely original (when compared with other discussions of PD).