Strategic Ideation
Designing behaviour change requires a strategic blend of creativity and structured thinking.
As behavioural designers, we have a suite of ideation tools at our disposal.
But, how do we choose the right one?
Let’s explore the top pathways for you to choose from:
Free Brainstorming
Behaviour Change Strategic Matrix
Behaviour Change System
Other Behavioural Design Tools
Free Brainstorming
Which ever creative practice you are from - this is where you drop some of the Behaviour Change Strategies or Behaviour Change Patterns into your workflow. You use the behaviour tools but aren’t following the behaviour change workflow as with the other tools.
Purpose: To generate a wide array of creative ideas without the constraints of behaviour thinking processes.
When to Use: Best utilised when you want to try other tools without overwhelming the process, budget or stakeholders. Use the Strategies and Patterns as spring boards into new ideas and solutions.
Key Features:
Unstructured and open-ended.
Encourages divergent thinking.
No limits on creativity.
Ideal for Projects That: Require fresh perspectives or novel solutions, where conventional approaches have not been effective. You need some different fuel for the conversations and ideas.
Explore this article on Workshopper for ideation techniques.
Behaviour Change Strategy Matrix
The BCS Matrix is a structured tool that categorises the 10 Behaviour Change Strategies based on two crucial factors: the complexity of the behaviour you're addressing and the readiness of your audience.
It’s also the tool we will explore further in the module. Explore the tool further.
Purpose: To guide the selection of Behaviour Change Strategies based on the two leading behaviour traits: complexity of the behaviour change and the readiness of the target audience.
When to Use: Useful when you need to jump quicker into ideation, particularly when you don’t have the time, budget or buy-in needed for Behavioural Problem Framing workshops or Behavioural Research.
Key Features:
Structured and systematic approach.
Categorises Behaviour Change Strategies by complexity and readiness.
Helps to quickly tailor interventions to suit audience needs.
Ideal for Projects That: Require a more targeted approach without the time for in-depth discovery or research. You will need to have a solid understanding of the audience and behaviour in order to get the most out of this tool.
Behaviour Traits are the specific dynamics of a behaviour we can use to map and explore a behaviour in more detail.
Behaviour Change System
The Behaviour Change System is a deep dive into the complexities of human behaviour, offering a connected approach for those seeking to understand and influence it. It's about seeing the bigger picture, understanding each element in context, and crafting solutions that resonate deeply with the target audience. This is the system where the Insight Tactics connect with the Influence Tactics. We are bringing structure to the complexity to make each step a little easier.
Purpose: To provide a holistic and comprehensive view of behavioural drivers and their science anchored connections to possible solutions.
When to Use: Most valuable when dealing with complex behavioural challenges requiring deep analysis and integration of behavioural insights throughout. As you need to use both parts in a project, you will need the time and budget to do both behavioural research and behavioural ideation.
Key Features:
Offers a comprehensive and interconnected framework from revealing drivers through to using science anchored patterns to prompt solutions.
Focuses on nuanced behavioural insights.
Integrates multiple components of behavioural change.
Ideal for Projects That: Involve complex behaviours, multiple stakeholders, or require an in-depth understanding of behavioural dynamics. Also useful in projects where the rigour of behavioural science is required at each and every step.
Other Behavioural Design Tools
EAST (East, Attractive, Social, Timely), alongside other notable frameworks like Nudge Theory and the Fogg Behavior Model, represents a suite of accessible tools in behavioural design, crucial for crafting practical, user-friendly interventions. These tools simplify complex behavioural insights, making them easier to understand and apply. Ideal for projects seeking immediate impact, they provide clear, actionable guidelines for influencing behaviour. Whether it’s making choices easier (EAST), leveraging subtle nudges (Nudge Theory), or harnessing the power of motivation and ability (Fogg Behavior Model), these tools are essential for impactful and straightforward behavioural design solutions.
Purpose: To simplify the application of behavioural insights, making them easy to understand and implement.
When to Use: Ideal for designing and implementing practical, straightforward behavioural interventions.
Key Features:
Simple and user-friendly.
Focused on practicality and ease of application.
Provides clear, actionable guidelines.
Ideal for Projects That: Need easy-to-implement, practical solutions that can be quickly understood and applied by a broad audience. They also carry a lot of ‘case study’ examples from institutions like The British Government, Behavioural Insights Unit and more.