Playbook
Insider tips and know-how on how to start and finesse using behavioural science in your work.
How to start using Behaviour Thinking today
How to start using Behaviour Thinking today
It’s time to move from theory to practice. No need for complicated frameworks or expensive tools—just a clear, actionable approach that makes sense.
Here’s a simple framework to help you start thinking behaviour-first, whether you’re designing a product or leading a team. Remember, Behaviour Thinking, created by Lauren Alys Kelly in 2015, is all about strategically leveraging human behaviour to drive results. Let’s dive in.
Step 1: Reframe Your Problem as a Behavioural Challenge
The first step is to rethink the problem you’re trying to solve. Most of us frame issues too broadly or focus on outcomes without thinking about the specific behaviors that lead there. Behaviour Thinking flips this on its head.
Instead of asking, “How can we increase meeting attendance?”, ask: “What specific behavior is causing people to skip meetings, and how can we influence that?”
Example:
Say you notice your team isn’t engaged during brainstorming sessions. Instead of framing the issue as, “How do we get better ideas?” try reframing it as, “What behaviors are preventing people from sharing their ideas freely?” This might lead you to realize that the real problem is a lack of psychological safety. With this insight, you could focus on making your sessions feel more inclusive.
Practical Tip:
Write down your problem as you normally would. Then, reframe it using behavioral language. Focus on actions rather than outcomes.
Step 2: Identify and Understand Key Behaviours
Next, figure out which behaviors you want to influence. This isn’t about making guesses; it’s about gathering real insights into what people are doing and why. The more you understand, the more effective your interventions will be.
How to Do It:
Use empathy maps to get into the heads of your users or team members. What are they thinking, feeling, doing, and hearing at the moment you want to influence?
Conduct simple surveys or interviews. Ask questions like, “What’s stopping you from engaging more in meetings?” or “What makes you hesitate before clicking ‘buy’?”
Example for Designers:
If you’re redesigning a landing page and users aren’t converting, empathy mapping might reveal that visitors feel overwhelmed by too much information. Simplifying the content could be your first behaviour-first solution.
Example for Team Leaders:
If your team isn’t using a new project management tool, a quick survey could uncover that they find the interface confusing. You could then focus on providing a more straightforward guide or offer a hands-on training session.
Pro Tip:
Don’t overcomplicate it. Sometimes, the most effective insights come from just talking to people and observing their actions.
Step 3: Map Out Behavioural Barriers and Opportunities
Once you know which behaviors to focus on, it’s time to identify what’s getting in the way—and where the opportunities lie. Think of this as creating a simple map of obstacles and leverage points.
Quick Exercise:
Take a piece of paper and draw two columns: one for Barriers and one for Opportunities. Under Barriers, list everything that makes the desired behavior hard. Under Opportunities, jot down ways to make it easier or more appealing.
Example:
For a team meeting, barriers might include “meetings are too long” or “people feel their ideas will be dismissed.” Opportunities could be “shorten meetings to 30 minutes” or “start with a round where everyone shares one thought.”
Designer Tip:
If your goal is to increase sign-ups on your website, barriers could be “form fields are too complex” and “people worry about data privacy.” Opportunities could include simplifying the form and adding a note about how their data is protected.
Pro Tip:
Look for “quick wins” that are easy to implement and have a big impact. Sometimes, small changes can make a huge difference.
Step 4: Develop Behaviour-First Solutions
Now comes the fun part: designing interventions that align with human behavior. This is where your creativity kicks in. Your solutions should focus on making the desired behavior easier, more rewarding, or more natural.
Examples of Behaviour-First Solutions:
For Designers: If users abandon your checkout page, consider simplifying the steps and adding a progress bar so they know how close they are to finishing.
For Team Leaders: If your team isn’t contributing ideas, create a safe space by starting meetings with an icebreaker that sets a positive tone.
Case Study:
Lauren Alys Kelly once worked with a company struggling to get employees to use a wellness app. Instead of forcing it on them, she suggested gamifying the experience with team challenges and small rewards. Participation skyrocketed because the behavior change felt fun and community-driven.
Pro Tip:
Always test small before scaling. See what works, gather feedback, and make tweaks as needed.
Step 5: Test and Iterate
Here’s the truth: behavior change isn’t instant. It requires testing, observing, and adjusting. Behaviour Thinking is an iterative process, which means you’ll need to keep learning and refining as you go.
How to Do It:
Run small experiments to test your solutions. This could be as simple as A/B testing two versions of a webpage or piloting a new meeting format with one department.
Gather feedback and use it to improve. If something isn’t working, don’t be afraid to pivot.
Example for Designers:
Try different calls-to-action on your website and see which one gets the most clicks. Maybe “Get Started” works better than “Sign Up.”
Example for Team Leaders:
Test new meeting formats and ask for honest feedback. Did people feel more engaged? What could be better next time?
Pro Tip:
Keep a journal of your experiments. Note what worked, what didn’t, and why. This will become a treasure trove of insights for future projects.
Interactive Exercise: Create Your Behaviour Thinking Action Plan
Ready to put this into practice? Here’s a quick exercise to get you started:
Pick a current project or team challenge.
Reframe it as a behavioural challenge.
Identify the key behaviors and map out barriers and opportunities.
Develop one or two behaviour-first solutions.
Test your ideas and gather feedback.
Write down your plan and commit to taking the first step. Remember, small wins add up to big changes over time.
Wrap-Up: Start Small, Think Big
Behaviour Thinking is about making intentional, human-centered changes that drive impact. You don’t need to overhaul your entire approach overnight. Start with one behavior, one project, or one meeting. As you practice, it’ll become second nature.
Lauren always says:
“When you leverage behaviour for strategic advantage, you’re not just reacting to problems—you’re anticipating them.”
Stay Curious, Stay Behaviour-First.
Catch-up
What are the core principles of Behaviour Thinking? (And how to use them)
What are the core principles of Behaviour Thinking? (And how to use them)
In our previous article we’ve talked about why Behaviour Thinking matters, let’s dig into the good stuff: the core principles. These are the building blocks that make Behaviour Thinking such a game-changer.
“When you leverage behaviour for strategic advantage, you’re not just reacting to problems—you’re anticipating them. Behaviour Thinking gives you the clarity to shape outcomes and drive lasting impact in a way that’s both ethical and effective.
”
Think of these principles as tools in your toolkit. When used right, they help you understand people better and influence behavior in meaningful ways. Whether you’re designing an app, leading a team, or planning a project, these ideas will make your work sharper, more strategic, and—most importantly—more human.
Principle 1: Drivers, Outcomes, and Levers
The first principle is all about understanding why people do what they do. This breaks down into three parts:
Drivers: What motivates people? Is it a desire for security, the need for convenience, or maybe social approval?
Outcomes: What’s the result of that motivation? Does it lead to them signing up for your newsletter, joining a meeting, or abandoning their cart?
Levers: What small changes can you make to influence their behavior?
Example in Action:
Imagine you’re a designer working on a fitness app. You notice that most users drop off after a week. Behaviour Thinking would encourage you to dig into the drivers. Are people losing motivation because they don’t see progress fast enough? If that’s the case, you could introduce a daily streak feature as a lever to keep them coming back. Small tweak, big difference.
Pro Tip: Always ask yourself: “What’s driving this behaviour, and where’s my lever for change?” It keeps your strategy focused.
Principle 2: Hidden Behaviours
Not all behaviors are obvious. Some of the most important ones are hidden, lurking beneath the surface and quietly impacting outcomes. Behaviour Thinking teaches you to spot these sneaky behaviors that often get missed.
Lauren Alys Kelly once worked with a client who was struggling with high staff turnover. On the surface, it looked like people were leaving for better salaries elsewhere. But a closer look revealed a hidden behaviour: employees weren’t taking breaks because they felt guilty, leading to burnout. The solution? A simple policy change that encouraged regular breaks and improved retention.
How to Apply It:
Whether you’re analyzing user behavior or team dynamics, look for the less obvious actions. Maybe your app’s onboarding process is clear, but users don’t engage with it because they’re distracted. Or perhaps your team meetings seem productive, but people are quietly multitasking. Spot the hidden behaviors, and you’ll find new opportunities for change.
Principle 3: Behaviour Traits
All behaviors have traits that affect how easy or hard they are to change. The main traits to consider are:
Frequency: How often does this behavior occur?
Consistency: Is it a regular habit or something more sporadic?
Complexity: Is it a simple action, like clicking a button, or something more involved, like writing a report?
Readiness to Change: Are people open to change, or are they stuck in their ways?
Practical Example for Team Leaders:
Say your team is struggling to stick to a new project management tool. Using Behaviour Thinking, you might realize the behavior (using the tool) is infrequent and complex. The fix? Start with small, consistent steps, like a daily check-in that gets everyone used to the platform before diving into all its features.
If you notice that users frequently abandon your website’s checkout page, that’s a high-frequency behavior worth tackling. Simplify the checkout steps to remove friction. Complexity can be a deal-breaker, so make the process as smooth as possible.
Pro Tip: When evaluating behaviors, ask: “Is this a habit or a one-off action? How hard will it be to change?” This will guide your approach.
Principle 4: Behaviour as a Journey
People don’t just make decisions in a vacuum. Behaviour is a journey, influenced by what came before and what comes after. To create lasting change, you need to think beyond individual moments and consider the full journey.
Example in Product Design:
Imagine you’re designing a meal kit delivery service. Behaviour Thinking suggests mapping out the customer’s journey—from signing up and choosing meals to cooking and leaving a review. Maybe you notice that the journey falls apart when people forget to select their meals, leading to frustration. A gentle reminder (at the right time) could make all the difference.
Example for Team Leaders:
If your goal is to boost meeting participation, think about the whole journey. Maybe people don’t contribute because they didn’t feel prepared ahead of time. A simple fix could be sending out discussion points a day before, so everyone has time to reflect.
Pro Tip: Use journey mapping to understand each stage where behavior could be influenced. It’ll help you spot opportunities and prevent drop-offs.
Principle 5: Ethics as Strategy
Influencing behavior is powerful, but it comes with responsibility. Behaviour Thinking emphasizes using ethics as a strategic tool. If your approach isn’t ethical, it won’t build trust—and without trust, any change you create will be short-lived.
A popular social media platform once came under fire for using dark patterns (manipulative design tricks) to get users to share more data. It worked initially, but trust plummeted, and users left in droves. Behaviour Thinking always stresses the importance of ethical design that respects people’s choices.
How to Apply It:
If you’re designing an app, be transparent about data usage. If you’re leading a team, be upfront about your goals. The most effective behavior change is built on trust, not manipulation.
Pro Tip: Ask yourself, “Would I be comfortable if someone used this tactic on me?” If the answer is no, rethink your approach.
Principle 6: Strategic Communication
Last but not least, communication. The best behavioural insights mean nothing if you can’t share them clearly. Your strategies need to resonate with the people you’re trying to influence, and that starts with speaking their language.
Example for Designers:
If your app redesign is based on Behaviour Thinking, explain the changes to your team in simple, relatable terms. Instead of saying, “We used behavioral insights,” say, “We made the sign-up process easier because we found that users were dropping off when it felt too complicated.”
Example for Team Leaders:
When rolling out a new initiative, communicate why it matters. Instead of saying, “We’re using this new workflow tool,” try, “We’re simplifying how we work to make our days less stressful and more productive.”
Pro Tip: Use storytelling. People connect with stories more than stats, so make your communication memorable.
Wrapping Up: Making Behaviour Thinking Work for You
These core principles—Drivers, Hidden Behaviours, Behaviour Traits, Behaviour as a Journey, Ethics, and Strategic Communication—are the foundation of Behaviour Thinking. Lauren built this methodology to help us make better, more thoughtful decisions, whether we’re designing products or leading teams.
The best part? You don’t need to be a psychologist to use Behaviour Thinking. Start small. Pick one principle and think about how you can apply it today. Over time, you’ll find that this approach makes your work not only more effective but also more human.
Catch-up
What is Behaviour Thinking and why does it matter?
What is Behaviour Thinking and why does it matter?
All this talk about behaviour sounds intriguing, but … what is Behaviour Thinking, and why should you care? Isn’t it just another trendy framework, one of those concepts that gets hyped up and then fades away?
The short answer: no, it’s not.
Behaviour Thinking®, created in 2015 by Lauren Alys Kelly, founder of the behaviour agency Alterkind, is about understanding and influencing human actions in a way that drives real impact. Whether you’re a designer looking to create experiences people love or a team leader aiming to inspire your group, Behaviour Thinking makes a difference.
What Is Behaviour Thinking?
At its core, Behaviour Thinking is both a methodology and mindset that brings human behaviour to the forefront of problem-solving. Think of it as a lens that lets you see why people act the way they do and how you can shape those actions to get better outcomes. Instead of guessing what might work, you get to the root of the behavior and use that knowledge to create change.
Imagine you’re redesigning a website. Most teams focus on the look and feel or even the content. But what if the real issue is that people get overwhelmed when they reach the payment page? Behaviour Thinking helps you spot that behavioral roadblock and fix it.
The same principle applies if you’re a team leader. Ever wondered why some of your meetings leave people inspired while others feel like a waste of time? Behaviour Thinking can help you pinpoint the habits and environmental triggers that make or break engagement.
Why Does Behaviour Thinking Matter?
While it’s tempting to dismiss Behaviour Thinking as another buzzword, here’s the truth: it works. When used well, it can transform how you design products, lead teams, and solve problems.
Let’s Break It Down:
Understanding What Drives People
Most frameworks focus on surface-level fixes. Behaviour Thinking digs deeper. It asks: What’s really driving this action? Is it motivation, habit, or maybe a lack of information? By understanding what moves people, you can stop guessing and start designing solutions that actually work.
Imagine you’re trying to improve productivity in your team. You assume that people are just lazy, so you implement stricter deadlines. But productivity doesn’t improve. A Behaviour Thinking approach might reveal that the real problem is decision fatigue. Team members are burnt out from making too many choices, so they procrastinate. The fix? Simplify workflows, reduce options, and watch productivity soar.
Focusing on Behaviour as the Core of Your Strategy
Let’s say you’re working on an app. It’s beautifully designed and works well, but people aren’t using it. Why? Maybe it’s not aligned with their daily habits. Behaviour Thinking shows you how to integrate into people’s routines, making your product feel less like a chore and more like a natural part of their day.
Think about fitness apps. The most successful ones, like Strava or Fitbit, don’t just track your workouts. They use behavioural insights to nudge you with reminders, gamify achievements, and make exercising feel rewarding. It’s not just design; it’s behavioural design.
Driving Real, Measurable Impact
Here’s a little-known truth: The smallest behavioral tweaks often have the biggest results. By making subtle changes based on human psychology, you can transform outcomes.
Case Study:
A major online retailer once struggled with cart abandonment. They assumed the checkout process needed to be flashier. But Behaviour Thinking revealed that customers felt uneasy about hidden shipping costs. The fix? Displaying shipping fees earlier in the process. The result? A 15% increase in completed purchases. It wasn’t about aesthetics; it was about behaviour.
Why Should Designers and Leaders Care?
So, why should you care? Whether you’re a designer or a team leader, thinking about behaviour first can supercharge your work. Let’s look at both roles.
For Designers: More Intuitive Experiences
Ever designed something you thought was genius, only to find that users didn’t get it? Frustrating, right? Behaviour Thinking helps you understand why people do what they do, so you can design experiences that just make sense.
Say you’re designing an app for language learners. Instead of just making it visually appealing, Behaviour Thinking would encourage you to consider user motivation. Maybe people struggle to practice daily because it feels like a big commitment. You could add a feature that breaks lessons into 5-minute chunks, making learning feel manageable.
For Leaders: Happier, More Engaged Teams
Team dynamics can be complicated. One person zones out in meetings, another rarely speaks up, and you’re not sure why. Behaviour Thinking helps you read between the lines.
Let’s say your team struggles with communication. You could use Behaviour Thinking to uncover the real reasons. Maybe people don’t contribute because they feel judged or think their input isn’t valued. With that insight, you could start meetings with a quick round of “What’s one idea you’re excited about today?” to set a more welcoming tone. Small tweak, big impact.
The Value of Behaviour Thinking
Think of Behaviour Thinking as your secret weapon. It’s not just about fixing what’s broken; it’s about understanding how to make things better from the ground up. Lauren developed this methodology and mindset with that in mind, and today, it’s used by top companies looking to design products, teams, and strategies that work seamlessly with human nature.
Wrap-Up: Why Start with Behaviour Thinking?
Behaviour Thinking isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have if you want to work smarter. It’s the difference between hoping something will work and knowing why it will. So whether you’re building a product, running a team, or just trying to get people to take action, start with behaviour. You’ll be surprised how much you can achieve.
Catch-up
How to sell behavioural design to stakeholders?
How to get stakeholders on board with behavioural design
How to sell behavioural design to stakeholders
You know the value of behavioural design,
but your stakeholders… they are pushing back!
To them, it might seem like just another buzzword or an unnecessary expense.
“Science sounds expensive.”
“Aren’t we just overcomplicating things?”
“Can’t we just stick with what we know works?”
It’s still the hardest part of my role, and I’ve got 10 years under my belt.
So…
How do you make them see what you see?
How do you get them to give you the space, budget, and trust to incorporate behavioural design into your work?
Here’s how to bridge that gap and get your stakeholders on board.
1. Understand their perspective
Stakeholders have their own pressures—meeting targets, staying on budget, and delivering results. They might not be familiar with behavioural design, and that’s okay. Your job is to show them how it aligns with what they care about.
Tip: Start with their priorities. If they’re focused on keeping users around, talk about how behavioural design can help with that. And remember, behavioural design has a lot of tools in its toolkit. Match the right tool to their goal:
Need more conversions? Use nudges—small cues that guide people to take the action you want, without forcing them.
Want happier customers? Try feedback loops—ways to listen and adapt to what users need, making their experience better.
Worried about losing customers? Use habit-building techniques to keep people keep going.
Need more sign-ups? Go with behavioural insights like social proof and commitment devices—show that others are signing up too, and make it easy for them to commit.
Launching a new product that changes behaviour? Combine spark strategies to get attention with sustain strategies to keep people engaged over time.
Running a campaign? Use behavioural insights to craft messages that stick and lead to real change.
Designing a service? Use choice architecture to make decisions easier for users, helping them get what they need with less effort.
2. Frame in business terms
Stakeholders need to see how behavioural design benefits the business. Hard chat - understanding people and helping them achieve their goals isn’t enough… most of the time. These are part of the process of behavioural design. But stakeholders are more interested in outcomes than in the theory or process behind it.
Tip: Talk about results. Explain how behavioural design can boost conversion rates, reduce churn, or improve user satisfaction. Use clear, business-focused language. Find a way to identify the behaviours with impact within the business. Even better if they are the behaviours that are hurting the business bottom line or customer well-being.
3. Show impact with real-world examples
Abstract concepts can be hard to grasp, but real-world examples make it easier. Show how behavioural design has worked in other projects. Behavioural Design is bigger and stronger than ever. You will find examples in pretty much every industry.
Tip: Share case studies from similar industries or challenges. Show how a small behavioural change led to big results, making it relatable and concrete. Just google words like ‘behavioural economics, behavioural science or behavioural design’ and the industry you are focusing on. Avoid the academic papers and jump for case studies.
4. Simplify the science without oversimplifying
Behavioural science can seem complex, cos it is. But it doesn’t have to be to the people we want to work with. Stakeholders respect clear, straightforward explanations.
Tip: Avoid jargon. Instead of diving deep into theory, explain how behavioural design makes processes easier or decisions clearer. Talk in stories. Relate concepts to them as people before abstracting it to a project or other situation. Keep it practical and relevant.
5. Show quick wins alongside long-term value
Stakeholders often need to see quick results. While behavioural design can deliver long-term benefits, showing short-term successes can build trust. And please avoid the temptation of the big shiny project as the first one. Proving value will open many doors, including all the dream projects in your sight.
Tip: Start with a small change that delivers quick results, like improving a user interface element that increases clicks. Use these early wins to build confidence in your approach. When stakeholders waiver point them to past successes.
6. Address objections head-on
Stakeholders might have concerns or misconceptions about behavioural design. Rather than waiting for objections, address them early.
Tip: Prepare for common concerns, like worries about ethics or effectiveness. Use evidence and examples to reassure them. For instance, explain how ethical guidelines ensure that behavioural nudges are always user-friendly.
OK, so what are the top objections I’ve heard?
“This isn’t any different to what we’re doing!”
Behavioural design goes beyond aesthetics and usability—it’s about unpicking where their motivations and reasons originate, shaping how users behave and safeguarding from actions that do harm, whether that’s to them, others, in the short term or down the line. It complements what you’re already doing tenfold, making designs more effective and businesses stronger.“Will this slow down the project?”
Not at all. Behavioural design fits into your current process and can actually save time by reducing the need for big changes later. Focusing on behaviour first lets you get things right from the start.“Isn’t this just manipulation?”
Nope. All design aims to influences we make sure that influence is uses widely and ethically. We follow ethical guidelines to ensure we’re helping users, not deceiving them. The goal is to create solutions that are both effective, user-friendly and safeguards against ripple behaviours.“What if users don’t like it?”
We test, learn, and adjust. Starting small means we can tweak things based on real feedback, lowering the risk of failure. We are also able to look for new insights and deepen our understanding to know why they don’t like it.
7. Educate and empower
For behavioural design to succeed, stakeholders need to understand its value. Educating them is key to getting their support.
But, always always respect their experience and knowledge. They might already be familiar with many of the principles you’re using; they just haven’t seen them framed as behavioural design or behavioural science.
Tip: Offer simple resources or quick sessions to introduce stakeholders to behavioural design. Lunch & learns are your way in. Regularly update stakeholders and explain your decisions. Be open about how behavioural design works and how it aligns with their goals. Transparency builds trust.
—
Getting stakeholders to embrace behavioural design isn’t just about selling an idea—it’s about showing them how it fits with their goals and concerns.
By speaking their language, showing clear benefits, and involving them in the process, you can turn scepticism into support and make behavioural design a key part of your projects.
Catch-up
Which challenges need behavioural science?
Which challenges need behavioural science?
Which challenges need behavioural science?
We know behavioural helps in design, product development, and in managing change. It’s that insight powerhouse to understand people and change their behaviour.
But behavioural science is a big field, and the challenges businesses face are diverse.
So, how do we decide which challenges should benefit from behavioural science?
As designers and creatives, it’s important to pick our battles wisely. Not every problem is right for a behavioural approach.
When talking to potential clients and with other team members I seek these 4 challenge types:
Start
Stop
Modify
Grow
1. Start new behaviours
Think about a time when you tried a new app because it promised to simplify your life. That’s what this quadrant is about: getting people to adopt new, helpful actions... and eventually habits.
Whether it’s a new feature in an app or a different approach at work, the goal is the same: make the new action so easy and appealing that everyone wants to give it a try.
What does 'start' look like on a project?
What it involves:
The 'Start' quadrant focuses on getting users to adopt new habits or behaviours. This could mean encouraging them to try a new feature in an app, adopt a new product, or integrate a novel service into their daily routines. The primary goal here is to make the new behaviour as attractive and easy to adopt as possible.
For instance, let’s say you’re designing an app that helps users manage their finances better. You’re not just creating a tool; you’re encouraging a new habit of regular financial review and budgeting.
Key challenges with 'start':
One of the biggest hurdles in this quadrant is overcoming user inertia—the natural resistance to change.
People are generally comfortable with their routines, so introducing something new is always a challenge. The design must not only attract attention but also convincingly address any hesitations users might have about altering their habits.
Main approaches:
With start you have two focuses:
Make it appear attractive
Make it easy to do
Your design needs to stand out and appeal to users right from the start. It should be visually appealing, easy to understand, and simple to integrate into daily life. Think about those sleek, engaging introductions you see in some apps that guide you through using new features with ease and fun.
An effective way to achieve this is through a blend of educational content and interactive elements that guide users step-by-step, making the new behaviour less daunting and more accessible.
Main strategy:
Highlight benefits
To motivate users to start a new behaviour, your design should clearly articulate the benefits they will gain. This involves highlighting what’s in it for them personally and how it makes their life easier, better, or more enjoyable.
For example, if the new app feature involves tracking spending, show how this behaviour can lead directly to saving money or achieving financial goals. Real-life testimonials or scenarios depicting the positive outcomes of adopting the new behaviour can be very persuasive.
Measuring 'start' success:
To understand if your design is effective, look at metrics like adoption rates, user feedback, and how quickly and thoroughly users integrate the new behaviour into their routines. Early satisfaction indicators will tell you a lot about whether the new habit is likely to stick.
2. Stop unwanted behaviours
Here, you help people let go of old habits that aren’t doing them any favours. Imagine convincing someone to stop using an old version of software that’s slowing down their work. It’s about showing them there's a better way.
What does 'stop' look like on a project?
What it involves:
The 'Stop' quadrant is all about helping users give up old habits that are no longer useful or might be holding them back. This could be anything from stopping the use of an inefficient feature in an app to breaking a bad habit in daily life. For example, a digital platform might aim to get users to stop relying on paper and shift to a more eco-friendly digital solution.
Key challenges with 'stop':
One of the main challenges here is overcoming the comfort of familiarity. People tend to stick to what they know, even if it's not the best option available. Your job as a designer is to help break this cycle by making the transition to new methods as smooth and rewarding as possible.
Main approaches:
With start you have two focuses:
Barriers
Alternatives
Your design should focus on identifying and removing barriers that prevent people from giving up old actions. At the same time, it’s crucial to provide compelling alternatives that are clearly superior to the old ways. This could mean enhancing the usability and functionality of new features to make the old ones obsolete.
For instance, if you're encouraging users to stop using an outdated software version, you might highlight the risks associated with staying on the old version, such as security vulnerabilities or lack of support. At the same time, showcase the benefits of upgrading, like new features and improved performance.
Main Strategy:
Compel people to change.
To motivate users to stop a behaviour, emphasise the immediate and long-term benefits of making the change. It's not enough to tell users what they should stop; you need to make them want to stop.
For example, a mobile app might use notifications to remind users of how much time they waste on unproductive tasks and suggest quick changes or new features that can help them reclaim that time.
Measuring 'stop' success:
Success in this quadrant can be measured by the decrease in usage of the old behaviour or feature. You might also track user feedback to gauge how well the new alternatives are being received and whether the transition has been effective. Keep an eye on spillovers into other similar yet unwanted behaviours.
3. Modify existing behaviours
Sometimes, a behaviour doesn’t need to be replaced—just improved. Take, for instance, streamlining a website’s checkout process to reduce steps and hassle. Small tweaks here can significantly enhance efficiency and user satisfaction.
What does 'modify' look like on a project?
What it involves:
With modify we make small changes to what’s already there to make it better. This quadrant is all about tweaking existing behaviours or features it improve them. It’s like tweaking a popular recipe to adapt to changes, people and more.
Key challenges with 'modify':
The challenge here lies in identifying which aspects of a behaviour or process need improvement without disrupting the overall user experience and behaviour ecosystem. Users might already be comfortable with the current way of doing things, so any changes need to be clearly beneficial to encourage adaptation.
Ever fallen out with a brand when they tweaked their recipes? It's that you need to avoid.
Main approaches:
With modify you have one focus:
Optimising
Your focus should be on improving efficiency, safety, or enjoyment. For example, if you're tweaking a social media platform's interface, you might streamline the steps to share a post or refine the privacy settings to make them more intuitive. The goal is to enhance the user's experience in ways that feel natural and helpful. And remember, we are using a behavioural lens. So look to optimise and support people's influence across all levels - at the individual, social and environmental.
Main Strategy:
Show consequences
To motivate users to embrace these modifications, it's crucial to demonstrate the immediate benefits of the changes. This might involve using side-by-side comparisons or short tutorials that highlight the improvements and how they make the user’s life easier.
Measuring 'modify' success:
Success in this quadrant can be tracked through user engagement metrics—like how often a feature is used after modification—and user feedback. Positive changes should see an increase in usage and satisfaction. Changes in frequency of use, complexity of actions and readiness to act should also be monitored.
4. Grow behaviours
Here our where the goal is to expand and reinforce the positive behaviours that are already showing promise. This quadrant is all about taking successful behaviours and amplifying their impact, whether by increasing their frequency, extending them to new user groups, or making them habitual in different contexts.
What does 'grow' look like on a project?
What it involves:
Imagine you’ve successfully started a community garden. Now, you want not only to maintain its success but also to see it thrive—maybe by getting more community members involved or by planting more types of vegetables. Similarly, in a product or service context, this quadrant focuses on taking existing successful behaviours and pushing them further to become more deeply rooted and widespread.
Key challenges with 'grow':
The main challenge is to keep the momentum going without letting the initial enthusiasm taper off. It’s about finding ways to keep everyone engaged and interested over the long term, making sure that the behaviour doesn’t just survive, but thrives.
Main approaches:
With modify you have two focuses:
Growing reach
Increasing intensity
Our focus here is to broaden the scope of successful behaviours. This might mean finding new contexts where the behaviour could be useful or introducing it to new user groups who could benefit from it. We also look at increasing the intensity of the behaviour—making it more frequent, more robust, or more integral to daily activities.
Main strategies:
Broaden impact and grow community.
Motivating users in this quadrant often involves showing them the broader impact of their actions and helping them see themselves as part of a larger community. For example, if a health tracking app has helped users achieve their personal fitness goals, the next step might be to create group challenges that encourage users to engage their friends and family, thus spreading the behaviour to new audiences.
Measuring 'grow' success:
We measure success here by looking at how behaviours spread and deepen over time. Are more people adopting the behaviour? Are users engaging with it more frequently and in more ways? Feedback and data on user engagement across different groups and settings can provide valuable insights into how well the behaviour is being sustained and grown. Think about the signals of change and where to find them. With grow, more than the others, you will need a monitoring strategy to make sure it's working and continues to work.
Catch-up
How to hire behavioural expertise
So you want to start integrating behavioural science into your team, workflow, or product roadmap?
That’s a smart move!
How to hire behavioural expertise
So you want to start integrating behavioural science into your team, workflow, or product roadmap?
That’s a smart move!
Understanding and influencing user behaviour with behavioural science at your side can drastically improve how people interact with your products, services and campaigns. And ultimately, how successful they are in the market.
But with various specialised roles within behavioural science, figuring out who you need can feel like a puzzle.
Let's simplify this and help you find the perfect fit for your team.
The three behavioural roles
1. Behavioural Scientist
What does a Behavioural Scientist do:
Behavioural Scientists are like the detectives of the human mind. They study why people do things, what they like, and how they make choices. They use specific methods, like surveys, study design or watching how people behave, to gather their information. Then, they analyse all the data they've collected to find patterns and answers.
When to hire a Behavioural Scientist:
You should think about hiring a Behavioural Scientist when you need to dig deep into understanding your users' needs and behaviours. If you're planning to launch a new product or feature and want to make sure it really fits what your users want, a Behavioural Scientist can provide those crucial insights. They are especially useful during the early stages of product development or service discovery when you’re still figuring out the big questions about your users and the wider context.
Key benefits of a Behavioural Scientist to your team:
Better Insights: They bring a level of understanding about your users that goes beyond general guesses or assumptions. This means you can create products that truly resonate with your audience.
Data-Driven Decisions: With a Behavioural Scientist on your team, your product decisions can be based on real data about how users think and act, rather than just hunches. This often leads to better results and happier users.
Reduced Risk: By knowing what your users really need and how they might react to different features, you can avoid costly mistakes and wasted effort.
Having a Behavioural Scientist as part of your team can transform the way you develop products, making sure that every feature is crafted with a clear understanding of your users. This not only saves time and money but also makes your product more likely to succeed in a competitive market.
2. Behavioural Designer
What does a Behavioural Designer do:
Behavioural Designers are the action-takers who use the insights gathered by Behavioural Scientists to solve real-world problems when behaviour change is the outcome. They design and implement strategies to influence people's behaviour in positive ways. For example, they might create a program to help people exercise more often or design an app feature that encourages users to save money. Their work is all about turning the 'why' of human behavior into the 'how' can we help influence and change it.
When to hire a Behavioural Designer:
You'll want to bring a Behavioural Designer into your team when you're looking to enhance the usability, reliability and impact of your products, services or campaigns. They are valuable when your goal is to improve specific interactions users have with your product, such as increasing sign-ups, boosting engagement, or ensuring that users follow through on important actions like completing a training module. But they are also valuable when you're ready to move from researching people’s behaviours to actively shaping and changing those behaviours through your products, campaigns or services. This means that some sectors benefit more from an Behavioural Designers, like health, finance, social and behaviour change and sustainability programmes.
Key benefits to your team:
Targeted Interventions: Behavioural Designers craft design interventions that directly address the specific behavioural challenges or opportunities you face. This means your strategies are tailor-made to influence user actions effectively.
Improved Experience: Behavioural Designers focus on making products and services easier and more delightful to use, which can significantly enhance the overall user experience.
Increased Effectiveness: By designing with an understanding of human behaviour, they ensure that your product not only meets the needs of users but also gently nudges them towards their desired behaviours, making your product more effective at achieving its goals and users theirs.
Ethical Influence: They are trained to influence behaviour responsibly and ethically, ensuring that the product encourages positive behavioural influence without manipulation.
Incorporating a Behavioural Designer into your team can lead to products and services that are not only more engaging and user-friendly but also more successful in guiding user behaviour in beneficial ways. This role is crucial for ensuring that every touchpoint within your product and those within the wider customer journey is optimised for positive interaction and meets the high standards of today's competitive market.
3. Behavioural Strategist
What does a Behavioural Strategist do:
Think of a Behavioural Strategist as the big-picture planner for your overall product, service or business strategy. They weaving together insights from research, design, and applied science to shape strategies that improve how products and services function. They look at the big picture, ensuring that every piece of the behavioural science puzzle fits perfectly to meet business goals. Their job is to understand the company’s vision and user needs and then develop a clear plan that uses behavioural principles to drive success.
When to hire a Behavioural Strategist:
It’s time to hire a Behavioural Strategist when your projects or initiatives require a coordinated effort across various disciplines—like marketing, product design, and customer service—to ensure all parts are working together seamlessly. They are invaluable when you’re setting up new projects that need a clear direction or when existing projects could benefit from a more unified approach to user behaviour. Looking to build a behavioural roadmap into your product, service or capabilities offering? Behavioural Strategists are who you want.
Key benefits to your team:
Cohesive Strategies: Behavioural Strategists help ensure that all efforts from different teams align with the overall business objectives and user expectations. This alignment helps prevent conflicts and duplicated efforts.
Enhanced Decision Making: With their high-level overview, they can provide insights that help your teams make better decisions about product development and marketing strategies.
Strategic Roadmaps: They map out a detailed guide showing how every part of your project will come together to meet your goals, making sure you know exactly what needs to be done.
Facilitate Collaboration: They ensure everyone is on the same page and understands how behavioural insights can drive better product development, service delivery and marketing strategies. They advice, train and up-skill your team, stakeholders and clients where needed.
Having a Behavioural Strategist on board can transform how your teams work together on projects, leading to more efficient and successful outcomes. They bridge the gap between knowing what needs to change in user behavior and actually making it happen on a large scale.
Catch-up
What can design draw from behavioural science?
At its heart, behavioural design is about making things easier and better for people by understanding what influences their actions. It pulls ideas from behavioural science, which includes studies from psychology, economics, and even how our brains work, to help us make smart design choices.
What can design draw from behavioural science?
At its heart, behavioural design is about making things easier and better for people by understanding what influences their actions. It pulls ideas from behavioural science, which includes studies from psychology, economics, and even how our brains work, to help us make smart design choices.
What’s behavioural science?
Behavioural science explores why people behave the way they do. It covers:
Psychology: How individual thoughts and feelings shape actions.
Social Psychology: How others influence our behaviour.
Behavioural Economics: Why people often make decisions that don't seem completely rational.
Neuroscience: How our brain processes influence our behaviours.
Applying science to design
How do these ideas turn into design? It's all about making solutions that fit naturally with how people think and behave. Let’s break down how this works:
Starting with direct insights:
Behavioural Insights: First, behavioural science gives us clues about what drives people's actions, like the desire for rewards. Designers can use this to add elements that make users feel rewarded, such as badges for completing tasks in an app.
Real-World Applications: Knowing how people interact with their environment helps design more intuitive physical and digital spaces. For example, creating straightforward paths through a website or a building because we know people prefer easy routes.
Building with frameworks and methodologies:
Behavioural Frameworks: These are tools that help designers understand and predict behaviour. One popular framework is the Fogg Behavior Model, which explains that behaviour comes from motivation, ability, and prompts. Designers use this to create experiences that are easy to use and engaging.
Testing What Works: Methods like A/B testing let designers try different ideas with users to see what works best. This helps refine designs based on actual user preferences and behaviours.
Incorporating patterns of influence:
Nudging: This is about making small changes that have a big impact on how people behave. For example, setting healthier choices as the default option can nudge people towards better habits.
Organising Choices: Known as 'choice architecture,' this method involves arranging options to guide decisions. Like placing healthier food at eye level to encourage better dietary choices.
Behaviour Change Tactics: These involve specific strategies designed to alter behaviours over time. Tactics might include using reminders, altering feedback loops, or incentivizing certain actions to gradually establish new habits. For instance, a fitness app might send motivational messages or rewards after consistent check-ins, helping users form a routine around regular exercise.
Beyond the individual
Behavioural design extends its reach beyond individual actions to consider the broader community and cultural context.
Understanding social and cultural factors:
What's Sociology and Anthropology? These sciences explore how people's behaviour is shaped by the society and culture they live in. For example, what may be considered polite in one culture could be quite different in another.
Designing with Cultural Insights: When we design products, it’s crucial to reflect these cultural differences. This makes products more relatable and effective across various global communities.
Applying cultural knowledge to design:
Community Values: People's actions are often influenced by the values shared in their communities. For example, a community that values environmental conservation might respond better to products designed to be sustainable.
Cultural Sensitivity: It’s about more than just translating content; it’s about integrating cultural norms deeply into the design process. This could mean adapting designs to match local tastes or altering how products communicate to fit cultural norms better.
By incorporating these broader social and cultural understandings, behavioural design not only meets functional needs but also respects and adapts to diverse global perspectives, ensuring the design is inclusive and globally applicable.
…
Behavioural design is more than just using science to influence. It's about designing with an understanding of human behaviour to create solutions that feel right and work well. By starting from what science teaches us about behaviour, designers can craft environments and products that are intuitive and enjoyable for everyone.
Catch-up
What does ‘behaviour’ actually mean?
Have you ever paused to think about what we mean by 'behaviour'? It's a common word, but when we dive into its meaning, especially in contexts like behavioural design or psychology, clarity becomes essential.
What does ‘behaviour’ actually mean?
Have you ever paused to think about what we mean by 'behaviour'?
It's a common word, but when we dive into its meaning, especially in contexts like behavioural design or psychology, clarity becomes essential.
Let’s simplify and break down what behaviour is, how it differs from related concepts, and clear up some common confusions.
Understanding behaviour
Behaviour includes both the actions we choose consciously and the reactions that happen automatically. Whether it’s deciding what to wear or reacting startled by a loud noise, all are forms of behaviour.
Behaviour vs. similar concepts
Behaviour vs. Habits
Habits are behaviours that become automatic due to repetition. For example, brushing your teeth every morning is a habit, a regular behaviour you do almost without thinking.
Behaviour vs. Attitude
Attitude is how someone feels about something, which might influence behaviour but isn’t an action itself. Liking jogging is an attitude; actually jogging is the behaviour.
Behaviour vs. Mood
Mood is your emotional state. While your mood can influence your behaviour—like being quiet when you’re sad—it’s not a behaviour itself.
Behaviour vs. Influence
Influence is about how external factors or personal tendencies can sway your behaviour. Advertisements can influence your behaviour, encouraging you to buy something.
Behaviour in everyday language
When we talk about behaviour in a professional setting, like in behavioural science or when designing user experiences, we’re interested in actions that can be influenced or modified. We look at why people do what they do and how we can encourage positive changes in behaviour.
Why understanding behaviour matters
Recognising the distinctions between behaviour and other related terms helps us better observe, analyse, and guide behaviour.
Whether you're designing a product, studying psychology, or just curious about why people act the way they do, understanding behaviour is a key step.
Misdefine it and you’ve opened yourself up to misguided design choices, ineffective interventions, or missed opportunities to influence user actions.
The trick is to spot when the meaning changes during your conversations and projects.
Catch-up
What is Behavioural Design?
It all begins with an idea.
What is Behavioural Design?
Behavioural design is a way of shaping products and environments to guide people's choices and actions. It uses knowledge from behavioural science—why people act the way they do—to create designs that feel natural and easy to use.
If you have ever tried to influence people or change their behaviour... you have already slipped into the world of Behavioural Design.
What is behavioural science?
Behavioural science explores what influences human actions, including our thoughts, feelings, and the environment around us. It helps us understand how people make decisions. The science is often terms the 'ologies'... specifically Psychology, Social Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology. But it also includes Behavioural Economics, Neuroscience... Don't get too caught up with this just now. Just know they are there as the insights engine to Behavioural Design.
Ethics at the heart
It’s crucial to remember that behavioural design should always be used responsibly. The aim is to help people make better choices for themselves without misleading or tricking them. Transparency is key.
It's not just for digital
While apps and websites are common examples, behavioural design applies everywhere—from how a store is laid out to making services more user-friendly. It’s all about making things simpler and more enjoyable, no matter the setting.
Understanding the whole picture
Behavioural design doesn’t just look at the moment someone uses a product or service. It considers their entire experience—including the habits, influences and expectations they bring from outside. This broader view helps create designs that fit more naturally into people’s lives.
Looking ahead
By anticipating how people might behave, behavioural designers can create products and services that adapt to future needs and changes, making sure they stay useful and relevant over time. Influence and behaviours ripple. They have origins and start to influence other actions and other people. We use this to our advantage.
What is the definition of behavioural design?
Many people think behavioural design is just about influencing others. But there’s a better way to see it. Lauren Alys Kelly, BehaviourKit’s founder, defines it simply:
Behavioural Design is anything that helps our user to reliably do something,
despite natural tendencies pulling them off track.
This means it's not just about pushing people to act a certain way. It’s about making it easier for them to stick to their goals, even when distractions or old habits get in the way. Behavioural design creates supportive experiences that guide users gently towards their objectives, making the right choices feel natural and straightforward.
…
In essence, behavioural design makes life easier by making choices clearer. It’s about using our understanding of behaviour to create thoughtful, well-designed products and services that improve everyday life. Through ethical practice and a deep understanding of human behaviour, designers can craft experiences that truly resonate with users.