What You Need to Know About Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics
Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics books pdf file
Have you ever wondered how some products become essential for users, while others are quickly forgotten? How do some products help users achieve their goals, while others frustrate them? How do some products create positive habits, while others lead to negative outcomes?
Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics books pdf file
The answer lies in the science of behavior change. Behavior change is the process of helping people adopt new behaviors or modify existing ones, using insights from psychology and behavioral economics. Behavior change is a crucial skill for product designers and managers, as it can help them create products that are more engaging, effective, and beneficial for users.
In this article, we will explore the three main strategies to help people change behavior, the process of designing for behavior change, and the best books on this topic. Whether you are a beginner or an expert in this field, you will find valuable insights and resources to improve your product design skills.
The three main strategies to help people change behavior
According to Stephen Wendel, the author of Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics, there are three main strategies to help people change behavior:
Leveraging existing motivations
The first strategy is to leverage existing motivations that drive people's behavior. Motivations are the reasons why people do what they do, such as their needs, desires, values, emotions, or beliefs. Motivations can be intrinsic (coming from within) or extrinsic (coming from outside).
To leverage existing motivations, product designers need to understand what motivates their target users, what benefits they seek from using the product, and what pain points they want to avoid or solve. Then, they need to communicate these benefits and pain points clearly and persuasively in their product messaging, copywriting, and branding.
For example, Fitbit leverages existing motivations by showing users how many steps they have taken, how many calories they have burned, how well they have slept, and how they compare to their friends. These features appeal to users' intrinsic motivations (such as health, fitness, or self-improvement) and extrinsic motivations (such as social recognition or competition).
Reducing barriers and costs
The second strategy is to reduce barriers and costs that prevent people from changing their behavior. Barriers are anything that makes it harder for people to take action, such as lack of time, money, skills, knowledge, confidence, or access. Costs are anything that makes it less desirable for people to take action, such as effort, risk, uncertainty, discomfort, or trade-offs.
To reduce barriers and costs, product designers need to identify what obstacles their target users face, what resources they need, and what trade-offs they have to make. Then, they need to simplify, automate, or eliminate these obstacles, provide the necessary resources, and minimize the trade-offs.
For example, Uber reduces barriers and costs by making it easy for users to request, pay for, and rate a ride. Users don't need to worry about finding a taxi, hailing it, carrying cash, or tipping the driver. Uber also reduces the uncertainty and risk of getting a bad ride by showing the driver's name, photo, rating, and location.
Providing feedback and rewards
The third strategy is to provide feedback and rewards that reinforce people's behavior. Feedback is any information that tells people how well they are doing, what progress they are making, or what results they are achieving. Rewards are any incentives that make people feel good, satisfied, or proud of their behavior.
To provide feedback and rewards, product designers need to define what behaviors they want to reinforce, what metrics they want to measure, and what outcomes they want to achieve. Then, they need to design feedback and reward systems that are timely, relevant, actionable, and personalized.
For example, Duolingo provides feedback and rewards by showing users how many words they have learned, how many lessons they have completed, how many days they have maintained their streak, and how many points they have earned. These features motivate users to keep learning languages and improve their skills.
The process of designing for behavior change
Now that we have learned the three main strategies to help people change behavior, how can we apply them in practice? Wendel proposes a simple and effective process for designing for behavior change, consisting of four steps:
Identifying target users and behaviors
The first step is to identify who are the target users of the product and what behaviors they seek to change. This involves conducting user research, such as interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments, to understand the users' needs, goals, motivations, challenges, and preferences. It also involves defining the target behaviors in specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) terms.
For example, HelloWallet is a product that helps users manage their finances better. The target users are people who want to save more money, pay off debt, or plan for retirement. The target behaviors are things like setting a budget, tracking expenses, saving automatically, or investing wisely.
Creating action funnels and behavioral plans
The second step is to create action funnels and behavioral plans that guide users from their current state to their desired state. An action funnel is a sequence of steps that users need to take to achieve their goal. A behavioral plan is a set of tactics that help users take each step successfully.
To create action funnels and behavioral plans, product designers need to map out the user journey from awareness to action to outcome. Then, they need to apply the three strategies of leveraging existing motivations, reducing barriers and costs, and providing feedback and rewards to each step of the funnel.
For example, HelloWallet's action funnel consists of four steps: sign up for the product, connect bank accounts, set financial goals, and follow personalized recommendations. The behavioral plan for each step includes tactics such as social proof, free trial, default settings, progress bars, and nudges.
Developing effective interface designs
The third step is to develop effective interface designs that implement the action funnels and behavioral plans. An interface design is the visual and interactive representation of the product's features and functions. It includes elements such as layout, color, typography, icons, buttons, forms, and animations.
To develop effective interface designs, product designers need to follow the principles of user interface design, such as clarity, consistency, simplicity, affordance, feedback, and aesthetics. They also need to use design patterns that are proven to work for behavior change, such as gamification, personalization, socialization, and storytelling.
For example, HelloWallet's interface design uses a dashboard that shows users their financial health score, their progress towards their goals, their spending breakdown, and their personalized tips. It also uses gamification elements such as badges, levels, and challenges to make the product more engaging and fun.
Measuring impact and learning from data
The fourth and final step is to measure the impact of the product on user behavior and learn from data how to improve it. Impact measurement is the process of evaluating whether the product is achieving its intended outcomes and delivering value to users. our biases and errors. Conclusion
Designing for behavior change is a powerful and valuable skill for product designers and managers. It can help them create products that are more engaging, effective, and beneficial for users. It can also help them achieve positive social impact and business success.
To design for behavior change, product designers and managers need to understand the three main strategies to help people change behavior: leveraging existing motivations, reducing barriers and costs, and providing feedback and rewards. They also need to follow the process of designing for behavior change: identifying target users and behaviors, creating action funnels and behavioral plans, developing effective interface designs, and measuring impact and learning from data.
If you want to learn more about designing for behavior change, you can read some of the best books on this topic, such as Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics by Stephen Wendel, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by B.J. Fogg, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
We hope you enjoyed this article and found it useful. If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know in the comments below. And if you want to try some of the products we mentioned in this article, you can download them from the links below:
Fitbit
Uber
Duolingo
HelloWallet
FAQs
What is behavior change?
Behavior change is the process of helping people adopt new behaviors or modify existing ones, using insights from psychology and behavioral economics.
What are the three main strategies to help people change behavior?
The three main strategies to help people change behavior are: leveraging existing motivations, reducing barriers and costs, and providing feedback and rewards.
What is the process of designing for behavior change?
The process of designing for behavior change consists of four steps: identifying target users and behaviors, creating action funnels and behavioral plans, developing effective interface designs, and measuring impact and learning from data.
What are some of the best books on designing for behavior change?
Some of the best books on designing for behavior change are: Designing for Behavior Change: Applying Psychology and Behavioral Economics by Stephen Wendel, Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products by Nir Eyal, Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do by B.J. Fogg, and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.
How can I learn more about designing for behavior change?
You can learn more about designing for behavior change by reading the books we mentioned above, by following blogs, podcasts, and newsletters on this topic, by taking online courses or workshops, and by practicing with real or hypothetical products. 71b2f0854b