1. PREDICTING
MOTIVATION
MOTIVATING HEALTHY BEHAVIOR
Katherine Chen / @kchen247

2. WATCH THIS.

3. HOW DO YOU FEEL?
MOTIVATED?

4. THE MOTIVATION WAVE
• Motivation looks like this.
high
low
• It peaks and dips, just like a wave.
• At peaks, we have a temporary opportunity to do hard
things.
To design for behavior change, we need to better understand when
these high-motivation moments occur to fully utilize them.

5. BECAUSE IN THOSE MOMENTS,
WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO
• DO HARD THINGS that structure hard behavior
• Sign up for a yoga class or hire a personal trainer
• Replace all your candy with carrot sticks
• DO HARD THINGS that reduce barriers to behavior
• Learn a healthy recipe to cook
• DO HARD THINGS that increase people’s capability
• Do a set of 10 push-ups

6. BEFORE WE PEAK WE
MUST FALL…
• Our graph shows us that each moment of high motivation
is preceded by a moment or period of low motivation.
• So there are two parts which are interesting:
• The moment or period of low motivation
• A trigger that catalyzes an increase in motivation
• In chemistry, activation energy defines the energy that
must be overcome for a chemical reaction to occur.
Our question is then: What are the triggers that provide enough
activation energy to reach a peak in the motivation wave?

7. POTENTIAL
ACTIVATORS
1. From Within
2. From Around Us
3. Out of Necessity
4. Out of Habit
5. Out of Response

8. FROM WITHIN.
• Self-reflection
• Because I feel unsatisfied
• Because I feel unhealthy
• Because I feel fat
• Because I feel guilty after eating
• Because I want to fit into my clothes
• Because I used to be healthy

9. FROM AROUND US.
• Mirroring
• Because I see my friends getting fit
• Because I see my friend is at the gym
• Social Commitment
• Because I made plans
• Because other people are counting on me
• Because it’s fun with friends
• Because it’s fun and productive
• Media
• Because I just watched a sports game
• Because I’m inspired by the drive of athletes
• Because I want to look like [insert name of famous person]

10. OUT OF NECESSITY.
• Doctor’s Orders
• Because I’m at risk for [insert health condition]
• Because I have [insert health condition]
• Because I can’t walk the stairs without losing my breath
• Because my condition is worsening

11. OUT OF HABIT.
• Routines
• Because it feels wrong not to do it
• Because I feel tired if I don’t do it
• Because it keeps me healthy and happy
• Because it’s a relief to go

12. OUT OF RESPONSE.
• Counting down
• Because I need to reach this goal
• Emotional
• Because I feel upset
• Because I feel stressed
• Because I feel energetic

13. THE ABOVE “BECAUSE…”’S WERE COLLECTED
FROM MY PEERS AND BROKEN DOWN INTO FIVE
MAIN THEMES I SAW.
IF YOU HAVE OTHER HYPOTHESES,
COMMENT
BELOW!
Katherine Chen / @kchen247