TAB Strategist Jean Francois Hector recently gave a talk at Mobile UX London. Here is a summary version of his deck and presentation, where he breaks down the importance of understanding user behaviour, and how to elicit the behaviours you want using the MAT model with our handy tips on how to apply it.

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The right way to influence behaviour
with technology
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2. © 2015 The App Business
This deck is a summary of a recent talk for Mobile UX London
Jean Francois Hector
User Experience Strategist, The App Business
It was delivered by this guy:
If you like what you read, you can tweet him directly @jfhector

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Let’s get started

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Today, influencing behaviour
should be easy. Right?
With all the technology we can use today, you would be
forgiven for thinking that influencing behaviour is easy.
You send a push notification here, you put an iBeacon
over there, and Bob’s your uncle.
Job done.

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Fortunately for all of us, some of the brainiest behaviour
scientists in the world have come up with a very simple
way to think about behaviours - and what is needed to
make them actually happen.
We really wanted all our teams here at The App Business
to use these insights, so we have translated them into a
set of simple principles and a useful model called MAT.
So let’s take a closer look at what MAT stands for.
If only. In reality, influencing
behaviour is very (very) hard.
This is BJ Fogg.
( He’s the brains behind
this particular
thinking on behaviours )
BJ works here.
( With other really smart
behaviour scientists )

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For a customer behaviour to
happen, three things need to
come together at the same time:

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‣ MOTIVATION - a customer must be motivated.
For a customer behaviour to
happen, three things need to
come together at the same time:

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‣ MOTIVATION - a customer must be motivated.
‣ ABILITY - they must have the ability to act easily.
For a customer behaviour to
happen, three things need to
come together at the same time:

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‣ MOTIVATION - a customer must be motivated.
‣ ABILITY - they must have the ability to act easily.
‣ TRIGGER - something that prompts them to act.
For a customer behaviour to
happen, three things need to
come together at the same time:

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*Sorry, Anna!
Perhaps I don’t want to talk to Anna right now. So I have
a lack of motivation.
Or, perhaps I can’t pick up because I am in the middle
of a meeting. In which case, I lack the ability. right now.
Maybe I didn’t hear or see Anna calling my phone. In
which case, I missed the trigger.
If a behaviour doesn’t happen, it is because one or
more of these three elements - motivation, ability,
trigger - is missing.
Identifying which element is missing helps understand
why the behaviour isn’t happening - then we can fix it.
Our Scrum Master, Anna, is calling
me, but I don’t pick up.* Why?

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For example, here I am checking out at my local Tesco.
When I pay, the machine reminds me that I should get a
Clubcard. I don’t have one, but I’m very motivated to get
it - I’m spending money and I’d like to spend less.
The problem is, there’s no easy way for me to get a
Clubcard right there and then. By the time I get home, it
would be easy for me to do it - but it’s no longer a
priority so I can’t really be bothered, or it slips my mind.
The hard part is making
motivation, ability and a trigger
all happen at the same time.

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MAT isn’t about wasting energy trying to motivate your customers.

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MAT isn’t about wasting energy trying to motivate your customers.
MAT is about putting hot triggers on the path of already
motivated people, at the point they are most able to act.

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Luckily, as soon as he arrived, he received a message
from Uber.
In this situation, George was already pretty motivated
to find a way to get to his hotel. This made him think
about onward travel - and he could summon an Uber
easily in just one tap.
George is motivated, encounters a trigger and has the
ability to act immediately.
One of our strategists, George,
arrived in Dublin recently.
He needed to get to his hotel.

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How to make the most of MAT

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Think about behaviour first
and technology second.
Start from a single, simple
concrete behaviour.
Predict when/where customers
will be most motivated.
Find out what customers are
already motivated to do.
Make it easy for customers
to act on impulse.
Remember, ’easy’ is different
in different situations.
Think broadly about
what triggers can be.
Make your triggers
hot like a potato.
We translated MAT into eight simple principles
Here is a quick preview of them:
BEHAVIOUR MOTIVATION
TRIGGERABILITY

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Behaviours that are
good for business.
Behaviours that are
good for customers.
Use MAT to facilitate behaviours that benefit both your
business and your customers
Don’t use
MAT here.
Use
MAT here.

18. © 2015 The App Business
To learn more about how to use MAT
on your next mobile product, drop us a line.
—
enquiries@theappbusiness.com
+44 203 657 9785
The App Business | The Spitfire Building, 71 Collier Street, London N1 9BE | www.theappbusiness.com
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