My talk at the MIT Media Lab Seminar Socially Influencing Systems for Improved Urban Mobility, January 30, 2105.

1. blind spots
in persuasive design
Sebastian Deterding (@dingstweets)
Northeastern University
January 30, 2015
c b

2. task here:
use social influence
to motivate cycling
in boston,MA

3. <1/3>
tool before
target

5. Fogg 2003
“just add persuasion”

6. “just add tag clouds”

7. We have tool sets ...

8. …but no real construction plan.

9. what we warn all clients of:
»A solution in search
of a problem«

10. Not
»This might also persuade users.«
But
»What drives and stops Peter to
do X at point Y?«

11. http://www.implementationscience.com/content/6/1/42
the com-b model

12. http://www.implementationscience.com/content/6/1/42

13. so: what to do?

14. challenge: first, understand the problem
1. Free-list systemic hurdles to biking in Boston
2. Identify the top 5 hurdles
3. Identify levers to affect these hurdles
4. Check: Is social influence among them?

15. <2/3>
wider
contexts

16. Paul Watzlawick et al.
»These are two types of change: one that
occurs within a given system which itself
remains unchanged, and one whose
occurrence changes the system itself…
Second-order change is thus change of
change.«
change (1974: 10)

17. Implicit theory of social changeresponsibilisation of self
Reproduction
#1

18. Implicit theory of social changetechnological solutionism
Reproduction
#2

19. When discipline is reinforced,
revolution cannot fail!

20. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sustainable-
business/small-painless-behaviour-change
backgrounding systemic root causes

21. so: what to do?

22. »Always design a thing by
considering it in its next larger
context – a chair in a room, a room in
a house, a house in an environment,
an environment in a city plan.«
quoted by his son eero, june 2, 1977
eliel saarinen

23. what are systemic,
social contexts of
cycling in Boston?

24. a friend in
rochester,NY

26. same friend in
Dubrovnik,CR

28. A sudden boost in
motivation?

29. hamburg,germany rochester,ny,usa
Mixed-use zoning
5 min market, 10 min work
Single-use zoning
30 min market, 45 min work
Compact zoning
15 min to city center
Sprawled zoning
40+ min to city center
Dense public transport accepting bikes
20 min tram+5 min bike to everything
Sparse public transport, no bikes allowed
not everything is accessible by bike+
Moderate coastal climate
Bikeable throughout the year
Humid continental climate
Unbikeable winters
Public street service
Streets, sidewalks, bike lanes clear all year
Basic public street service
Sidewalks, bike lanes not cleared
Cheap national rental bike system
One account, free signup, good station map
Spotty city bike systems
Per city accounts, pricy, hard to find stations
Many cyclists on road
Drivers watch out, know & respect norms
Few cyclists on road
Drivers don’t watch, no clear norms
Expensive fuel & parking, congested roads
Driving in the city is expensive, slow
Cheap fuel & parking, empty roads
Driving is cheap and fast
Biking is sufficient and often the easiest,
fastest, cheapest way to get around
Biking is insufficient and often the hardest,
slowest way to get around

30. challenge: strike at the roots
1. Identify systemic reasons making biking hard,
slow, ineffective, costly
2. Identify positive feedback loops to affect
social change around these reasons
3. Ideate potential micro-ecosystems where
biking is the easiest, cheapest way to move
around

31. <3/3>
autonomy &
reactance

32. social control & commitment

33. social comparison & competition

34. coercive,
creepy,and
context-blind

35. Really, Dave, a second Donut?
After the one you bought at Starbucks 1538
Tremont St. at 2:34pm today? I texted your friends
and they do not approve.

36. 5%
500 steps
8th day without cycling – you really should step it
up! What about a 5 minute ride today? C’mon,
your friends in California did it!

37. 5%
500 steps
Here’s a message from Celia: Hey Dave, you’re
below your step goal: take a walk in the park!

38. Lopez 2011
the undermining effect
Issue
#1

40. Edward Deci,Richard Ryan
»An understanding of human motivation
requires a consideration of innate
psychological needs for competence,
autonomy, and relatedness.«
the what and why of goal pursuits (2000)

41. the romeo and juliet effect
Issue
#2

42. johnmarshall reeve
»When children do precisely what they were told not
to do … or when the targets of propaganda do the
opposite of the source’s intention, each performs a
counter maneuver aimed at reestablishing a
threatened freedom. The term reactance refers to the
psychological and behavioral attempt at
reestablishong (“reacting” against) a threatened or
eliminated freedom.«
understanding motivation (2014: 297)

43. extrinsic motivation is unsustained

44. Richard Ryan,Edward Deci
Autonomy
≠
Independence, lots of choice,
absence of constraints
self-regulation & the problem of human autonomy (2006)

45. Edward Deci,Richard Ryan
»To be autonomous means to behave
with a sense of volition, willingness, and
congruence; it means to fully endorse
and concur with the behavior one is
engaged in.«
motivation, personality, and development (2012: 85)

46. Edward Deci & Richard Ryan: The »What« and »Why« of Gaol Pursuits (2002)
150 more pages,
and I get my 10$.
external
I must not disappoint
my parents!
introjected
Pfff …
I‘m bored.
amotivated
I‘m good at this – this is
actually fun!
intrinsic
It‘s important for me in
school to read this now.
identified
I totally see how this
helps me become a chef!
integrated
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pensiero/95412049Edward Deci & Richard Ryan (2002), The »What« and »Why« of Goal Pursuits
extrinsic

47. Edward Deci & Richard Ryan: The »What« and »Why« of Gaol Pursuits (2002)
150 more pages,
and I get my 10$.
external
I must not disappoint
my parents!
introjected
Pfff …
I‘m bored.
amotivated
I‘m good at this – this is
actually fun!
intrinsic
It‘s important for me in
school to read this now.
identified
I totally see how this
helps me become a chef!
integrated
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pensiero/95412049Edward Deci & Richard Ryan (2002), The »What« and »Why« of Goal Pursuits
social influence

48. so: what to do?

49. Be situated

50. be as smart as a puppy

51. have forgiving language & systems

52. http://designinghappiness.wordpress.com/
foster reflection & deliberation

53. pleasurable troublemakers
http://www.pleasurabletroublemakers.com/keymoment/

54. aesthetic of friction
1. Situatedness Intervene where the action/
decision takes place
2. Actionable Offer an alternative goal-
supporting action
3. Autonomy Leave the user the choice between
old and new action
4. Reflection Invite conscious reflection
5. Naïveté Be cute, not (too) smart
6. Sympathy Be understanding
7. Irony Why so serious? Allow reversal and
cheating

55. challenge: create a pleasurable troublemaker
Apply the aesthetics of friction to your concepts:
1. Situatedness Intervene where the action/decision takes place
2. Actionable Offer an alternative goal-supporting action
3. Autonomy Leave the user the choice between old and new
action
4. Reflection Invite conscious reflection
5. Naïveté Be cute, not (too) smart
6. Sympathy Be understanding
7. Irony Why so serious? Allow reversal and cheating

56. sebastian@codingconduct.cc
@dingstweets
codingconduct.cc
Thank You.