1. Applying Behavior Design
or Behavior: you’re soaking in it.
Chris Risdon @chrisrisdon
SXSW 2012
#sxbehavior #behavior
I've been a workaday practitioner for close to 15 years. While I've done a lot of design research, I don't have a
background in academic research. A lot of people, much, much smarter than me, have created the foundation
for this topic. What I’ve been motivated to do the past 3–4 years is to understand how all that we’re learning
about designing for behavior change and persuasive technology translates practically to my work designing
products and services today.
2. Applying Behavior Design
What are we talking about?
Why now?
Where does it live?
How do we apply it?
I’m taking a reporter’s angle with this topic - What, Why, Where and How.
4. Behavior Design: 2009
The next big thing.
While this topic is nothing new, 2009 was when it hit a tipping point in our profession,
becoming a more prominently discussed, defined and illustrated.
5. Nine Experiences for 2009
“Whether it’s to extend your paycheck or conserve
your energy, there’s plenty of reasons for people to
change how they behave this year.”
—Brandon Shauer
6. “Behavior is
our medium.”
—Robert Fabricant, 2009
7. Every design decision
influences the user.
(however benevolent the intent)
A long standing belief that I’ve held as a designer since I started in the 90s.
8. “Life as it is.”
—Dziga Vertov
Documentary filmmaking is an analogy I’ve often used. Long considered the “objective” form
of cinema, in contrast to fictional, scripted and reenacted films. However, the moment you
“frame” a story with constraints (for example tell a story in 2 hours that played out over 2
years), you make decisions; where the filmmaker points the camera, how they edit the story,
all these decision affect how the view receives—perceives and understands—the story.
Interaction design is no different.
10. Un
off
ici
al!
Behavior Design (short for designing for behavior change)
Design with the intent to change someone’s behavior
or attitude.
Persuasive Technology
Technology designed to persuade the user to use a
system or platform in a desired way.
(may/may not have intent to change someone’s behavior or attitude)
These are unofficial definitions that may differ from academic thinking. This represents
my synthesis and understand and how I’ve chosen to make sense of them in the context
of my work.
13. 90999
2004: During a layover you’re sitting at the airport bar having a beer. On the news you see reporting about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Your heart goes out. It’s not personal - you don’t know anyone, and it’s halfway around the world. But the story understandably creates
sympathy. In the news story there’s a call to action to donate money to the redcross.org.
To do this, you may need to take your flight, get home, remember that you wanted to donate, then go through traditional ecommerce funnel,
providing billing address and credit card details. Then you also have to think, “how much do I want to donate?”
You have to be fairly motivated to follow-through and donate.
14. 90999
2010: During a layover you’re sitting at the airport bar having a beer. On the news you see reporting about the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Your
heart goes out. It’s not personal - you don’t know anyone, and it’s in another part of the world. But the story understandably creates
sympathy. In the news story there’s a call to action to donate money to the Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999. $10 will be added to your
phone bill.
You pull out your phone there at the bar (it can even be a feature phone), type 90999, and “Haiti”, hit send, and you’re done. No billing, and
it’s just $10. And you feel good about helping out.
15.
16. Opportune Moments
We can see these “triggers” at other opportune moments. How about when you go to the pet store
and buy pet supplies? The POS credit card swiper asks if you want to add $1 to your charge to help
animal shelters. You’re already spending $50, what’s $51? And you’ll feel good about donating, since
you do love animals.
Would they be just as successful if they gave you a flyer that made the case to donate and asked you
to get online and donate an unspecified amount?
17. But modeling the relationship between motivation and ability have been around for a while.
Reducing friction, making something easier to facilitate moving motivated people forward.
Marketers and businesses have been trying to crack this code for a long time.
18. Robert
Cialdini
Robert Cialdini wrote Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion in the 90s, and not in the
context of technology...
19. Reciprocity
Commitment & Consistency
Social Proof
Authority
Liking
Scarcity
...yet his “6 weapons of influence” are more pervasive than ever in our digital products and
services.
21. Let’s say I have a half a box of chocolates open here in front of you. I will give you this half box of
chocolates now, or I will a full box of chocolates in a week. Most people will select the half box of
chocolates now.
If you ask if they want a half box of chocolates in a month, or a full box in a month and one week, they
will be able to think rationally and select the full box.
22. Active Design
“
Active Design is the idea that we can
design...buildings to encourage people to
get more exercise...
By attacking obesity through urban
design and architecture, governments
are beginning to realize that designers
might be their best warriors in the battle
against obesity and its costs.
Active Design are guidelines by the city in conjunction
with architects and urban planning academics.
”
—Fast Company
23. Active Design
“
This strategy recognizes that the public’s
underlying motivations are not about
health, but rather, about what is
”
convenient and enjoyable.
These examples reinforce the fact that we, as
designers, are not simply designing for cognition –
—Fast Company
or to support behavior.
24. Lots of patterns and heuristics that can be used for idiation. This has just been the
tip of the iceberg, we could spend the whole talk as a survey of behavior design
thinking. But this is just meant to make things more concrete so we have a common
Dan Lockton
frame of reference. Design with Intent
Stephen Anderson
Mental Note Cards
Fabrique
Insights
26. Data
The utility and pervasiveness of data has grown. When considering
products and services that are utilized to change personal behavior, data is
the raw material that everything is based on.
27. Feedback Loops
The feedback loop, the response or feedback someone gets when they
interact with a system—a core interaction design principle. The idea that as
people ‘interact’ with a system through tracking their behaviors, it’s the
feedback loop, they response they get from the system (cue’s, visualizations,
etc.) with the data that tells the story.
29. Data > Visualization > Story
Another way to look at it, in the context of our new products and features.
30. Passive data collection (or reduced to a few taps—i.e. the check-in), enables
the feedback loop. The cycle of data collection to feedback is realtime -
which didn’t exist in a mass produced scale prior to circa 2007.
31. Our behaviors write the story. Our actions create data, that data is visualized
over time to tell a story. We have an emotional response to this story that
influences how we will continue to ‘write the story’ with future behaviors.
32. http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/posters
We’ve been mapping data over time to visualize information and tell stories
for a long time. But now technology has opened a floodgate in it’s ability to
collect the data at a mass scale for consumers/individuals, and the ability to
provide the feedback loop enables people to act on that information.
33. 20 years ago, you had to manually enter your transactions. Scanning and looking at
your purchases was the feedback loop. Manual entry was the collection of the data.
You had to be highly motivated to maintain this and use it to influence your
spending behavior (remember the Fogg model)
34. Spreadsheets came along, made it easier to scan over time, sort for different
information, but the “story” was still not easily digestible and you had to be
highly motivated to do this.
35. In the 90s we got Microsoft Money and Quicken. You still had to manually
enter your data (still needed high motivation), but now the software did the
heavy lifting, providing visualized feedback of your spending habits over time.
You could now more easily see the story of your behavior and respond to it.
36. And now today, once we had over access to our financial institutions, the
data is collected completely passively, and turned into feedback
(visualizations, alerts) that give insight and cues regarding our behavior.
37. Most of the new wave of products is based on the
data/feedback loop model.
39. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
In some camps, certain techniques are seen as a means to persuade, in others that same technique is a means to aid
cognition. Trialability is the concept that if you simulate an activity, or demonstrate a product, the user will be more
likely to engage in that activity, or with that product - it’s a tool for persuasion. But others, such as an information
architect or usability specialist, may see this as a means for aiding cognition, allowing the user to better complete the
activity, or understand how to use the product.
40. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Amazon One Click is a persuasive tool designed to prompt more impulse
purchases (think: reduce friction, increase ability).
But it’s not a binary proposition only in Amazon’s interest. The feature has value to
the user, it makes purchasing an item easier.
41. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Good Defaults (AKA Smart Defaults) are intended to aid in completing
forms or wizards easily and correctly.
But it also persuades the user’s actions. People will be less likely to consider
their options. This ‘cognitive shortcut’ persuades the user to go with the
system defaults.
42. Clearly intent and purpose are key. Defaults can be pushed within the
spectrum, like in the case of defaulting to “yes” in selecting organ donation
when applying for a driver’s license, and needing to opt out.
Countries that require opt-out have very high organ donation volunteerism,
and countries that require you to opt in are much lower.
Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Example:
Organ Donation
Opt-in vs. Opt-out
43. Let’s take the scale and add a second axis. This is the user’s awareness of
your intent as a designer. (or as a product/service)
High
Awareness
(of your intent)
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
44. We’ve seen where features like good defaults and one-click are. We can plot
other design patterns, such as progress indicators.
These don’t “declare” their intent, yet they don’t deliberately conceal
it either.
High
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
45. Manipulation: all persuasion with no value to the user
Deception: covert in intentions
Stay away from this ethically mucky area. This is where you see products
High and services that hide their true (deception) and involve you in a service
that you were not aware of or didn’t explicitly approve (manipulation).
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
46. Generally, ‘features’ (micro persuasion) will be lower in intent. While we’ll
see products and services (macro persuasion) up top as they have a clearly
stated value proposition (creating explicit awareness of their intent).
High
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
47. Applications with high utility (iTunes, Gmail, Basecamp, etc.). Intent of
utility is fairly high, usually as part of value proposition.
A product like Basecamp deliberately constrains features, as part of their
value proposition, so they may move slightly to the right of the scale, as
High the product’s features will influence how you manage your projects with
the tool.
Gmail
iTunes
Basecamp
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
48. We now have an influx of products and services, enabled by technology,
that are designed with the intent of influencing our behavior. Intent is made
clear, usually in value proposition (reduce your debt, get in shape, etc.)
High
Gmail Nike+ Nest
Weight
iTunes
Watchers
Basecamp
Shortmail
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
49. Behavior change as value proposition.
High
Gmail Nike+ Nest
Weight
iTunes
Watchers
Basecamp
Shortmail
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability Awareness
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)
51. Behavior Change
as Value Proposition
Value proposition is directly related to behavior.
System makes recommendations or guidance.
Data collection is primary feature
Behavior is measurable. (feedback loop)
Scaling self-determination
(some products you have to use as prescribed)
Personal
(health, environment, finances, personal habits)
56. Utility
What areas are do you want to
affect change/apply persuasion?
Onboarding !
Sign-ups
Profile completion ? ?
?
Transaction funnels
57. Behavior Change
What is the behavior change?
How is that story told
(data/feedback) ?
?
What is the value prop?
(customer value with business value)
Implicit?
Explicit?
58. Research
Strategy drives questions you want to
have answered.
Motivation
Knowledge (i.e. awareness and understanding)
Doubts/Barriers (i.e. security issues)
Ability (drives how story is told)
-Mental model with behavior profile
-Thinking, feeling, doing
59. Behavior Heuristics
“ Rules (of thumb) that
people might follow when
”
interacting with a system.
—Dan Lockton
“ Asking users questions about how and
why they behaved in certain ways with
technology led to answers which were
”
resolvable into something like rules.
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/
60. Behavior Heuristics
Peel back layers
Similar to “5 Whys”
“Let’s look in more detail at ‘People will do what they
see other people doing’: Why? Why will people do
what they see other people doing? If we break this
down, asking ‘Why?’ a couple of times, we get to
tease out some slightly different possible factors.”
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/
61. Behavior Heuristics
▶ If lots of people are doing it, do it
Create heuristics or principles Show directly how many (or what proportion of) people are
choosing an option
▶ If people like me are doing it, do it
Show the user that his or her peers, or people in a similar
situation, make a particular choice
▶ If people that I aspire to be like are doing it, do it
Show the user that aspirational figures are making a particular
choice
▶ If something worked before, do it again
Remind the user what worked last time
▶ If an expert recommends it, do it
Show the user that expert figures are making a particular
choice
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/
62. Design Principles
Examples
Learn while doing
Suggestions, not choices
Provide conceptual anchors.
Treat every visit like it’s their second
to last visit.
Not too specific
Can design against,
matching patterns to principles
63. Mapping
e Map
Rail Europe Experienc t is respectful, effective
People value service tha
plans over time.
Guiding Principles People build their travel and personable.
part of people’s larger
Rail booking is only one
because it is
People choose rail travel travel process.
flexible.
convenient, easy, and
Post Travel
vel Travel
Post-Booking, Pre-Tra
Customer Journey Booking
Share experience
Shopping
STAGES Research & Planning Activities, unexpected
chan ges
Follow-up on refunds for
booking changes
arrive
Delivery Payment Review & Wait for paper tickets to
Enter trips Review fares Confirm confirm
options options
itinerary Share
routes and products Select pass(es)
Research destinations, photos
RAIL EUROPE
Change Check ticket E-ticket Print
plans status at Station
Get stamp Web
Destination Look up for refund
pages time tables
Share
Live chat for experience
raileurope.com questions (reviews)
Buy additional
Map itinerary
Plan with tickets
(finding pass)
interactive map May call if
difficulties View
occur web/
maps apps
DOING
Print e-tickets Plan/
Kayak, Paper tickets Mail tickets
Blogs & at home Look up confirm Request
compare arrive in mail for refund
Travel sites airfare timetables Arrange activities refunds
travel
Web
Talk with Google Research I was not able to use. Not
searches hotels • Trying to return ticket
friends grab a train but there are sure if I’ll get a refund or
not.
• I just figured we could these photos!
need? can we do now? • People are going to love routes and availability
s • Do I have everything I not more trains. What
s, passes and reservation easy and friendly, but on the right train? If not,
what next?
Next time, we will explo
re
but I’m willing to pay a
• Do I have all the ticket I don’t pay more
• Rail Europe website was n’t get help.
• Am I
travel plans. How do I
•
• I want to get the best
price, I need in this booking so when an issue came up,
I could • I want to make more more carefully.
way to get around Europe? little more for first class. ts don’t arrive in time? do that?
• What is the easiest trip cost me? What are
my shipping?
ering the phone. How • What will I do if my ticke
• Where do I want to
go? • How much will my whole • Rail Europe is not answ answered?
in each
• How much time should I/we spend trade-offs?
ies I can add to my plan? else can I get my ques
tion
tion story with
THINKING place for site seeing and
activities? • Are there other activit
be in an unknown place
in • Excited to share my vaca
to
• I am feeling vulnerable my friends.
t to leave the country the middle of the night. ng with ticket refund
• Stressed that I’m abou arrive on time for my • A bit annoyed to be deali .
is easy and friendly! answer the phone. • Stressed that the train
won’t
issues when I just got home
• Website experience and Rail Europe won’t
Advisor. Everyone is sooner about which pe won’t ship tickets connection. d is fun,
• It’s hard to trust Trip • Frustrated to not know which are paper tickets. • Frustrated that Rail Euro • Meeting people who
want to show us aroun
e!
• I’m excited to go to Europthing I can? so negative. tickets are eTickets and to Europe. serendipitous, and speci
al.
different products arrive in time. ts in the mail!
• Will I be able to see every • Keeping track of all the Not sure my tickets will • Happy to receive my ticke
this? is confusing.
• What if I can’t afford trip I want to take? Enjoyability
FEELING the wrong choice. • Am I sure this is the
• I don’t want to make Enjoyability e
Enjoyability Relevance of Rail Europ
e
Enjoyability Relevance of Rail Europ e
Relev ance of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europ
Enjoyability e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
Enjoyability e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
EXPERIENCE e
Helpfulness of Rail Europ
e
Helpfulness of Rail Europ
POST-TRAVEL
POST-BOOK, TRAVEL,
and
t Accommodate planning
G, BOOKING Improve the paper ticke booking in Europe too.
PLANNING, SHOPPIN Arm customers with
information
Opportunities over time. Visualize the trip for
planning
for making decisions.
experience.
ting their Enable people to plan and booking. , Travel, Post-Travel
STAGE: Traveling
GLOBAL
help they Support people in crea STAGES: Post-Booking
Help people get the
ng
STAGES: Shopping, Booki
r value own solutions. clearly at
Communicate a clea need. ing
STAG ES: Planning, Shopping
ple deal Communicate status
proposition. STAGES: Planning, Shopp Proactively help peo all times.
STAGES: Global
STAGES: Global with a with change.
ping and Aggregate shipping , Post Travel
STAGE: Initial visit
Connect planning, shop reasonable timeline. , Traveling
STAGES: Post-Booking
STAGES: Post-Booking
Engage in social med
ia with booking on the web.
into better,
Make your customers explicit purposes. ing, Booking
STAGE: Booking
Non-linear, but
STAGES: Planning, Shopp
more savvy travelers. Ongoing,
Linear
process
time based
Survey
STAGES: Global Customer Experience non-linear
Stakeholder interviews mentation
STAGES: Global
Information Existing Rail Europe Docu
Cognitive walkthroughs Euro pe | August 2011
sources Experience Map for Rail
64. Mapping
Adds Context
Ability (drives how story is told)
Map touchpoints to motivation,
knowledge, doubts/barriers
Identify trigger opportunities
Reveal how story is told
(data collected, feedback given, opportunities, etc.)
65. Target a behavior goal
1-3 discreet behaviors
Keep it simple
Use less laundry detergent
vs. reduce your carbon footprint
Create a story
May be literal, or metaphorical (data)
Tie to emotion
Understand how people make decisions
66. “
We should look at what kind of
impact people’s behavior
”
should have on design.
—Paola Antonelli
67. Applying Behavior Design
or Behavior: you’re soaking in it.
Thank you!
Chris Risdon @chrisrisdon
SXSW 2012
#sxbehavior #behavior