As we reach the final month of the year, it’s a good time to reflect on how we’re combining Science and Design.
When I started to integrate behavioral science into how products and experiences are designed, it became clear how much value a systematic, evidence-based approach can bring to organizations.
One principle I emphasize with advisory clients is the importance of working from a well-formed hypothesis.. why, because testing structured hypotheses helps de-risk decisions and saves resources compared to relying purely on instinct.
Behavioral theories and frameworks provide a way to identify the drivers and barriers that shape how employees and customers experience your organization.
Moving beyond “behavior theater” means focusing on the actual behaviors that matter, and mapping what enables or constrains them.
Creating a behavioral blueprint is one effective way to do this, it’s a visual artefact that maps the behaviors happening at each stage of an experience, alongside the behavioral drivers and barriers. These could be everything from beliefs, fears, and skills to policies and social norms.
I know most organizations understand functional barriers well, but the personal and emotional ones often remain invisible.. and these are the areas where behavioral insight adds the most value.
You can develop these maps in many ways, as long as they’re grounded in a solid behavioral model.
If you’re looking for inspiration on how to structure these artefacts from a design perspective, these books are a great starting point:
-This is Service Design Doing: Marc Stickdorn, Adam StJohn Lawrence, Markus Edgar Hormeß -The Design Thinking Playbook and Toolbox: Michael Lewrick -Mapping Experiences: Jim Kalbach -The Service Innovation Handbook: Lucy Kimbell -The Journey Mapping Playbook: Jerry Angrave -Strategic Design: Giulia Calabretta -Testing Business Ideas: Alexander Osterwalder & David Bland
As this year closes, how are you developing better experiences and closing gaps?