Here are 8 ways behavior change can actually work for you as a designer, innovator or change maker!
In every project I advise or consult on, whether that be with our clients in Digital Health, Pharma, Public Policy or Organizational Change I make sure to pass on some core principles that can stay well beyond I am gone:
So here the ones that come up the most:
1) Behaviour Change is not only about individuals - you need to account for the system and environment.
2) People's behaviour is contextual - decisions are going to vary depending on what is happening.
3) Biases as behavioral design - those findings are based on a specific context, they probably won't replicate for you - don't blame the bias, blame the context you ignored.
4) Create experiences that guide towards progress - we all want to feel like we are making progress towards something, make sure you give the right feedback
5) Account for people's Needs and the Behaviors we want them to progress on - needs are important, but they need to be accompanied by the actions that have to be done.
6) Habit formation isn't easy - what you are told in terms of building habits is more of a fantasy than reality - this stuff is hard. Focus on routines and on simplifying those when needed.
7) Remove the jargon from your communications - stakeholders don't always want to know how the engine works, they need the car, which they can drive, which takes them to their destination, so they can fulfil their need.
We need to be better at explaining the benefits of the change in a way that people can understand - storytelling is a great tool.
8. Use theories, models and frameworks - as thinking tools, not as things to copy paste, and they need to be practical.