What is the Transtheoretical Model and how can you use it?
The Transtheoretical Model (also called the Stages of Change Model), explains the individual’s readiness to make a Change.
The model proposes that Behaviour Change occurs in five (or six including termination) stages.
The theory was used first by examining the experiences of smokers who quit on their own with those requiring further treatment to understand why some people were capable of quitting on their own.
1) Pre-contemplation: Not yet acknowledging there is a problem, and no intention of taking action.
2) Contemplation: Acknowledges there is a problem and intention to take action at some point
3) Preparation: There is an intention to take action
4)Action: Changing the behaviour
5)Maintenance: Behavior has been changed and continues to be maintained
6)Termination: There is no desire to return to prior negative behaviors.
The model recognizes that behavior change is rarely linear and often involves stages of progression and regression.
There are some criticisms of the model, but they seem to come from a lack of understanding of how to apply the model.
Of course it also depends on the context - and for me it's more used as a thinking tool in creating journeys and we don't use it on it's own.
As we build journeys for our experiences we all know that those journeys are not as straightforward and perfect as they may seem on paper or miro - they have many loops, and we may go back and forth and even go from step 1 to step 4.
What is important is to design the elements in each stage, so that no matter where your customers or employees are, they can be enabled to succeed in their journey of change.
Example Application using TTM
Personalising Mobile Apps
Make sure users are supported at the different stages of readiness to change, providing relevant information and support. a) Precontemplation --> The customer is not aware of the importance of increasing Physical activity to 3 times per week (so we can provide educational content).
b) Action --> The user is ready to engage in Physical Activity ( perhaps we provide a goal-setting feature)
On Relapse --> if the action does not work, they can relapse and go back again to another stage. Remember, relapse is a common occurrence in the process of behavior change and can happen at any stage of the TTM
We occasionally incorporate TTM into our experience or journey maps - have you ever done it?