The 9 Rules of Behavior Design
How to change behavior in a simple, systematic way.
I've spent over 10 years and 10,000 hours learning and practicing Behavior Design.
Here's everything I've learned distilled into 9 key takeaways (that you can start applying today):
1. The best Behavior Design solutions are simple.
Want to get people to do more of something?
Remind them
Make it easier
Make it more fun
Behavior Design is all about getting to the heart of behavioral problems and making common sense changes.
2. Small changes generally result in small results.
In other words: Nudges do not work.
The best research shows that nudges have a ~1.4% impact on outcomes in the real world.
If you're looking for a larger impact, don't even waste your time with nudges.
3. One-size-fits-all solutions are almost always disappointing.
People are unique, and require unique solutions.
We all differ in terms of our:
Likes
Dislikes
Talents
Understanding
The best Behavior Design solutions are personalized.
4. Stop thinking of it as "design."
Instead, start thinking of your behavior-change attempts as experiments.
Research your user(s)
Come up with hypotheses (as to why the behavior isn't occurring)
Pick your favorite hypothesis
Run an experiment
Look at the results
Repeat
5. We are all share a few core motivators:
Status
Safety
Progress
Connection
Curiosity
If you're trying to move someone to action, start with this list.
6. If someone isn't doing something, you should always start by trying 2 things:
Remind them.
Make the thing easier.
80% of the time, the problem is one (or both) of these things.
You can read more here: https://www.thebehavioralscientist.com/articles/how-to-encourage-a-behavior-in-three-steps
7. To increase motivation, add. To increase ability, subtract.
Increasing motivation is all about giving people feedback, rewards, etc.
You're adding things to your product or program.
Increasing ability is all about removing things—steps, requirements, etc.
8. You don't have to be a psychologist to be a Behavior Designer.
In fact, some of the worst behavior design work is done by people w/ an academic behavioral science background.
Don't let a lack of credentials hold you back.
Learn the principles & apply them with common sense.
And lastly, the single best piece of Behavior Design advice:
9. Be straightforward, not clever.
Creative solutions will make you look good in meetings, but they're unlikely to work.
The best solutions are straightforward.
They get to the heart of the behavior issue.
No frills.