Behavioral design utilizes principles from behavioral science and psychology to shape how users interact with products. By understanding how people make decisions, we can design experiences that support their behavior instead of forcing them to conform to our products. As a designer interested in this field, I have condensed essential elements into a digestible guide for design and product teams to learn from and act upon.
Behavioral design encompasses various terms such as behavioral science, cognitive science, cognitive bias, heuristics, psychological principles, and motivation theory. While this can be overwhelming, at its core, behavioral design is a systematic understanding of decision-making. It draws on research from behavioral economics to human-computer interaction and helps inform design decisions.
For example, we can guide users through our product by anticipating obstacles that may hinder them from achieving their goals. Similarly, we can influence how children behave on social media by taking a smarter, more focused approach rather than relying on emotional manipulation.
Before delving further, it’s important to address ethics. Initially, I was optimistic about behavioral design, seeing it as a way to positively influence users’ behavior. However, as I explored the topic more, I became uneasy. How much influence is ethical? Considering recent scandals in the tech industry, changing behavior can have sinister implications. We must be conscientious of privacy and avoid manipulation.
To navigate this ethical dilemma, Nir Eyal’s Manipulation Matrix can be a helpful tool. It helps assess whether a behavior change design strategy is on the “good” or “fiendish” axis. Two key questions to ask are: Does the product genuinely improve the user’s life? And, do I, as the product designer, use the product myself? If the answers are positive and you aim to facilitate positive behavior change, then you are on the right track.
Behavioral scientist Stephen Wendel raises concerns about how persuasive design has become pervasive, leading to a general mistrust of designers. He emphasizes not addicting users, avoiding harm, being transparent, ensuring voluntary actions, and considering whether the product genuinely helps users.
With these ethical guidelines in mind, let’s move forward. The first step is to understand our users. This may come naturally to experienced designers, but it’s crucial to reiterate. We need to identify the behaviors users exhibit and why they may not engage with certain features or actions. Conducting user interviews and understanding their struggles and unmet needs is essential.
If user interviews are not feasible, make assumptions and verify them later. Develop job stories that outline the struggles and needs of your users. A job story must have a goal, an action or object, and should not contain a solution. This helps avoid premature ideation.
The next step is to utilize the Fogg Behavior Model, developed by behavior scientist B.J. Fogg. This model simplifies understanding behavior by identifying three elements necessary for behavior to occur: motivation, ability, and prompts. Motivation refers to the user’s willingness to take action, ability refers to their capability to perform the action, and prompts are cues that trigger the behavior.
By applying the Fogg Behavior Model, we can design experiences that align with user motivation and enhance their ability to perform desired actions. This model provides a framework for understanding and influencing behavior effectively.
In conclusion, behavioral design is about leveraging principles from behavioral science and psychology to guide user behavior. It is essential to approach this field ethically and consider the impact of our design decisions. Understanding users and applying models like the Fogg Behavior Model can lead to more effective and user-centric design.
Source link
