Deliberate Design of Behaviour

Each choice you make during the day feels like a personal choice. Often from a rational perspective. Responding to a notification on your app might feel like a deliberate choice. But is it? Your choices are more often or not influenced by behavioural science.

Behavioural science is all about researching and understanding the decisions people make that lead to certain behaviour. Why does a person buy that expensive dress while having debts. Why does a person who wants to lose weight does not increase its level of exercise?

A great focus of behavioural science is influence. Influencing yourself or others towards desired behaviour. For most people influencing has a negative connotation, but it doesn't have to be negative. As a parent I am spending most of my time influencing the behaviour of my children. Hoping they will behave socially in our society.

Organisations spent ample time in the design of desired behaviour. Shops like IKEA or Intratuin deliberately design their shopping route. Supermarkets are known to have their vegetable department in the beginning of the shop. This way customers will buy more snacks or other sweets as they already have so much healthy products in their cart.

Key elements of behavioural design

In order to design the behaviour of people, it is imperative to have an understanding of the motivation of people. Astrid Groenewegen, creator of the SUE | Behavioural Design Method, states the three elements are required for behavioural design.

1. Insight in the psychology of human decision making
2. Insight in the forces that determine the behaviour of people
3. The capacity to turn these insights into ideas and strategies that will lead to the desired behaviour.