The document discusses the emerging field of behavior design and persuasive technology, which involves designing products and services with the intent to change users' behaviors or attitudes. It provides examples of how data collection and feedback loops now enable real-time personalized persuasion at scale. The document argues that designers should be transparent about their persuasive intents and ensure their designs provide clear utility or value to users.

1. Applying
Behavior Design
or Behavior: you’re soaking in it.
Chris Risdon @chrisrisdon
WebVisions Portland
#wvpdx I've been a workaday practitioner for close to 15 years. While I've done a lot of design research, I don't have a
#behavior background in academic research. A lot of people, much, much smarter than me, have created the foundation
for this topic. What I’ve been motivated to do the past 3–4 years is to understand how all that we’re learning
about designing for behavior change and persuasive technology translates practically to my work designing
products and services today.

2. Applying Behavior Design
What are we talking about?
Why now?
Where does it live?
How do we apply it?
I’m taking a reporter’s angle with this topic - What, Why, Where and How.

3. What is Behavior Design?
What is persuasive technology?

4. Every design decision
influences the user.
(however benevolent the intent)
A long standing belief that I’ve held as a designer since I started in the 90s.

5. “Life as it is.”
—Dziga Vertov
“A factual film
which is dramatic”
—Dziga Vertov
Documentary filmmaking is an analogy I’ve often used. Long considered the “objective” form
of cinema, in contrast to fictional, scripted and reenacted films. However, the moment you
“frame” a story with constraints (for example tell a story in 2 hours that played out over 2
years), you make decisions; where the filmmaker points the camera, how they edit the story,
all these decision affect how the view receives—perceives and understands—the story.
Interaction design is no different.

6. DTDT

7. Un
off
ici
al!
Behavior Design (short for designing for behavior change)
Design with the intent to change someone’s
behavior or attitude.
Persuasive Technology
Technology designed to persuade the user to use a
system or platform in a desired way.
(may/may not have intent to change someone’s behavior or attitude)
These are unofficial definitions that may differ from academic thinking. This represents
my synthesis and understand and how I’ve chosen to make sense of them in the context
of my work.

8. BJ Fogg
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
netliferesearch/2867937570/

10. 2004: During a layover you’re sitting at the airport bar having a beer. On the news you see reporting about the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Your heart goes out. It’s not personal - you don’t know anyone, and it’s halfway around the world. But the story understandably creates
sympathy. In the news story there’s a call to action to donate money to the redcross.org.
To do this, you may need to take your flight, get home, remember that you wanted to donate, then go through traditional ecommerce funnel,
providing billing address and credit card details. Then you also have to think, “how much do I want to donate?”
You have to be fairly motivated to follow-through and donate.

11. 90999
2010: During a layover you’re sitting at the airport bar having a beer. On the news you see reporting about the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Your
heart goes out. It’s not personal - you don’t know anyone, and it’s in another part of the world. But the story understandably creates
sympathy. In the news story there’s a call to action to donate money to the Red Cross by texting “Haiti” to 90999. $10 will be added to your
phone bill.
You pull out your phone there at the bar (it can even be a feature phone), type 90999, and “Haiti”, hit send, and you’re done. No billing, and
it’s just $10. And you feel good about helping out.

13. Opportune Moments
We can see these “triggers” at other opportune moments. How about when you go to the pet store
and buy pet supplies? The POS credit card swiper asks if you want to add $1 to your charge to help
animal shelters. You’re already spending $50, what’s $51? And you’ll feel good about donating, since
you do love animals.
Would they be just as successful if they gave you a flyer that made the case to donate and asked you
to get online and donate an unspecified amount?

14. Robert
Cialdini
Robert Cialdini wrote Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion in the 90s, and not in the
context of technology...

15. Reciprocity
Commitment & Consistency
Social Proof
Authority
Liking
Scarcity
...yet his “6 weapons of influence” are more pervasive than ever in our digital products and
services.

16. Dan Ariely
Predictably Irrational
The Upside
of Irrationality
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
billhr/3266119190/

17. Active Design
“
Active Design is the idea that we can
design...buildings to encourage people to
get more exercise...
By attacking obesity through urban
design and architecture, governments
are beginning to realize that designers
might be their best warriors in the battle
against obesity and its costs.
Active Design are guidelines by the city in conjunction
with architects and urban planning academics.
”
—Fast Company

18. Active Design
“
This strategy recognizes that the public’s
underlying motivations are not about
health, but rather, about what is
”
convenient and enjoyable.
These examples reinforce the fact that we, as
designers, are not simply designing for cognition –
—Fast Company
or to support behavior.

19. Patterns, Principles Dan Lockton
Design with Intent
& Heuristics Stephen Anderson
Mental Note Cards
Fabrique
Insights
Lots of patterns and heuristics that can be used for idiation. This has just been the
tip of the iceberg, we could spend the whole talk as a survey of behavior design
thinking. But this is just meant to make things more concrete so we have a common
frame of reference.

20. So why now?

21. Data
The utility and pervasiveness of data has grown. When considering
products and services that are utilized to change personal behavior, data is
the raw material that everything is based on.

22. Data Collection
GPS
Accelerometers
Sensors
RFID
Image Capture
Profiles Attitudes
Status Updates & Behaviors
Sharing Credentials

23. Feedback Loops
The feedback loop, the response or feedback someone gets when they
interact with a system—a core interaction design principle. The idea that as
people ‘interact’ with a system through tracking their behaviors, it’s the
feedback loop, they response they get from the system (cue’s, visualizations,
etc.) with the data that tells the story.

25. Framing
Framing is where good designers of products and services will differentiate
themselves. We’re currently throwing an array of design patterns at the
problem, while we need to think about how we frame the feedback loops to
be most effective.

26. Asian Flu has hit, and expected to kill 600 people...
Option A: 200 people will be saved.
Option B: 1/3 probability that 600 people will
be saved and 2/3 probability that no people
will be saved.
Option A: 400 people will die.
Option B: 1/3 probability no one will die
and 2/3 probability that 600 people will die.
A psychological problem presented to physicians, in each case they are
given two sets of options. The two options in each instance is exactly the
same, but framed differently...
How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer

27. Asian Flu has hit, and expected to kill 600 people...
Option A: 200 people will be saved.
Option B: 1/3 probability that 600 people will
A = 72%
be saved and 2/3 probability that no people
will be saved.
B = 28%
Option A: 400 people will die.
A = 22%
Option B: 1/3 probability no one will die
and 2/3 probability that 600 people will die. B = 78%
...yet the option the physician picks is influenced by how the problem and
options are framed.
How We Decide, Jonah Lehrer

28. Passive data collection (or reduced to a few taps—i.e. the check-in), enables
the feedback loop. The cycle of data collection to feedback is realtime -
which didn’t exist in a mass produced scale prior to circa 2007.

29. Our behaviors write the story. Our actions create data, that data is visualized
over time to tell a story. We have an emotional response to this story that
influences how we will continue to ‘write the story’ with future behaviors.

30. Betty Draper has gained weight, and joined Weight Watchers. In the 60s,
people didn’t have household scales. Betty went weekly to be weighed, this
was her (slow) feedback loop. Then she’d here a counselor give general (not
personalized) guidance. This is how it was. Now scales can be connected,
and feedback in realtime, customized and personalized for you.

31. Most of the new wave of products is based on the
data/feedback loop model.

32. Data
Feedback Loops
Framing

33. Collect > Visualize > Story
Data Framing
Feedback Loop
Another way to look at it, in the context of our new products and features.

34. Where does it live?

35. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
In some camps, certain techniques are seen as a means to persuade, in others that same technique is a means to aid
cognition. Trialability is the concept that if you simulate an activity, or demonstrate a product, the user will be more
likely to engage in that activity, or with that product - it’s a tool for persuasion. But others, such as an information
architect or usability specialist, may see this as a means for aiding cognition, allowing the user to better complete the
activity, or understand how to use the product.

36. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Amazon One Click is a persuasive tool designed to prompt more impulse
purchases (think: reduce friction, increase ability).
But it’s not a binary proposition only in Amazon’s interest. The feature has value to
the user, it makes purchasing an item easier.

37. Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Good Defaults (AKA Smart Defaults) are intended to aid in completing
forms or wizards easily and correctly.
But it also persuades the user’s actions. People will be less likely to consider
their options. This ‘cognitive shortcut’ persuades the user to go with the
system defaults.

38. Clearly intent and purpose are key. Defaults can be pushed within the
spectrum, like in the case of defaulting to “yes” in selecting organ donation
when applying for a driver’s license, and needing to opt out.
Countries that require opt-out have very high organ donation volunteerism,
and countries that require you to opt in are much lower.
Usability/Utility
Persuasion
Example:
Organ Donation
Opt-in vs. Opt-out

39. Let’s take the scale and add a second axis. This is the user’s awareness of
your intent as a designer. (or as a product/service)
High
Awareness
(of your intent)
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

40. We’ve seen where features like good defaults and one-click are. We can plot
other design patterns, such as progress indicators.
The middle horizontal line represents the ‘intent declaration’ line, these
don’t “declare” their intent, yet they don’t deliberately conceal
it either. So they sit slightly below that.
High
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

41. Manipulation: all persuasion with no value to the user
Deception: covert in intentions
Stay away from this ethically mucky area. This is where you see products and
services that hide their true intent (deception) and involve you in a service
High that you were not aware of or didn’t explicitly approve (manipulation).
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

42. Products and services above the horizontal line have a clearly stated value
proposition (creating explicit awareness of their intent).
High utility High persuasion
High Obvious intent (value prop) Obvious intent (value prop)
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

43. Applications with high utility (iTunes, Gmail, Basecamp, etc.). Intent of
utility is fairly high, usually as part of value proposition.
A product like Basecamp deliberately constrains features, as part of their
value proposition, so they may move slightly to the right of the scale, as
High utility High persuasion
the product’s features will influence how you manage your projects with
High Obvious intent (value prop) the tool. intent (value prop)
Obvious
Gmail Flickr
iTunes
Basecamp
Awareness
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

44. High utility High persuasion
High Obvious intent (value prop) Obvious intent (value prop)
Gmail Flickr Nike+ Nest
Weight
iTunes Mint.com
Basecamp Watchers
Shortmail
Awareness Active Space
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

45. We now have an influx of products and services, enabled by technology,
that are designed with the intent of influencing our behavior. Intent is made
clear, usually in value proposition (reduce your debt, get in shape, etc.)
High utility High persuasion
High Obvious intent (value prop) Obvious intent (value prop)
Gmail Flickr Nike+ Nest
Weight
iTunes Mint.com
Basecamp Watchers
Shortmail
Awareness Active Space
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

46. Behavior change as value proposition.
High utility High persuasion
High Obvious intent (value prop) Obvious intent (value prop)
Gmail Flickr Nike+ Nest
Weight
iTunes Mint.com
Basecamp Watchers
Shortmail
Awareness Active Space
(of your intent) Amazon
Good One-Click
defaults Progress
indicator
Freecreditreport.com
Manipulation
Deception
Low
Utility / Persuasion
Usability
Micro Macro
(usability / features) (utility / prods. & services)

47. Behavior Change as
Value Proposition

48. Behavior Change
as Value Proposition
Value proposition is directly related to behavior
System makes recommendations or guidance
Data collection is primary feature
Behavior is measurable. (feedback loop)
Scaling self-determination
(some products you have to use as prescribed)
Personal
(health, environment, finances, personal habits)

49. How Do We Apply It?

50. Parts of the process
Strategy
Research
Behavior Heuristics
Design Principles
Experience Mapping

51. Strategy
Where does your value
proposition map? ? ? ?
Utility?
Behavior change?
Attitude change?

52. Conversion (micro) or
Value Proposition (macro)?

53. Utility
What areas are do you want to
affect change/apply persuasion?
Onboarding !
Sign-ups
Profile completion ? ?
?
Transaction funnels

54. Behavior Change
What is the behavior change?
How is that story told
(data/feedback) ?
?
What is the value prop?
(customer value with business value)
Implicit?
Explicit?

55. Research
Strategy drives questions you want to
have answered.
Motivation
Ability
Knowledge (i.e. awareness and understanding)
Doubts/Barriers (i.e. security issues)
-Mental model with behavior profile
-Thinking, feeling, doing

56. Behavior Heuristics
“ Rules (of thumb) that
people might follow when
”
interacting with a system.
—Dan Lockton
“ Asking users questions about how and
why they behaved in certain ways with
technology led to answers which were
”
resolvable into something like rules.
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/

57. Behavior Heuristics
Peel back layers
Similar to “5 Whys”
“Let’s look in more detail at ‘People will do what they
see other people doing’: Why? Why will people do
what they see other people doing? If we break this
down, asking ‘Why?’ a couple of times, we get to
tease out some slightly different possible factors.”
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/

58. Behavior Heuristics
Create heuristics ▶ If lots of people are doing it, do it
Show directly how many (or what proportion of) people are
or principles choosing an option
▶ If people like me are doing it, do it
Show the user that his or her peers, or people in a similar
situation, make a particular choice
▶ If people that I aspire to be like are doing it, do it
Show the user that aspirational figures are making a particular
choice
▶ If something worked before, do it again
Remind the user what worked last time
▶ If an expert recommends it, do it
Show the user that expert figures are making a particular
choice
http://architectures.danlockton.co.uk/2012/02/09/if/

59. Mapping
e Map
Rail Europe Experienc t is respectful, effective
People value service tha
plans over time.
Guiding Principles People build their travel and personable.
part of people’s larger
Rail booking is only one
because it is
People choose rail travel travel process.
flexible.
convenient, easy, and
Post Travel
vel Travel
Post-Booking, Pre-Tra
Customer Journey Booking
Share experience
Shopping
STAGES Research & Planning Activities, unexpected
chan ges
Follow-up on refunds for
booking changes
arrive
Delivery Payment Review & Wait for paper tickets to
Enter trips Review fares Confirm confirm
options options
itinerary Share
routes and products Select pass(es)
Research destinations, photos
RAIL EUROPE
Change Check ticket E-ticket Print
plans status at Station
Get stamp Web
Destination Look up for refund
pages time tables
Share
Live chat for experience
raileurope.com questions (reviews)
Buy additional
Map itinerary
Plan with tickets
(finding pass)
interactive map May call if
difficulties View
occur web/
maps apps
DOING
Print e-tickets Plan/
Kayak, Paper tickets Mail tickets
Blogs & at home Look up confirm Request
compare arrive in mail for refund
Travel sites airfare timetables Arrange activities refunds
travel
Web
Talk with Google Research I was not able to use. Not
searches hotels • Trying to return ticket
friends grab a train but there are sure if I’ll get a refund or
not.
• I just figured we could these photos!
need? can we do now? • People are going to love routes and availability
s • Do I have everything I not more trains. What
s, passes and reservation easy and friendly, but on the right train? If not,
what next?
Next time, we will explo
re
but I’m willing to pay a
• Do I have all the ticket I don’t pay more
• Rail Europe website was n’t get help.
• Am I
travel plans. How do I
•
• I want to get the best
price, I need in this booking so when an issue came up,
I could • I want to make more more carefully.
way to get around Europe? little more for first class. ts don’t arrive in time? do that?
• What is the easiest trip cost me? What are
my shipping?
ering the phone. How • What will I do if my ticke
• Where do I want to
go? • How much will my whole • Rail Europe is not answ answered?
in each
• How much time should I/we spend trade-offs?
ies I can add to my plan? else can I get my ques
tion
tion story with
THINKING place for site seeing and
activities? • Are there other activit
be in an unknown place
in • Excited to share my vaca
to
• I am feeling vulnerable my friends.
t to leave the country the middle of the night. ng with ticket refund
• Stressed that I’m abou arrive on time for my • A bit annoyed to be deali .
is easy and friendly! answer the phone. • Stressed that the train
won’t
issues when I just got home
• Website experience and Rail Europe won’t
Advisor. Everyone is sooner about which pe won’t ship tickets connection. d is fun,
• It’s hard to trust Trip • Frustrated to not know which are paper tickets. • Frustrated that Rail Euro • Meeting people who
want to show us aroun
e!
• I’m excited to go to Europthing I can? so negative. tickets are eTickets and to Europe. serendipitous, and speci
al.
different products arrive in time. ts in the mail!
• Will I be able to see every • Keeping track of all the Not sure my tickets will • Happy to receive my ticke
this? is confusing.
• What if I can’t afford trip I want to take? Enjoyability
FEELING the wrong choice. • Am I sure this is the
• I don’t want to make Enjoyability e
Enjoyability Relevance of Rail Europ
e
Enjoyability Relevance of Rail Europ e
Relev ance of Rail Europe Helpfulness of Rail Europ
Enjoyability e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
Enjoyability e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
e
Relevance of Rail Europ
e Helpfulness of Rail Europ
EXPERIENCE e
Helpfulness of Rail Europ
e
Helpfulness of Rail Europ
POST-TRAVEL
POST-BOOK, TRAVEL,
and
t Accommodate planning
G, BOOKING Improve the paper ticke booking in Europe too.
PLANNING, SHOPPIN Arm customers with
information
Opportunities over time. Visualize the trip for
planning
for making decisions.
experience.
ting their Enable people to plan and booking. , Travel, Post-Travel
STAGE: Traveling
GLOBAL
help they Support people in crea STAGES: Post-Booking
Help people get the
ng
STAGES: Shopping, Booki
r value own solutions. clearly at
Communicate a clea need. ing
STAG ES: Planning, Shopping
ple deal Communicate status
proposition. STAGES: Planning, Shopp Proactively help peo all times.
STAGES: Global
STAGES: Global with a with change.
ping and Aggregate shipping , Post Travel
STAGE: Initial visit
Connect planning, shop reasonable timeline. , Traveling
STAGES: Post-Booking
STAGES: Post-Booking
Engage in social med
ia with booking on the web.
into better,
Make your customers explicit purposes. ing, Booking
STAGE: Booking
Non-linear, but
STAGES: Planning, Shopp
more savvy travelers. Ongoing,
Linear
process
time based
Survey
STAGES: Global Customer Experience non-linear
Stakeholder interviews mentation
STAGES: Global
Information Existing Rail Europe Docu
Cognitive walkthroughs Euro pe | August 2011
sources Experience Map for Rail

60. Mapping
Adds Context
Ability
Map touchpoints to motivation,
knowledge, doubts/barriers
Identify trigger opportunities
Reveal how story is told
(data collected, feedback given, opportunities, etc.)

61. I see the best behavior-influencing design
“
to be where the needs of two (or more)
parties align...
...There are people in the persuasive
technology community who would argue
that this isn’t persuasion, and perhaps it
isn’t, but it’s certainly interaction design
”
that affects user behavior.
—Dan Lockton

62. “
We should look at what kind of
impact people’s behavior
”
should have on design.
—Paola Antonelli

63. Applying
Behavior Design
Thank you!!
Chris Risdon @chrisrisdon
WebVisions Portland
#wvpdx
#behavior