PERSUASIVE BY DESIGN: A MODEL AND TOOLKIT FOR DESIGNING EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS

Sander Hermsen Reint Jan Renes Jeana Frost Hogeschool Utrecht Hogeschool Utrecht Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Touchpoints!

Persuasief ontwerpen voor duurzaam en gezond gedrag

Touchpoints

■ Evidence-based design■ use of reliable, valid knowledge to inform

behavior change concepts

■ gaining importance in past decade

■ health, sustainability

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■ Evidence-based design■ use of reliable, valid knowledge to inform

behavior change concepts

■ gaining importance in past decade

■ health, sustainability

■ Important source of knowledge: behavioral sciences■ problem: impenetrable field

3

Our proposed model

• Evidence-based

• More possibilities for informing designs

• Easy to use

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Our proposed model

• Evidence-based

• More possibilities for informing designs

• Easy to use

• Uses for model:

- Case analysis for target group research

- Concept Analysis for discovering strenghts and weaknesses in concepts

- Decisional Accountability7

Method

• literature search

• refining draft versions through co-design sessions

• first tool: workshop

• interviews

• observations

• questionnaire

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Results from literature and co-design sessions

1) Model must distinguish between two modes of behavior: automatic (habits, impulses) and controlled

3) Controlled behavior is best explained by insights from control theory

3) Many processes threaten behavior change

5) We’re social animals

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Results from literature

1. Dual process theory• Automatic behavior• Controlled behavior

! Blue layer

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CUE

ChangedBehavior

OriginalBehavior

No change inBehavior

Goal achieved:

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

2. Controlled behavior is best explained by insights from control theory

- self-regulatory cycle

! Blue layer

Results from literature

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ChangedBehavior

Goal achieved:

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

3. Many processes threaten behavior change

! Red layer

■ Resistance■ Biases, white lies■ Threats to motivation

(e.g. frustration)■ Cognitive dissonance

reduction strategies■ Etcetera...

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Competing /Conflicting Goals

ResistanceReactance and scepsis

Cognitive dissonancereduction,

competing norms

Frustration, motivation declineCompeting /

conflictingbehaviours, habits

Biases,White lies

Lack of relevant

information

ChangedBehavior

Goal achieved:

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

Results from literature

4. We’re social animals

! Green layer

■ Social comparison■ Social norms■ Peer pressure■ Social commitment■ Cooperation and shared goals■ Social inhibition, social validation

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SocialNorms

Peer Pressure,Social Validation

SocialCommitment

Cooperation,shared goals

SocialComparison

SocialInhibition

CUE

ChangedBehavior

OriginalBehavior

No change inBehavior

Goal achieved:

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

Results from literature

Black layer

■ Interventionsin controlledbehavior

■ norm communication,feedback, action planning,involving social factors

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+!

feasible steps

Action planning

!

!

!

Reporting Performance

Feedback

Norm / GoalSetting Targets bycommunicatingnorms and goals

InvolvingSocial Factors

Intervening in reflective/controlled

behavior

SocialNorms

Peer Pressure,Social Validation

SocialCommitment

Cooperation,shared goals

SocialComparison

SocialInhibition

Competing /Conflicting Goals

ResistanceReactance and scepsis

Cognitive dissonancereduction,

competing norms

Frustration, motivation declineCompeting /

conflictingbehaviours, habits

Biases,White lies

Lack of relevant

information

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

ChangedBehavior

OriginalBehavior

No change inBehavior

Goal achieved:

Purple layer

■ Interventions aimed at automatic behavior■ removing cues, placing alternative cues,

disrupting cue-behavior-link

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i

Intervening in automatic behavior

placingalternative

cue

Reporting Performance

Feedback

i

disruptingcue –

behavior link

iremoving

cue

CUE

ChangedBehavior

OriginalBehavior

No change inBehavior

Goal achieved:

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REFLECTIVE BEHAVIOR

REFLEXIVE BEHAVIOR

boundary conditions

iCommunicator interventions aimed at

explicit, controlled behaviour

threats to self regulatory cycle

social influences on self regulatory cycle

steps in the self regulatory cycle(model based, reflective behaviour)

iCommunicator interventions aimed at

implicit, automatic behaviour

i

Intervening in automatic behavior

placingalternative

cue

attractivenessand availability

of goal

Reporting Performance

Feedback

i

disruptingcue –

behavior link

iremoving

cue

+!

feasible steps

Action planning

!

!

!

Reporting Performance

Feedback

Norm / GoalSetting Targets bycommunicatingnorms and goals

InvolvingSocial Factors

Intervening in reflective/controlled

behavior

SocialNorms

Peer Pressure,Social Validation

SocialCommitment

Cooperation,shared goals

SocialComparison

SocialInhibition

Competing /Conflicting Goals

ResistanceReactance and scepsis

Cognitive dissonancereduction,

competing norms

Frustration, motivation declineCompeting /

conflictingbehaviours, habits

Biases,White lies

Lack of relevant

information

CUE

ChangedBehavior

OriginalBehavior

No change inBehavior

Goal achieved:

Self-MonitoringPerception of own

behaviour

Comparison of goal and behaviour

Discrepancy?

fitting capability, motivationopportunity

Attempting new behaviour

Disengagement from goal

Goal(want to / ought to)

no

no

yes

yes

Persuasive by DesignBehaviour Change Model

tekst

http://www.touchpoints-hu.nl/

First tool derived from model:Sets of questions to test concepts

■ Ten sets

■ 6 sets from blue layer, 2 from red layer, 2 from green layer

■ Each set has additional questions from black + purple layers

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Testing the model

■ Workshops■ Anders op Weg, concepts for persuading people to reduce

car use during rush our. 8 participants

■ Enexis, concepts for reducing company CO2 footprint through behavior change. 12 participants

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Testing the model

■ Workshop consisted of■ Introduction of the model

■ Introduction of sets of questions derived from the model to challenge the design concepts

■ Working on the concepts using model and questions

■ Feedback, questionnaires and interviews

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Workshop results:Questionnaires and interviews

✓ Participants indicated:■ valuable insights■ both for current project and for work overall

✓ We observed:■ richer concepts that were better thought-through and

more sharply defined■ problems and pitfalls of concepts became clear

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“Of great value. I am one of the more sceptical people in my team; this enables us to think more clearly about our goals and the means that we need to develop to achieve them!”

Workshop results:Questionnaires and interviews

- Participants indicated:■ the complexity of the model makes it hard to use

without guidance

- We observed:■ participant were most likely to use the best explained

examples and principles■ the model is impossible to use without introduction

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“I would like to see a simpler version.”

Results

✓ Evidence-based model✓ More possibilities for informing designs! Easy to use

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Results

✓ Evidence-based model

✓ More possibilities for informing designs

! Easy to use

‣Next phase■prototyping and testing tools based upon model■especially aiming at a ‘stand alone’-tool

■ graphic novel techniques■ interactive infographic techniques

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Thank you

■ Your questions?■ more information:

sander.hermsen@hu.nl @sanderhermsen

■ Download model pdf and questions athttp://www.touchpoints-hu.nl/

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