behavior change strategy cards

8/12/2019 Behavior Change Strategy Cards

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Behavior

changestrategy

cards

Artefactgroup.com

The cards in this deck will helpyou generate concepts aimed atchanging peoples behaviors.

The cards can be used for bothindividual and group brainstorming.

They dont have to be used in order.

To use the cards

Identify a behavior youd like the change. Read the strategy statement and the

short description on the front of a card, then ip the card over and use the How

might we...? prompts to begin generating ideas.

Not all of the cards will be applicable to every projectIf you get stuck on a card and cant come up with ideas, move on.

To facilitate a group brainstorm

Read one card out loud, and invite people to sketch and share their ideas with

the group as they come up with them. Encourage people to build upon each

others concepts. After 5 to 10 minutes, or when the idea generation slows, move

on to another card.

For a variation on the group brainstorm

Have people take turns selecting an interesting card from the deck and leading

the brainstorm. You may want to pass out a few cards to each person before thebrainstorm begins.

Give yourself an added challenge

Try using two cards at once. Attempt to come up with solutions that address

both strategies simultaneously.

Assembly Instructions

2: glue and fold1: print single sided
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Make it

personalCards 01-06

01 Put the user in control

02 Encourage a sense of ownership

03 Get the user to make an

argument for the desiredoutcome

04 Make the desired outcome alignwith the users identity

05 Highlight visceral or personal

stories06 Call attention to relevant social

norms


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Consider this...

01Put the user

in control.Making active choices helps peoplefeel more ownership over a decision,and makes them more likely tofollow through.

Flickr user SAN_DRINO

[1] Just, D. R., and Wansink, B. (2009). Smarter Lunchrooms: Using Behavioral Economics to Improve Meal Sel ection.Choices: The Magazine of Food, Farm, and Resource Issues, 24(3). [2] Schmittdiel, J., Selby, J., Grumbach, K., Quesenberry,C. (1997). Choice of a Personal Physician and Patient Satisfaction in a Health Maintenance Organization. JAMA. 278(19),1596-1599. Images: salad bar by Flickr u ser NatalieMaynor; physician rating chart reproduced based on Figure 1 in [2].

How might we put users in chargeof the decision at hand?

How might we encourage users totake responsibility for this choice?

How might wehelp users realizethat theyre in control?

Eat your vegetables

In one school cafeteria experiment,some students were given a choicebetween vegetable options (carrots orcelery), whereas other students werejust given carrots. Students who madethe choice themselves were morelikely to eat more vegetables.1

Doctor satisfaction

When patients are given a choice

about which physician they want tosee, as opposed to being assigned toa physician, they are more likely tobe satised with their physician andrecommend him or her to others -even if they chose a poorly rated orless popular physician.2

PatientsRatingPhysician

Excellent/VeryGood

,%

ChoseAssigned

100 -

80 -

60 -

40 -

Most PopularPhysicians

Least PopularPhysicians


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Consider this...

02Encourage a sense

of ownership.When people feel ownership oversomething they tend to attributemore value to it and go to greaterlengths to avoid losing it.

Flickr user adamfarnsworth

[1] Bramsen, J. (2008) A pseudo-endowment effect in internet auctions. MPRA paper, unpublished. http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/14813/ [2] Kahneman, D., Knetsch, J. L., and Thaler, R. H. (1990). Experimental Tests of the EndowmentEffect and the Coase Theorem. The Journal of Political Economy, 98(6), 1325-1348. Images: eBay logo from ebay.com; mugby Flickr user Naval History & Heritage Command.

How might we help users feel asense of ownership over the desiredoutcome?

How might we encourage users totake ownership over a portion of thedesired experience?

Ownership and eBay

When people have the highest bidin an online auction, they tend toexperience a pseudo endowmenteffect. Although they havent won theitem yet, they already begin to feelownership over it. Theyre more likely tocontinue rebidding, and ultimately paymore for the item, to avoid losing it.1

How much for that mug?

Some students in a class were given

mugs, while other students werent.The students were then invited to sell

the mugs to each other. On average,

the sellers tried to sell the mugs for

much more than buyers were willing

to pay. The median asking price was

$7.00, but the median price buyers

were willing to pay was only $3.50! 2


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Consider this...

03Get the user to

make an argumentfor the desiredoutcome.People are more likely to agree withpersuasive arguments when theyreforced to actively make the argumentthemselves.

Flickr user VFS Digital Design

[1] Elms, A. (1966). Inuence of fantasy ability on attitude change through role playing. Journal of Personality and SocialPsychology, 4(1), 36-43. Image: man smoking by Flickr user zoetnet.

How might we help users role-playthe opposing viewpoint?

How might we get users tocommunicate the logic behind thedesired behavior to someone else?

How might we encourage users toadvocate for another position?

Persuading others to quit

In one experiment people were askedto act like they were convincing afriend to stop smoking. Participantseither role-played the persuader or thefriend. Those who played persuaders,and actively argued against smoking,were more likely to change their ownattitudes about smoking as a result.1


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Consider this...

04Make the desired

outcome align withthe users identity.People generally behave in ways thatreinforce their personal identities.

When an behavior conicts with apersons sense of identity, they canexperience unhappiness and unease.

Flickr user aldenjewell

[1] Freedman & Fraser. (1966). Compliance Without Pressure: The Foot-in-the-Door Technique. Journal of Personality andSocial Psychology, 4(2). Images: lady with JIF by Flickr u ser Elizabeth/Table4Five; cars by Flickr user epSos.de.

How might the desired outcomereinforce or reect the usersexisting sense of identity?

How might we incorporate oracknowledge relevant aspects ofcultural, religious, or social groupsthat the user associates with?

Choosey moms choose JIF

With its slogan, Choosey momschoose JIF, JIF peanut butteremphasizes that if youre a mom andyou care about what your children eat,you should be buying their product.

Identifying with a desired trait

People were asked to display a small

sign that said, Be a safe driver, in theirwindow. A few weeks later, they wereasked to put up a large safe driving sign intheir front yards. Those who were alreadydisplaying the small sign were more likelyto comply. Researchers hypothesized thatdisplaying the small sign may have ledindividuals to view themselves as the typeof people who promote safe driving.1


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Consider this...

05Highlight visceral

or personal stories.People are more likely to recalland respond to emotional storiesthat highlight a specic personsexperience - rather than stories that

focus on facts or numbers.

Image: childs photo and story from Cambodia4kids.org.

How might we emphasize personalstories related to this behavior ordecision?

How might we call attention to anindividuals experience?

How might we use storytellinginstead of facts and numbers?

Cambodia4Kids

Charity organizations frequentlyencourage donations by telling thepersonal and often sad stories ofspecic children and families in low-income communities. These storiesput faces and names with otherwiseabstract facts about living conditionsand mortality rates.


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Consider this...

06Call attention to

relevant socialnorms.People tend to behave in accordancewith real or perceived social norms,

and generally dont like to behave inways that go against whats sociallyacceptable.

[1] As reported in Nudge Blog, http://nudges.org/2010/08/13/grocery-cart-choice-architecture/. [2] Schultz et al. (2007).The Constructive, Destructive, and Reconstructive Power of Social Norms. Psychological Science, 18(5). Images: shoppingcart by Flickr user Polycart; energy bill from The Christian Science Monitor.

How might we highlight or exposerelevant social norms?

How might we establish new socialnorms within a user group?

How might we draw upon the socialnorms of a similar group of people?

A line in the shopping cart

Placing a strip of tape in grocery carts,along with signage asking consumersto put fruits and vegetables in front ofthe line, increased fruit and vegetablepurchases by 102%. The tape impliedthat fruits and vegetables shouldmakeup a certain portion of purchases -that it was the norm.1

Unlike thy neighbors

Giving households feedback about

how much more energy they usethan their neighbors has been shownto decrease energy usage. But forhouseholds who use less energy thantheir neighbors, calling attention to thenorm can increase usage. However,adding an element of social approvalor disapproval to the report, such as asmiling or frowning face, can combatthis boomerang effect.2


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Tip the

scalesCards 07-13

07 Emphasize gains to encourage abehavior

08 Increase present gains

09 Break large gains into multiplesmaller gains

10 Use surprise to increase thepleasure of gains

11 Emphasize losses to discourage

a behavior12 Reduce or delay present losses

13 Combine small losses into onelarger loss


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Consider this...

07Emphasize gains

to encourage abehavior.People enjoy experiencing gains,especially in the present. When anoption or outcome is framed in termsof its associated gains it becomesmore appealing - and people rarelystop to consider associated losses.

Image: What will you gain when you lose? from Special K advertisement.

How might we emphasize gainsassociated with this behavior?

How might we call attention togains the user may not be aware of?

How might we describe existingchoices so that the desired outcomerepresents a relative gain?

Special K

Special K adopted this approachwith its campaign, The Special KMovement. It reframed weight-lossto be about what you gain by losingweight (a feeling of achievement,condence, etc.), rather than aboutwhat you have to give up by dieting.


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Consider this...

08Increase

present gains.Gains that occur in the present aremore pleasurable than gains thatoccur in the future. The further intothe future gains occur, the more

people discount their value, and theless pleasurable they seem.

Apple

Image: Amazon Visa offer from Amazon.com.

How might we introduce new gainsin the present, associated with thedesired behavior?

How might we amplify existing gainsthat occur in the present?

How might we call more attention topresent gains?

Get points for signing up!

Credit cards frequently offer newmembers points just for signing up.Amazon, for example, gives people$50 when they sign up for an AmazonRewards Visa. These sign-up giftsfunction as a present gain for anexperience (signing up for a creditcard) that usually doesnt have one.


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Consider this...

09Break large gains

into multiplesmaller gains.Experiencing separate, smaller gainsis often more pleasurable thanexperiencing them simultaneously asone large gain.

Flickr user MrDanield

Image: Progressive insurance discount summary from Progressive.com.

How might gains associated withthe desired behavior be brokenapart into distinct, smaller gains?

How might gains that occursimultaneously be conceptuallyseparated or individuallyhighlighted?

Progressive Car Insurance

Progressive Car Insurance breaksdown a customers savings intodozens of individual discounts, likethe Multiple Policy Discount , theNew Car Discount , the New StudentDiscount, and the Senior AdultDiscount, to increase the pleasure ofgetting a good deal.


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Consider this...

10Use surprise to

increase thepleasure of gains.People experience more pleasurefrom surprise gains than they do fromexpected gains.

Image: bouquet from Amazon.com.

How might we associate unexpectedgains with the desired behavior?

How might we exceed the usersexpectations about the desiredoutcome?

How might we incorporate surprisesinto the existing experience?

Amazon Fresh fower delivery

Amazon Fresh delivers a surprisebouquet of owers with eachcustomers rst grocery order. Thisspecial little gift contributes towardcustomers positive view of their rstinteraction with the Amazon grocerydelivery service.


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Consider this...

11Emphasize losses

to discourage abehavior.People dislike experiencing losses,especially in the present. When anoption or outcome is framed in termsof its associated losses it becomesless appealing - and people rarelystop to consider the associated gains.

[1] Thaler, Richard H., and Cass R. Sunstein. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. NewHaven: Yale University Press, 2008. 37. Image: thermostat by Flickr user midnightcomm.

How might we emphasize lossesassociated with this behavior?

How might we call attention tolosses the user isnt aware of?

How might we describe existingchoices so that the undesiredoutcome represents a relative loss?

Two energy campaigns

If you want to decrease energy usage,which language should you use withyour customers? Option 1: If you useenergy conservation methods, you willsave $350/year or Option 2: If you donot use energy conservation methods,you will lose $350/year. It turns outframing the campaign in terms of aloss is more effective.1


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Consider this...

12Reduce or delay

present losses.People go to great lengths to avoidlosses. However, the further into thefuture a loss occurs, the more peopletend to discount its impact. As a

result, future losses often seem lessdaunting than present losses.

Flickr user Images_of_Money

Image: shopping bags by Flickr user SidewaysSarah; prepared food by Flickr u ser davidthiel.

How might we minimize or removepresent losses associated with thedesired outcome, such as money,time, or effort?

How might we delay present lossesso they occur in the future?

The allure of credit cardsCredit cards are especially appealingbecause they allow us to experiencegains in the present (a new shirt!)and push losses into the future (nextmonths bill). Discounting future lossesmeans were more willing to incurlosses in the future over equal-sizedlosses in the present.

Pre-washed and pre-cut vegetables

Pre-cut and pre-washed vegetables

available in grocery stores removepresent losses usually associated witheating vegetables. Buyers no longerhave to cut and wash the veggiesthemselves, and that small reductionin associated time and effort makespurchasing vegetables more appealing.


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Consider this...

13Combine small

losses into onelarger loss.Losses that are experiencedtogether, as one large loss, are lesspainful than smaller losses that areexperienced separately.

How might we lump together thelosses that go along with doing thedesired behavior?

How might we remove distinctions

between multiple small lossesassociated with the desiredoutcome?

Round It Up America

Round It Up America encouragesdonations to charity by askingrestaurant patrons to simply roundup their bill to the nearest dollar anddonate that amount. Patrons are facedwith a small loss added to an existingloss, rather than being faced with anunrelated request for donation thatwould feel like a new loss altogether.


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Craft the

journeyCards 14-17

14 Help the user make acommitment in advance

15 Establish positive expectations

16 Introduce a peak and end on ahigh note

17 Provide immediate and ongoingfeedback


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Consider this...

14Help the user make

a commitment inadvance.People tend to make less rationalchoices when theyre in hot states -like when theyre hungry or emotional.Deciding in advance, in a cold state,makes preferable outcomes more likely.

[1] Kacen, J. (2003). Bricks & Clicks and the Buying Impulse: An Investigation of Consumer Impulse Buying Behavior inan Online and a Traditional Retail Environment. European Advances in Consumer Research. 6, 271-276. Image: Walmartcheckout by Flickr user Walmart Stores.

How might we help the user makea decision in advance, when theyrenot in the heat of the moment?

How might we help the user commit

to an outcome beforehand?

How might we help peoplepre-commit to a desired behavior?

Is online shopping better for you?

When shopping for groceries online

people have been shown to make up

to 66% fewer impulse purchases -

possibly because they are ordering

the food in advance and arent making

decisions in the heat of a hungry

moment.1


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Consider this...

15Establish positive

expectations.A persons expectations about anevent or product have the powerto change the way they actuallyexperience it.

Amazon

[1] Lee, L.; Frederick, S.; Ariely, D. (2006). Try It, Youll Like It: The Inuence of Expectation, Consumption, and Revelationon Preferences for Beer. Psychological Science, 17(12), 1054-1058. [2] Wansink, B., van Ittersum, K., Painter, J. (2005). Howdescriptive food names bias sensory perceptions in restaurants. Food Quality and Preference. 16, 393-400. Image: beerfrom Flickr user Lee Coursey; cake comic from MindlessEating.org.

How might we setup positiveexpectations for the experience?

How might we give users a previewof the benets beforehand?

How might we modify existingnegative or neutral expectations?

Beer with a hint of vinegarBalsamic vinegar was added to beer.In a blind taste test, 59% of peoplepreferred the vinegar brew. But whentold about the vinegar beforehand,only 30% of people preferred it.Expectations about what it would belike to drink beer with vinegar in itactually changed peoples experiences.1

Whats in a name?

When food has a more descriptive

label (e.g., Belgian black forest doublechocolate cake) people tend to feelmore satised and perceive it as beingmore delicious than when the samefood has a less descriptive label (e.g.,chocolate cake).2


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Consider this...

16Introduce a peak

and end on ahigh note.People tend to remember and evaluatepast experiences based on the highestor lowest point, and the end. People are

more likely to fondly recall and repeatexperiences that have a notable highpoint and end on a high note.

Flickr user randychiu

[1] Redelmeier, D A., Katz, J., and Kahneman, D. (2003). Memories of a colonoscopy: a randomized trial. Pain, 104(2003),187-194. Image: hospital bed by Flickr user DArcy Norman.

How might we introduce a positivepeak into the experience?

How might we reduce any extremenegative aspects of the experience?

How might we ensure theexperience ends on a high note?

Coming back for future colonscopiesResearchers gave patients one oftwo colonoscopy exams. One groupof patients received a slightly longercolonoscopy where the probe was leftin longer, but resulted in a less painfulend to the experience. Despite havinga longer colonoscopy overall, thesepatients were more likely to rate thewhole experience as less unpleasant,and were more likely to return for

future exams.1


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Consider this...

17Provide immediate

and ongoingfeedback.When outcomes occur in the future itcan be difcult to make the connectionto the actions that originally caused

them. More immediate feedback canhelp people better understand theconsequences of their actions.

Nike

[1] Prius C Toyotas Affordable Hybrid. (2012) http://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/lifestyle/6929534/Prius-C-Toyotas-affordable-hybrid/ Image: Prius eco score from http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/1203_2012_toyota_prius_c_takes_on_the_high_sierras/photo_12.html.

How might we provide ongoingfeedback about the consequencesof the users actions or behaviors?

How might we help users

understand future consequencesmore tangibly in the present?

How did I drive?The Toyota Prius gives drivers an EcoScore, out of a possible 100 points, toindicate how environmentally-friendlytheir recent driving was. Drivers alsoget feedback on how much fuel theyreusing. This immediate data can helpdrivers make real-time adjustmentsto their driving behaviors to ideallyconserve resources.1


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Set up the

optionsCards 18-21

18 Call attention to the desiredoption

19 Make the default option thedesired outcome

20 Make the desired outcome amid-range option

21 Reduce uncertainty associatedwith the desired outcome


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Consider this...

18Call attention to

the desired option.People are more likely to selectthe option that they pay the mostattention to. The longer a personlooks at a visual representation of

an option, the more likely they are tochoose it.

[1] Milosavljevic, M., Navalpakkam, V., Koch, C., Rangel, A. (2011). Relative visual saliency differences induce sizable bias inconsumer choice. Journal of Consumer Psychology. 22(1), 67-74.

How might we draw the usersattention to the desired option oroutcome?

How might we make the desired

option stand out?

How might we de-emphasizeundesired options?

Attention-grabbing packagingWhen deciding between two snacks,people are more likely to select theproduct with the more colorful andbrighter packaging. This is especiallytrue when people are making quickdecisions, when they dont have strongpreferences for either product, andwhen they are overwhelmed.1


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Consider this...

20Make the desired

outcome amid-range option.People tend to avoid extreme options(e.g., the cheapest or most expensive,smallest or largest). Theyre morelikely to choose an option that feelslike a compromise between extremes.

Flickr user sylvar

[1] Simonson, Itamar. (1993). Get Closer to Your Cu stomers by Understanding How They Make Choices. CaliforniaManagement Review. 35(4): 68-84, as cited in Ariely, Dan. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces that Shape OurDecisions. 2008. [2] Mller, H. (2011). To Be or Not to Be Price-Conscious: A Segment-Based Analysis of CompromiseEffects in Market-Like Framing. Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg Working Paper 2/2011. Images: bread machineby Flickr user edvvc; toothpaste shelf by Flickr user Frankie Roberto.

How might we introduce a moreextreme option so that the desiredchoice feels like a compromise?

How might we reduce costs,

features, or effort required so thatthe desired option is conceptually inthe middle of the set?

A better bread machineWilliams-Sonoma was having difcultyselling a $275 bread machine. Whenthey introduced a more expensiveoption, sales of the original machineincreased. The more expensive optionmade the original machine seemreasonably priced by comparison.1

Compromising on a toothpaste

When people were presented with two

toothpaste options - one low price, lowquality and one high price, high quality- they were more likely to select thecheaper option. But when a moreexpensive and higher quality thirdoption was introduced, they were morelikely to select the middle option - acompromise in price and quality.2


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Consider this...

21Reduce uncertainty

associated with thedesired outcome.People tend to avoid options thathave ambiguous or uncertainoutcomes, preferring instead optionsthat are clear and certain.

[1] http://www.swedish.org/Services/Colon-and-Rectal-Clinic/What-to-Expect/Day-of-Surgery#ixzz1kPNYNxeVImage: Swedish logo from Swedish.org.

How might we highlight factualinformation about the outcome?

How might we incorporate storiesabout other peoples experiences to

increase the users condence?

How might we decrease ambiguityabout whats going to happen?

Knowing what to expectHealthcare provider Swedish helpsdecrease patient fears aboutupcoming surgeries by giving themdetailed descriptions about what toexpect on surgery day. E.g., When youare transported to the Operating Roomitself, small electrocardiogram padswill be placed on your chest...1


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Keep it

simpleCards 22-23

22 Dont overwhelm the user

23 Minimize decisions to reducedecision fatigue


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Consider this...

22Dont overwhelm

the user.When facing an overwhelmingamount of information, people mayshut down and stop paying attention.In the face of extremely scaryinformation, people may engage inunhealthy self-soothing behaviors.

[1] Hansen, J., Winzeler, S., & Topolinski, S. (2010). When the death makes you smoke: A terror management perspective onthe effectiveness of cigarette on-pack warnings. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46 (1), 226-228. [2] Iyengar &Lepper. (2000). When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing? Journal of Personality and SocialPsychology, 79(6). Images: cigarette by Flickr user Fried Dough; jam by Flickr user Paul Albertella.

How might we reduce the amountof information were presenting tothe user?

How might we progressively reveal

information to the user over time?

How might we avoid informationoverload?

Health warnings that increase smokingIn some cases, graphic or detailedwarnings on cigarette packages thatemphasize morbidity have been shownto have an unintended outcome - theycan increase smoking!1

Too many choices

In one experiment, researchers gavegrocery shoppers samples of jam.Shoppers were more likely to buy thejam when there were 6 options on thesample table, rather than 24 options tochoose from.2


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Consider this...

23Minimize decisions

to reduce decisionfatigue.Making many decisions in a row canlower a persons willpower and causethem to subsequently make moreirrational decisions.

Flickr user epSos.de

[1] Tierney, J. (2011). Do you suffer from decision fatigue? The New York Times, August 17. [2] Augenblick, N., Nicholson,S. (2011). Ballot Position, Choice Fatigue, and Voter Behavior. Working Paper, University of California, Berkeley. Images:houses by Flickr user mikecogh; ballot from Flickr user Muffet.

How might we reduce the numberof difcult decisions a user is forcedto make?

How might we minimize the number

of decisions a user encountersduring this experience?

Poverty and decision fatiguePeople in poverty tend to face moredecisions that require making difculttrade-offs than people who areafuent. This can deplete willpowerand lead to poor subsequent choices.Researchers believe poor decisionmaking may thus be a consequence ofpoverty, rather than a cause.1

Ballot position

As people work their way down aballot, making decision after decision,they become more fatigued and morelikely to vote irrationally - like pickingthe candidate who is listed rstwithout giving it much thought.2

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