Behavioral design is evidence-based, and science shows it works in practice. That’s why we design processes and actions that make it ‘easy to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong thing’ (e.g., remembering to ask the right questions or using more cost-effective resources for projects).
When change is needed but the ‘wrong choice’ is too easy, training, tools, or follow-up won’t have a lasting effect. For example, one organization couldn’t move past a certain screen without first asking about XYZ, and another required CEO approval to proceed. It became so inconvenient that people opted to do the right thing instead.
Behavioral design is especially effective in busy organizations with high information volumes and cultures where people may opt for incorrect solutions. The challenge lies in identifying the designs that change norms, prompting others to make the right choice without additional follow-up.
Nudging
We combine nudging with behavioral design because together, used structurally and systematically, they accelerate changes with lasting impact.
With behavioral design, we create frameworks where the majority by default make the right choice. With timely nudges in the appropriate context, the new habit quickly becomes a good habit, eventually establishing a new norm.
This approach accelerates action and has a different goal than data collection (e.g., your opinion matters to us’).
Nudging’s challenge lies in working backward from your goals (e.g., a better customer satisfaction score) so that specific improvement points (e.g., proactivity or sense of responsibility) translate into targeted, systematic actions.
