Introduction:
Every product, whether intentionally or unintentionally, has an impact on human behavior. Let’s design with intent.
In the world of UX design and product development, understanding human behavior is crucial to creating user-centered experiences that serve both people’s needs and business objectives.
However, human behavior is complex.
How do we make decisions? What drives behavior? What’s the role of feelings and emotions?
Numerous theories and models, such as the Self-determination Theory, the Health-Belief Model, COM-B, and Operant Conditioning, have emerged to shed light on the mysteries of human psychology . Each model offers a unique perspective or focuses on specific behavior types.
However, navigating various behavior change models can be a daunting task, often impractical for product design, especially when teams lack a behavioral scientist.
As we developed the Make it toolkit with the aim of making behavioral science more accessible and applicable, we identified five fundamental principles governing human decision-making and behavior that we should always keep in mind.
We refer to these principles as the "5 Laws of Behavior”.
The 5 Laws of Behavior: an overview
Each law offers distinctive insights into the elements influencing human behavior, and together they form a coherent and comprehensive understanding. Now, let's take a brief overview of each law:
🟢 1st Law: B = f(P, E)
Behavior (B) is a function of the person (P) and the environment (E).
🟠 2nd Law: B = f(S1, S2)
Behavior (B) is influenced by the interplay between System 1 (fast, intuitive) and System 2 (analytical, deliberate) thinking processes.
🔵 3rd Law: A → B → C
Every behavior (B) is prompted by an activator (A) and influenced by the consequences (C) associated with it.
🟡 4th Law: B = MAP
Behaviour tends to follow the status quo, unless it is acted upon by an increase in motivation (M) or ability (A), and timely prompted (P).
🟣 5th Law: B = f(I, E)
Behavior (B) is influenced by both intrinsic motivation (I) and extrinsic motivation (E).
While some of these principles may seem obvious, their implications for product design are often counterintuitive. It's essential to keep these laws in mind throughout your design process.
Not only do they help us understand why people may or may not behave in a certain way, but they also provide valuable context and help you effectively apply any of the 15 behavior change strategies and over 300 tactics available in the Make it toolkit during your ideation phase.
Now, let's dive deeper into the first one, and explore its implications for UX designers and product managers.
🟢 The 1st Law of Behavior
“We shape our buildings; thereafter they shape us.” Winston Churchill
Commonly known as Lewin's equation, B = f(P, E), is a heuristic formula proposed by psychologist Kurt Lewin as an explanation of what determines behavior.
Person (P) refers to the individual's unique traits and personality, beliefs, goals and desires, abilities as well as preferences and past experiences.
Environment (E): The environment represents all the external factors, context, and situational triggers that surround an individual. It includes physical surroundings, social influences, social norms, incentives, and design elements of a product or service. The environment can prime certain behaviors and guide decision-making.
"A physically identical environment can be psychologically different even for the same man in different conditions” Lewin Kurt , Principles of Topological Psychology
Before Lewin's Equation gained popularity, prevailing beliefs suggested that an individual's habits and actions were primarily a reflection of their innate personality rather than their environment. Even today, many people attribute their struggles with sticking to a diet or completing tasks to lacking willpower or inherent traits.
However, Lewin proposed a different perspective, emphasizing that both personal characteristics and the surrounding environment contribute significantly to our behavior. Context plays a pivotal role in shaping our behaviors, often exerting a more substantial influence than our personality traits. For instance, the difficulty in adhering to a diet may not solely result from lacking willpower but could be influenced by the availability of unhealthy options or being surrounded by people with unhealthy habits.
It is important to keep in mind that the Person and Environment should not be considered in isolation; rather, there is an interplay between them. For instance, an individual's personality may determine how they respond to environmental stimuli and even the environments they choose to be in. For instance, competitive individuals might opt for environments that offer opportunities for status gain. Conversely, environmental factors can also shape a person's traits over time, and contextual elements like time pressure or emotions may lead them to behave differently from their usual disposition.
What it means for UX Design and Product Management
Understanding the interplay between Person (P) and Environment (E) is crucial for UX designers and product managers in creating user-centric experiences that drive desired behaviors and achieve business objectives.
This law has two basic, yet important implications: Designers should be intentional choice-architects and tailor experiences to the person.
1. Designers should be intentional choice-architects: We can’t change the Person, but we can influence what people choose and do by altering the Environment. This means being more intentional about our design choices. Carefully crafting choices can have a surprising and significant impact, benefiting both designers and users.. To achieve this, we need to closely examine every aspect of how choices are presented, even the ones we usually overlook.
In "Elements of Choice," Eric J Johnson shares the story of an unlikely couple, Erika Woods and Assaf Kedem, who met on the dating site Coffee Meets Bagel. Unlike other dating platforms with numerous choices, Coffee Meets Bagel's choice architecture made users take a closer look at the presented profile, leading to unexpected discoveries and deeper connections.
The strategy? It presents users with only one potential match per day (an example of positive friction we call Make it Scarce). By intentionally designing the choice architecture this way, Coffee Meets Bagel achieved a more balanced gender ratio and created a more female-friendly dating environment. Other dating apps, like Tinder, with their vast array of choices, often prompt users to make snap judgments based on superficial factors, leading to quick dismissals and missed opportunities for meaningful connections.
The story of Erika and Assaf highlights how small tweaks in design can have a profound impact in our life decisions, such as selecting a romantic partner.
2. The second implication of the 1st law of behavior, is that Designers should tailor experiences (a subset of what we call make it attractive). Simply put, if we want to be effective at changing the behavior, we need to understand the individual and tailor the intervention accordingly
Recognizing the diversity of users' personalities and motivations (and the interplay between the two) is crucial not only to craft personalized solutions and better experiences, but also to succeed in creating meaningful behavior changes.
Consider the case of saving money, one of the most common challenges companies like ScotiaBank, Siam Commercial Bank (SCB) and TTB reach out to us (more on behavioral finance here).
Saving money can be a challenging task for many people, leading to critically low savings rates both in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Sandra Matz and her colleagues set out to explore whether aligning saving goals with an individual's personality traits could make saving easier and more successful. In their study, they analyzed data from participants in the UK, examining their Big Five personality traits and savings goals. The results showed that those whose savings goals matched their personality traits had larger nest eggs, irrespective of income levels.
To further test their hypothesis, the researchers conducted a field experiment with participants using a savings incentive program. Those who received personalized emails encouraging saving towards a goal that matched their personality trait had the highest success rate in reaching the savings target.
These examples illustrate how understanding human behavior is a critical aspect of UX design and product management. Stay tuned for the next 4 laws of behavior!
If you want to level up your behavior design skills, check out our top rated Masterclass we run twice a year.
