From the beginning of this class and the measuring me assignment, I didn’t really know what to expect from the quarter. I assumed there would be some psychology mixed with design and I was interested to see what it would look like, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised both by how much I’ve learned and by how much I’ve used that knowledge in my day-to-day life. I’ve found myself trying to stack a new habit onto an old one and recommending others do the same. I’ll look for ways to add friction to a bad habit I’ve wanted to get rid of for a while but didn’t have the motivation to quit, like leaving my water bottle (that I’m newly consistently drinking, at least for now!) on my desk so I have to get up before I fall asleep to get it and don’t fall asleep with makeup on.
What surprised me most was how quickly I could find opportunities to apply the concepts we learned in class. Behavioral design is very applicable to personal development in a lot of ways, so I came into the class personally intending to change one bad habit or add a new one. I didn’t expect to become so aware of the friction points in my daily routine, but now I notice them everywhere. This heightened awareness has helped me make more intentional choices about how I structure my day and environment. I also appreciated how much we questioned the ethics of the space and tactics like nudging in behavior change, rather than just learning to implement techniques blindly. It was always interesting to hear other people’s perspectives on our weekly ethics readings and to think critically about the features our groups might be implementing.
I’ll take a lot from this class going forward. I’ll focus first on understanding the deeper motivations and contexts before implementing solutions. I’ll be more deliberate about measuring baseline behaviors and tracking progress in meaningful ways. I’ll approach behavioral design more collaboratively, recognizing that input from others can reveal blind spots in my thinking. Whether working on personal habits or designing for others, I’ll prioritize empathy and adaptability over technical perfection. Thanks for a great quarter full of a lot of learning!
