Before this class, I thought behaviour change simply requires enough willpower. I thought that if someone wanted to learn a new language or stop smoking, all they needed was motivation. I also had a general idea of what “nudging” meant, but thought of it only as an intellectual concept, not something that designers could use on purpose at the product level. I didn’t at all think about the systems that enabled some behaviours to be easy or hard for a person.
Our team made a working prototype that helps busy professionals keep up with their language learning. We realized that a lot of language apps will use gamification or score streaks to help people stay consistent. This works but relies on behavioural levers that could be easily misused. Instead, we thought of a system of empathetic reminders that changes based on the user’s context, energy levels, and time of day.
The biggest surprise to me was how important the tone of a notification was. By avoiding notifications that use guilt inducing phrasing like “Don’t forget your lesson today or you might lose your streak!”, we noticed users felt psychologically healthier. This framing with empathy ultimately made the difference between engendering guilt or progress in our users.
We tried to design our reminders in an ethical way. Generally, I think they pass the bar because they help the user reach their own goal, and are easy to ignore. But if the system were set up to get people to engage with arbitrary points and awards instead of learning, this could be seen as manipulation. It was also very scary to see how close the line was between motivation and manipulation. It was easy to picture how the system could be made to be very controlling, even in an app as simple as ours. Furthermore, we also wanted to make the experience fun and rewarding without punishing the user for making mistakes. That’s why we didn’t use punitive streak-breaking mechanics and instead focused on constructive encouragement.
I now see behaviour change as a consequence of many factors including environment, cues, friction, rewards. This class showed me that willpower as the engine of change is a myth, and that even really small, subtle nudges can produce powerful results. From now on, I will pay more attention to the small nudges in my own life, taking note of the defaults, the notification settings, and the environmental cues. Because I have learned that the things we barely notice are often the things that shape us the most.
