Behavioral Design: Using Psychology to Influence Human Behavior

The urinal at Schiphol airport in the early 1990s (Photo credit: Peter Biľak)

Have you ever wondered how companies and organizations can influence our behavior? How do they get us to buy their products, use their services, or take specific actions? The answer lies in behavioral design — a discipline that uses psychology, economics, and neuroscience insights to create interventions that influence human behavior. In this article, we will explore what behavioral design is, how it works, and how it has been used to solve real-world problems.

Case Study: The Fly Mark on the Urinal

Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, the primary international airport of the Netherlands, has urinals with an etched image of a fly. Sphinx, the manufacturer of these urinals, claims that the presence of the fly results in a reduction of cleaning costs by 20% or more. (Photo credit: Peter Biľak)

One example of how behavioral design has been used to solve a problem is the fly mark on the urinal. The floor around the urinal is often wet in public restrooms due to splashing, creating an unpleasant and unhygienic environment. To solve this problem, a behavioral designer named Jos Van Bedaf devised a simple solution — placing a fly mark on the urinal. The fly mark, which looks like a tiny insect, was a visual target that encouraged men to aim their stream of urine, reducing splashing and keeping the area around the urinal cleaner. This simple intervention has been used in public restrooms worldwide and effectively reduces splashing.

What is Behavioral Design?

Behavioral design is a discipline that uses insights from psychology, economics, and neuroscience to create interventions that influence human behavior. The behavioral design aims to create simple, effective, and low-cost interventions that can solve real-world problems. Behavioral designers use various techniques to influence behavior, including nudges, incentives, social proof, and feedback. By understanding the factors influencing human behavior, behavioral designers can create interventions tailored to the specific context and audience.

Examples of Behavioral Design

There are many examples of how behavioral design has been used to solve real-world problems. Here are a few:

• Using text message reminders to increase medication adherence
• Using social proof to…