Designing for Change: How Behavior Change Strategies in UX Can Transform User Habits

“Behavioral design is not about using psychology to manipulate people. It’s about using psychology to help people achieve their goals.” — Stephen Wendel, Head of Behavioral Science at Morningstar

Behavior change strategies in UX design involve designing digital products and services that promote positive user behaviors. These strategies leverage principles from psychology, behavioral economics, and neuroscience to encourage users to adopt new habits or modify existing ones. By utilizing these strategies, UX designers can create products that not only provide value to users but also promote desirable actions and behaviors. Some examples of behavior change strategies in UX design include nudges, social proof, gamification, and feedback loops. Nudges are subtle cues or prompts that encourage users to take a desired action, while social proof leverages the influence of social norms to encourage users to conform to certain behaviors. Gamification involves incorporating game-like elements, such as rewards or points, into the user experience to motivate users to engage with the product. Feedback loops provide users with information on their progress or performance, which can encourage continued engagement and motivate behavior change.

Behavior change in the context of UX can be achieved through various methods, including supporting conscious action, cheating, and changing habits :

Supporting conscious action involves designing products that help users make deliberate decisions by providing clear information and cues. For example, a health and fitness app might provide users with nutritional information about the food they are logging, or a shopping website might display the environmental impact of a product.

An example of the above case is this dialog box, which appears when the user seems to have gotten the task done or wants to exit.

Cheating involves creating the illusion of progress or accomplishment to motivate users to continue engaging with a product. For example, a language learning app might award users badges for completing small tasks, even though the tasks may not necessarily lead to fluency.

An example of cheating in UX where these badges become a source of motivation, so that the user keeps engaging with the app features again and again.

Changing habits involves designing products that encourage users to adopt new behaviors or modify existing ones. For example, a meditation app might encourage users to meditate daily by providing daily reminders and tracking progress. By utilizing these techniques, UX designers can create products that not only provide value to users but also promote positive behavior change.

An example of changing habits, it has been noted that most users tend to change habits after birthdays or after New Year.

Behaviour can be changed in 2 ways, by either introducing actions that bring about new behaviour or by bringing about actions that modify existing behaviour. Let’s look at ways at how the latter is done.

1. Helping User to avoid the Cue: In the context of UX design, helping users avoid cues that trigger unwanted behaviors can be an effective way to promote behavior change. For example, a social media app might allow users to turn off notifications for certain types of content, such as news articles or political posts, to help them avoid getting sucked into a negative or time-consuming habit.

An example of ‘Do the thing’ being highlighted rather than the cancel button to help users avoid the cue.

2. Replacing the usual Routine: Another effective strategy for behavior change in UX design is to replace old routines with new ones. For example, a fitness app might encourage users to replace their afternoon coffee break with a short workout routine, creating a new, healthier habit to replace an old, less desirable one.

An example of how the concept of replacing the usual routine works

3. Using Consciousness to Interfere: Consciousness can also be leveraged in UX design to promote behavior change. By making users more aware of their behaviors and the consequences of those behaviors, designers can encourage users to make more deliberate choices. For example, a financial planning app might use visuals or animations to highlight the long-term consequences of small financial decisions, such as buying coffee every day.

An example of using animation for promoting and encouraging behavior change.

4. Mindfulness to Avoid Acting on the Cue: Mindfulness is another strategy that can be used to avoid acting on cues that trigger unwanted behaviors. By training users to be more aware of their thoughts and feelings, designers can help users recognize when they are about to engage in an unwanted behavior and intervene before it happens. For example, a mindfulness app might use guided meditations to help users develop the skills to recognize and manage their emotional states.

An example of using mindfulness in a fitness app through a guided workout

5. Crowding Out Old Habits with New Behavior: Finally, designers can use the strategy of crowding out old habits with new behaviors. This involves designing products that make it easier and more rewarding for users to engage in a new behavior, rather than relying on willpower alone to overcome old habits. For example, a healthy meal planning app might offer users personalized recipes and grocery lists to make it easier to adopt a healthier diet.

An example of having a personalized diet plan in a fitness app

Thus, behavior change strategies in UX design can be incredibly powerful in promoting positive behavior change in users. By designing products that support conscious action, cheat users into feeling a sense of accomplishment, change old habits, help users avoid triggers, and promote mindfulness, designers can create products that are not only useful but also encourage positive behavioral changes in users. Through these strategies, designers can help users adopt new habits or modify existing ones, ultimately improving their overall experience with the product.

See you in the next blog!