This document discusses strategies for forming digital habits. It provides an analysis framework that identifies six types of gaps that can prevent habits (knowledge, procedure, skill, motivation, environment). It then outlines the anatomy of a habit, explaining that habits are triggered, motivated/made easier, reinforced through feedback and practice/repetition, and reinforced by environment. Specific strategies are presented for each stage of habit formation, like using implementation intentions to strengthen triggers, increasing motivation and lowering barriers, making progress visible through feedback, and hacking the environment. Examples include apps that track habits and provide feedback as well as rearranging office snacks to encourage healthier choices.

1. DIGITAL HABIT FORMATION
ATD TK 2016
Julie Dirksen, Usable
Learning

2. A STORY OF TWO PROJECT
MANAGERS

3. CHALLENGE: A CONTRACTOR IS CLAIMING
HE DIDN’T KNOW THE DUE DATE FOR A
DELIVERABLE

4. CHALLENGE: DEVELOPERS COMING LATE
TO MEETINGS

5. CHALLENGE: A CLIENT NEEDS AN UPDATE
TO AN OLD PROJECT

6. SO WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

7. WHERE’S THE GAP

8. ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK - TYPES OF
GAPS
 Knowledge – Instant access
 Knowledge – reference and use
 Procedure
 Skill
 Motivation
 Environment
Starting
meetings on
time
Something was
missing…

9. ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK - TYPES OF
GAPS
 Knowledge – Instant access
 Knowledge – reference and use
 Procedure
 Skill
 Motivation
 Environment
Recognizing
and
responding
to safety
hazards.

10. ANALYSIS FRAMEWORK - TYPES OF
GAPS
 Knowledge – Instant access
 Knowledge – reference and use
 Procedure
 Skill
 Motivation
 Environment
Giving
employees
consistent
and regular
feedback.

11. HABIT GAPS
A habit (or wont) is a
routine of behavior that is
repeated regularly and
tends to occur
unconsciously.
- Source: Wikipedia

12. ANATOMY OF A HABIT Unconscious and
automatic

13. THE ANATOMY OF A HABIT
1. Automatic or unconscious
2. Triggered
3. Motivated (or made easier)
4. Reinforced through Feedback
5. Reinforced through Practice or Repetition
6. Reinforced through Environment

14. 1. AUTOMATIC OR UNCONSCIOUS
Who drove to/from work
recently?

15. GETTING TO AUTOMATICITY
 Familiarization
 Comprehension
 Conscious Effort
 Conscious Action
 Proficiency
 Unconscious Competence
Glory Gery, EPSS 1991

16. THE BENEFIT OF AUTOMATICITY
Glucose Metabolic Rate after several weeks of Tetris
Practice
Haier 1992

17. WE ARE CREATURES OF HABIT

18. SEATBELTS

19. 2. TRIGGERED
This is Max.

20. TRIGGERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT

21. WHAT ARE THE TRIGGERS?
Starting
meetings on
time
Recognizing
and
responding
to safety
hazards.
Giving
employees
consistent
and regular
feedback.

22. TOOLS: HABIT FORMATION
Implementation
Intentions:
If X happens, I will
do Y.
Gollwitzer, 1999

23. 3. MOTIVATED
Habit

24. INTENT VS ACTION
TETANUS IS
BAD!!!!
High Fear
By the way,
tetanus is bad…
Low Fear
A map with
times
highlighted
Hours open…
x
Leventhal 1965

25. OR MAKE IT EASIER
Increase Motivation
Lower
Friction
Image adapted from Joshua
Porter

26. HOW WELL DO YOU THINK THIS
WORKS?
I’m going to
tell you a
habit, and I’d
like to you do
it automatically
from now on…

27. USERS SHOULD DECIDE
The Ikea Effect
We like our own stuff better.
Norton et al 2012

28. SCARE TACTICS OFTEN FAIL
But pictures (more visceral
experiences) are more effective
than text.
Noar et al 2015

29. SOCIAL NORMING
Examples:
Making the norms visible

30. MAKE IT EASIER – SHRINK THE
HABIT
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iIkOi3srLo

31. HOTSEAT – SITTING IS THE NEW
SMOKING
http://www.madpow.com/case-
Context
Communicatio
n &
Mad*Pow
Design
http://gethotseatapp.com

32. HOTSEAT: REDUCING BARRIERS
http://www.madpow.com/case-
Integrates with
your calendar
http://gethotseatapp.com

33. 4. REINFORCED THROUGH
FEEDBACK
Clean Hand Hand with
e coli
bacteria

34. HYPERBOLIC DISCOUNTING
(KAHNEMAN AND TVERSKY)

35. MAKING PROGRESS VISIBLE

36. VISIBLE PROGRESS:
From Perfect Time-Based Productivity by Francis

37. MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
Dan Lockton
designwithintent.
co.uk

38. MAKE THE INVISIBLE VISIBLE
Lester Shen
Center for Energy and the
Environment

39. 5. REINFORCED THROUGH PRACTICE
OR REPETITION

40. HABIT APPS

41. HABIT
APPS

42. PRACTICING THE BEHAVIOR
Creating a sense of self-
efficacy
http://www.projectalert.com/resources/post

43. 6. REINFORCED THROUGH
ENVIRONMENT
Soup, anyone?

44. Eating
Habits:
Is the
serving
bowl…
Here?
Or here?

45. MAKE CHOICES A BIT EASIER (OR
HARDER)
“in seven weeks, New York Googlers consumed 3.1 million fewer calories from
M&Ms”
Source http://abcnews.go.com/Health/google-diet-search-giant-overhauled-eating-options-
nudge/story?id=18241908

46. Source http://abcnews.go.com/Health/google-diet-search-giant-overhauled-eating-options-
nudge/story?id=18241908
Sugary
drinks at
the bottom
behind the
frosted
glass:

47. CHAINING HABITS TO EXISTING
BEHAVIORS

48. HABIT MAP
Identify the Habit
Identify
the
trigger(s)
Increase
Motivati
on
Decreas
e
Barriers
Hack the
Environm
ent
Make
Feedback
Visible

49. HABIT EXAMPLE: SAFETY
PROCEDURES
People take on small,
very specific, targeted
goals, only one at a
time
The group
decides how to go
about improving
safety
Mobile app to record
efforts with feedback
and reinforcement is
built in over time
Participatory Effort Small goals
Feedback and
Reinforcement

50. YOU TRY IT
Identify the Habit
Identify
the
trigger(s)
Increase
Motivati
on
Decreas
e
Barriers
Hack the
Environm
ent
Make
Feedback
Visible
Use your own topic
Or
Starting meetings on time
Giving feedback
Safety

51. QUESTIONS
Julie@usablelearning.com
Twitter: usablelearning
Slides and references at:
www.usablelearning.com/resource
s

52. REFERENCES 1/2
Gaillot, Matthew T. & Roy F. Baumeister, The Physiology of Willpower: Linking Glucose to Self-Control.
Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2007.
Kahneman, Daniel; Tversky, Amos (1979). "Prospect Theory: An Analysis of Decision under Risk" (PDF).
Econometrica 47 (2): 263. doi:10.2307/1914185. ISSN 0012-9682.
Bandura, Albert. 1977. “Self-efficacy: Toward a Unifying Theory of Behavioral Change.” Psychological Review
84: 191-215.
habit. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved May 05, 2015, from Dictionary.com website:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/habit.
Fogg, BJ. “The Fogg Behavior Model.” Retrieved May 05, 2015, from www.behaviormodel.org.
Baumeister, Roy and John Tierney. Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Penguin Books,
2012.
Duhigg, Charles. The Power of Habit. Random House, 2014.
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2011.
Rubin, Gretchen. Better Than Before. Crown, 2015.
Rainforest Alliance, “Follow the Frog,” www.rainforest-alliance.org.
Heath, Chip and Dan. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard. Crown Business, 2010.
Wade, Francis. Perfect Time-Based Productivity: A unique way to protect your peace of mind as time demands
increase (book)
Johnson et al Percept Mot Skills. 2003 Dec;97(3 Pt 1):805-10. Sex differences in public restroom handwashing
behavior associated with visual behavior prompts. Johnson HD1, Sholcosky D, Gabello K, Ragni R, Ogonosky N.

53. REFERENCES 2/2
Shiv, B. and A. Fedorikhin. 1999. Heart and Mind in Conflict: Interplay of Affect and Cognition in
Consumer Decision Making. Journal of Consumer Research 26 (December): 278–282.
Gery, Gloria, Electronic Performance Support Systems (book)
Haier, R.J., B.V. Siegel Jr., A. MacLachlan, E. Soderling, S. Lottenberg, and M.S. Buchsbaum. 1992
Regional glucose metabolic changes after learning a complex visuospatial/motor task: a positron
emission tomographic study. Brain Research 570: 134–14.
Noar et al. Pictorial cigarette pack warnings: a meta-analysis of experimental studies. Noar SM1, Hall
MG2, Francis DB3, Ribisl KM4, Pepper JK4, Brewer NT4. Tob Control. 2015 May 6. pii: tobaccocontrol-
2014-051978. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2014-051978.
Norton et al. The IKEA effect: When labor leads to love. Michael I. Norton, Daniel Mochon, , Dan Ariely
Journal of Consumer Psychology, Volume 22, Issue 3, July 2012, Pages 453–460
ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/Health/google-diet-search-giant-overhauled-eating-options-
nudge/story?id=18241908
Leventhal Leventhal, H. (1965) ‘Effects of Fear and Specificity of Recommendation upon Attitudes and
Behavior’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 2(1), pp. 20-29.
Wansink, Brian. Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think (book)
Gollwitzer, Peter Implementation Intentions. July 1999 • American Psychologist. Copyright 1999 by the
American Psychological Association, Inc. Vol. 54. No. 7, 493-503
Hotseat Case Study http://www.madpow.com/case-studies/hotseat
Project ALERT http://www.projectalert.com/
BJ Fogg – Tiny Habits http://tinyhabitsacademy.org/
Dan Lockton, Design with Intent http://designwithintent.co.uk/