Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink: Using Mobile Technology to Influence Behaviour

1. 26/02/15
1
Nudge,
Nudge,
Wink,
Wink:
Using
Mobile
Technology
to
Influence
Behaviour
Jon
Bird
HCI
Research
Centre
City
University
London
25
February
2015
What
we’re
going
to
do
-­‐
1
• Overview
of
nudging
–
an
approach
to
behaviour
change
• Describe
3
projects
where
I’ve
used
nudging
techniques
to
try
to
influence
people’s
behaviour
– Supermarket
shopping
• Lambent
shopping
trolley
handle
• Healthy
shopper
app
– Electricity
consumpXon
• Tidy
Street
project

2. 26/02/15
2
What
we’re
going
to
do
-­‐
2
What
we’re
going
to
do
-­‐
3
• Work
in
groups
to
design
two
websites
or
apps
that
use
and
abuse
nudge
techniques
– Charity
website
that
aims
to
maximise
donaXons
– E-­‐commerce
website
that
aims
to
maximise
sales
and
the
amount
of
customer
informaXon
collected

3. 26/02/15
3
Nudging
can
be
unethical
if
we
try
to
change
people’s
behaviour
without
their
knowledge.
Our
approach
is
to
fully
inform
parXcipants
about
what
we
are
doing
Which
side
of
the
Force
are
you
on?
The
take
home
message
The
way
that
informaXon
is
presented
to
people
influences
how
they
behave

4. 26/02/15
4
Yes
Minister
video
h^ps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=G0ZZJXw4MTA
What
is
a
nudge?
• A
method
of
influencing
people’s
behaviour
by
changing
the
context
in
which
they
act
• Typically
nudges
affect
people’s
‘automaXc’,
rather
than
‘reflecXve’,
brain
systems
Richard
Thaler
and
Cass
Sunstein
‘Nudge:
Improving
Decisions
About
Health,
Wealth,
and
Happiness
‘,
2008.
h^p://nudges.org/

5. 26/02/15
5
Two
brain
systems
Reflec*ve
Automa*c
Efforgul
Effortless
DeducXve
EmoXonal
Slow
Fast
Self-­‐aware
Unconscious
•
Learning
a
foreign
language
versus
speaking
a
mother
tongue
•
Planning
an
unfamiliar
journey
versus
taking
the
daily
commute
Messenger
IncenXves
Norms
Defaults
Salience
Priming
Affect
Commitment
Ego
MINDSPACE:
Nine
of
the
most
robust
influences
on
human
behaviour
ReflecXve
AutomaXc

6. 26/02/15
6
What
is
the
MINDSPACE
Report?
• A
96
page
report
produced
by
the
Cabinet
Office
and
the
InsXtute
for
Government
March
2010:
– ‘MINDSPACE:
Influencing
behaviour
through
public
policy’
– Also
a
shorter
version
of
the
report
(‘PracXcal
Guide’)
– h^p://www.insXtuteforgovernment.org.uk/our-­‐work/
c2/3/MINDSPACE%3A+Behavioural+economics
• The
Cabinet
Office
is
a
UK
government
department
that
supports
the
PM
and
cabinet
and
co-­‐ordinates
the
delivery
of
policy
in
other
departments
• The
InsXtute
for
Government
is
a
think
tank:
‘an
independent
charity
with
cross-­‐party
and
Whitehall
governance
working
to
increase
government
effecXveness’
Norms
We
are
influenced
by
what
those
around
us
are
doing

7. 26/02/15
7
Individual
carbon
footprint
Yvonne
Individual
carbon
footprint
Tom

8. 26/02/15
8
Compare
carbon
footprint
with
the
average
Yvonne
Average
Compare
carbon
footprint
with
the
average
Average
Tom

9. 26/02/15
9
Effect
of
this
feedback
Yvonne
Tom
Average
The
boomerang
effect
• Social
norms
can
have
a
powerful
effect
on
behavioural
change
• People
do
not
always
change
their
behaviour
towards
the
desired
goal!

10. 26/02/15
10
EliminaXng
the
boomerang
effect
in
household
energy
consumpXon
Shultz
et
al
(2007)
study
(i)
Each
week
two
groups
of
householders
were
told
how
much
electricity
they
were
consuming
+
neighbourhood
average
(ii)
One
group
also
given
addiXonal
smiley
faces
The
power
of
a
nudge
When
given
an
addiXonal
smiley
face:
(ii)
Households
above
the
average
showed
even
larger
decrease
in
consumpXon
(ii)
Households
below
the
average
did
not
change
their
behaviour
–
they
did
not
display
a
boomerang
effect
and
increase
their
consumpXon

11. 26/02/15
11
Defaults
We
go
with
the
flow
of
pre-­‐set
opXons
Osen
the
default
opXon
is
‘no-­‐acXon’
Opt-­‐in
defaults
increase
organ
donaXon
significantly
e.g.
UK,
Germany
and
Denmark
<
20%
versus
France,
Austria
and
Sweden
>
80%
When
is
it
ethical
to
use
opt-­‐in
defaults
to
get
people
to
behave
in
ways
that
they
would
not
acXvely
choose?
Defaults
h^p://www.theverge.com/2013/8/29/4640308/dark-­‐pa^erns-­‐inside-­‐the-­‐
interfaces-­‐designed-­‐to-­‐trick-­‐you

12. 26/02/15
12
Salience
Our
a^enXon
is
drawn
to
what
is
novel
and
relevant
to
us

13. 26/02/15
13
Salience
–
two
design
challenges
• We
are
more
likely
to
register
simple
sXmuli,
e.g.
slogans,
than
complex
ones.
How
do
we
determine
the
right
level
of
s*mulus
complexity?
• How
long
before
we
habituate
to
a
novel
sXmulus
e.g.
how
osen
do
Air
New
Zealand
have
to
change
their
pre-­‐flight
safety
video?
Air
New
Zealand
• Lord
of
the
Rings:
The
most
epic
safety
video
ever
h^ps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=qOw44VFNk8Y
• CollaboraXon
with
Sports
Illustrated
Swimsuit
ediXon
h^ps://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SQDip9V49U0

14. 26/02/15
14
Priming
such
as
words,
images
or
other
sensory
sXmuli
e.g.
asking
parXcipants
to
make
sentences
out
of
words
such
as
‘fit’,
‘lean’
and
‘acXve’
meant
they
were
more
likely
to
take
the
stairs
than
the
lis
e.g.
larger
popcorn
containers
lead
movie
goers
to
eat
more,
even
when
the
popcorn
is
stale
Which
of
the
thousands
of
cues
we
experience
each
day
influence
our
behaviour?
What
are
the
ethics
of
priming
or,
more
generally,
influencing
people’s
behaviour
covertly?
Our
acts
are
osen
influenced
by
sub-­‐conscious
cues,
Affect
EmoXonal
associaXons
affect
our
acXons
Ghanaian
hand-­‐washing
with
soap
-­‐
increased
significantly
when
a
TV
campaign
focused
on
provoking
disgust
at
dirty
hands
rather
than
promoXng
hand-­‐washing
(4
seconds
in
a
55
seconds
commercial)
If
there
is
no
clear
connecXon
between
negaXve
emoXon
and
behaviour
change
then
approach
could
simply
result
in
anxiety.
Do
we
quickly
habituate
to
emoXonally
charged
adverXsing?
E.g.
UK
smoking
cessaXon
campaigns

15. 26/02/15
15
Lambent
shopping
trolley
handle
How
to
Nudge
In
Situ:
Designing
Lambent
Devices
to
Deliver
Salient
InformaXon
in
Supermarkets
Proceedings
of
Ubicomp
2011
Vaiva
Kalnikaité,
Yvonne
Rogers,
Jon
Bird,
Nicolas
Villar,
Khaled
Bachour,
Stephen
Payne,
Peter
M.Todd,
Johannes
Schöning,
Antonio
Krüger,
Stefan
Kreitmeyer
MoXvaXon
People
want
to
know
about
the
global
consequences
of
their
consumer
decisions
The
overload
of
complex
informaXon
makes
it
difficult
to
make
informed
decisions
in
supermarkets

16. 26/02/15
16
Can
we
nudge
people
into
making
more
sustainable
consumer
decisions?
• salience
–
show
two
pieces
of
product
informaXon
using
LEDs
• social
norm
–
show
how
the
contents
of
a
shopper’s
trolley
compares
to
other
shoppers’
trolleys
Lambent
shopping
trolley
handle

17. 26/02/15
17
Salience
–
two
pieces
of
product
informaXon
Social
norm
–
how
does
my
weekly
shop
compare
to
other
shoppers?

18. 26/02/15
18
In
situ
supermarket
study
• 18
parXcipants
• 2
condiXons
–
with
and
without
the
handle
• For
each
condiXon
given
a
shopping
list
of
12
items
and
a
scenario
(green
guests
coming
to
stay
for
the
weekend)
Did
it
work?
• when
people
were
using
the
handle,
72%
of
the
Xme
they
chose
products
with
lower
food
miles
compared
to
when
they
were
not
using
the
handle

19. 26/02/15
19
Not
all
consumer
decisions
were
nudged
There
was
no
nudge
effect
for:
• favourite
brands
e.g.
chocolate
• products
they
disliked
e.g.
blue
cheese
• organic
products
–
they
are
already
prominently
labelled
Salience
–
food
miles
and
organic
products
• Even
a
difference
one
LED
can
have
a
nudge
effect:
“Products
that
light
up
too
much
make
me
think
twice”
“Lights
for
organic
peanut
bu>er
weren’t
very
helpful”

20. 26/02/15
20
Social
norm
–
average
food
miles
of
the
trolley
contents
• When
they
were
not
below
the
norm
parXcipants
tended
to
scan
in
and
check
the
food
miles
of
more
products
• The
emoXcons
had
an
effect
on
parXcipants’
mood:
“The
smiley
face
made
me
happy
and
the
sad
face
bothered
me.”
Main
findings
from
the
lambent
shopping
trolley
handle
• Salient
informaXon
helps
people
make
more
informed
decisions
and
can
nudge
sustainable
behaviour
e.g.
selecXng
items
with
lower
food
miles
• Seeing
how
they
compare
to
a
social
norm
moXvates
people
to
try
and
make
more
sustainable
choices
e.g
they
scan
more
products
• Would
this
sustainable
behaviour
be
sustained
over
*me?

21. 26/02/15
21
Lambent
Shopping
Trolley
LimitaXons
• Short
DuraXon
• Limited
items
could
be
scanned
• Who
is
it
for?
Healthy
shopping
app

22. 26/02/15
22
MoXvaXon
• A
balanced
diet
is
necessary
for
good
health
• An
imbalanced
diet
is
the
primary
cause
behind
the
majority
of
non-­‐communicable
diseases
• Link
between
imbalanced
diet
and
obesity
• 30%
of
the
US
adult
populaXon
are
obese
SoluXon:
Food
Labeling?
• Too
Abstract
• People
don’t
realise
how
it
fits
within
their
overall
diet
“Consumers
seemed
to
find
it
parFcularly
difficult
to
use
nutriFon
label
informaFon
to
place
an
individual
product
in
the
context
of
their
overall
diet”
Cowburn
&
Stockley
2005

23. 26/02/15
23
Balanced
Diet
VisualisaXons
“So
hopelessly
abstracted
from
people’s
actual
experience
with
food
–
which
consists
of
things
like
buying
groceries
and
ordering
hamburgers
in
restaurants,
not
tabulaFng
grain
porFons
–
that
the
message
confuses
and
demoralizes”
Heath
&
Heath
Healthy
Shopping
Study
Web
app
showing
nutriXonal
balance
of
the
shopping
trolley:
• 7
ParXcipants
(living
alone
weekly
shoppers,
aged
24-­‐31)
• 1
month
baseline
• 1
month
app
usage
• Works
for
all
products
in
a
small
supermarket

24. 26/02/15
24
VisualisaXon
Results
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
12000
Fruit
and
vegetables
Milk
and
alternaXves
Grains
Meat
and
alternaXves
Treats
Consump*on
in
grammes
A
comparison
of
average
food
type
consump*on:
baseline
v
recommended
v
Healthy
Shopping
app
Baseline
average
Recommended
Average
with
app

25. 26/02/15
25
LimitaXons
• Small
number
of
parXcipants
• ParXcipants
ate
out
twice
a
week
-­‐
food
not
captured
by
the
app
• Scanner
expensive
(£350!)
and
unnecessary
• Planet
Organic
–
the
supermarket
we
collaborated
with
–
is
small
and
niche,
not
mainstream
The
Tidy
Street
Project
DomesXc
electricity
usage
project
in
Brighton,
UK

26. 26/02/15
26
Nudge
techniques
used
• Social
norms
– Website
graphs
– Street
display
• Salience
– Website
graphs
– Street
display
– Daily
recording
of
electricity
usage
– Appliance
meters

27. 26/02/15
27

28. 26/02/15
28
What
was
the
role
of
the
public
display?
Public
display
• Daily
reminder
of
the
project
• Generated
a
sense
of
community
pride
• Led
to
interacXons
with
passersby
–
parXcipants
became
champions
of
the
project

29. 26/02/15
29
Tidy
Street
aser
3
weeks
• all
parXcipants
reported
an
increased
awareness
of
their
electricity
usage
• parXcipants
reduced
their
electricity
usage
by
15%
on
average
• was
the
decreased
electricity
usage
sustained….?
Tidy
Street
aser
6
months
• Only
20%
of
parXcipants
(3
households)
conXnued
to
record
their
electricity
usage
on
a
daily
basis
• 2
of
these
households
showed
a
significant
reducXon
in
electricity
usage
over
6
months
–
more
than
would
be
expected
from
seasonal
changes
• How
do
we
design
technologies
to
facilitate
sustained
sustainable
behaviour?

30. 26/02/15
30
Summary
1
–
key
design
challenges
4
key
challenges
when
designing
for
long
term
behaviour
change:
• increasing
awareness
(salience)
• moXvaXng
change
(norms)
• facilitaXng
change
(salience)
• sustaining
change
–
how
can
we
stop
the
novelty
wearing
off?
–
how
can
we
keep
people
mo*vated?
Design
acXviXes
Work
in
groups
to
design
two
websites
or
apps
that
use
and
abuse
nudge
techniques
Charity
website
that
aims
to
maximise
donaXons
E-­‐commerce
website
that
aims
to
maximise
sales
and
the
amount
of
customer
informaXon
collected

31. 26/02/15
31
‘MINDSPACE:
Influencing
behaviour
through
public
policy’
Also
a
shorter
version
of
the
report
(‘PracXcal
Guide’)
h^p://www.insXtuteforgovernment.org.uk/our-­‐work/c2/3/MINDSPACE%3A
+Behavioural+economics
.NET
Gadgeteer
(used
to
build
the
Lambent
Shopping
Trolley
handle)
h^p://research.microsos.com/en-­‐us/projects/gadgeteer/
Links

32. 26/02/15
32
Charity
nudging
• When
solicitors
or
will
writers
simply
menXoned
to
people
that
leaving
a
gis
to
charity
was
an
opXon,
the
percentage
of
people
who
did
so
rose
from
just
5%
to
10%
• Increased
to
15%,
when
people
were
also
asked
if
there
were
any
chariXes
that
they
were
passionate
about.
An
addiXonal
£1
million
of
giss
was
les
to
chariXes
in
Wills
as
a
result
of
the
trial
alone.
• h^p://www.rememberacharity.org.uk/news/giss-­‐in-­‐
wills-­‐to-­‐chariXes-­‐treble-­‐in-­‐nudge-­‐study/
Paul
Boag
Headscape
• h^ps://boagworld.com/design/charity-­‐web-­‐
design/
• Defaults
• Make
it
tangible
• Delay
consequences
• Small
steps
to
a
bigger
goal
• Social
pressure

33. 26/02/15
33
Dark
Pa^erns
• Harry
Brignull
• h^p://darkpa^erns.org/