Nudge

By Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

For my money, no other book is as synonomous with the field of behavioral psychology as is Nudge - at least not any that are non-academic and widely published.

It was referenced often during a course I recently took on behavioral psychology through the University of Toronto. And I had first come to the book years before, when I had been contemplating the topic of this book: How can people be encouraged to do good things?

Here, I’m using the overly simplistic term “good things” to mean actions that are widely accepted as good for both individuals and for society, in the most general circumstances. For example, it is widely accepted that exercise is good for individuals and that throwing rubbish into a waste bin is good for society. We’re talking that level of basic “good.”

That distinction touches on a fascinating reality confronted in the book. That being, people don’t always choose to do things that are better for them, or for their community, than something else is.

It’s not always because we’re mean-spirited. Instead, it can be because we lack the information to choose wisely. Like, if I don’t understand the harmful effects of consuming high quantities of processed sugar, then I wouldn’t fret over drinking multiple sodas on a daily basis.

Other times it’s because we’re imperfect creatures of habit. And we might make poor choices when falling victim to temptation. Like, while I understand the harmful effects of consuming high quantities of processed sugar, I still drink multiple sodas each day because I’ve been doing it since I was a teenager.

What Nudge argues is that there is a base level of good things that we need to encourage people to do in order to improve our society and reduce harm. Importantly, however, people cannot be forced to do these good things. Doing so could lead to a cascade of more harmful consequences related to topics like authoritarianism. Cass and Sunstein aren’t trying to go there.

That’s where the concept of Nudge comes in. Nudge is a polite suggestion to help people make good choices. And it’s built into the design of how so many systems and products are delivered.

Having read this book over 10 years before writing this post, I can’t remember of any examples of Nudge used in the book. But I seem to remember that automobile company Volkswagen launched a campaign some time ago which embodies Nudge perfectly.

The campaign was called “The Fun Theory.” In a way, Fun Theory takes Cass and Sunstein’s Nudge a bit further by claiming that you can encourage positive behavior change if you make things fun. Here’s an example:

Piano Staircase

For most people, taking a flight of stairs rather than an escalator is a healthier option. Climbing a flight of stairs can be good exercise and if done with frequency, the benefits of that good exercise will compound over time.

But here’s the challenge. Escalators are easier. Taking an escalator means not having to get sweaty. It means you can multi-task by doing something on your phone without also having to walk. So how might you encourage more people to take the stairs, which is generally better for them, even when it’s the harder of the two options?

This is what Volkswagon did to nudge people to take the stairs. They designed a flight of stairs as piano keys. They looked like piano keys. And when you stepped on them, they sounded like the notes of a piano, much like that famous scene from the 1988 US movie Big, where Tom Hanks and Robert Loggia are dancing on a large set of piano keys.

Big shocker here, but playing the piano with your feet is really really fun. And what Piano Staircase proved is that people will do things that are good, even when it’s the seemingly harder option, if it’s fun. In the end, Piano Staircase increased use of the stairs by 66%.

You can see Piano Staircase in action, here.

I love the hypothesis of Nudge in all its splendid simplicity. It might be because it solves problems of decision-making through thoughtful design.

Nudge and Art Gallery Scavenger Hunt

Nudge was front and center for me when I designed a mobile app that removed the intimidation and stuffiness of going to art galleries through a scavenger hunt. What I learned in my UX research is that most people want to visit art galleries more often, but a lot of times, learning about art can feel inaccessible. It can feel overly academic. And for some, just plain dull.

So the goal of Art Gallery Scavenger Hunt was to increase the number of guests by making the experience more fun for the casual art enthusiast. As a result, I expected that gamifying the experience would build Word-of-Mouth buzz.

Nudge and Jellyvision

The tenants of Nudge were also front and center in my work at Jellyvision, where I sold a decision support software called ALEX that helped people navigate healthcare and finance choices.

Nudge was critical to getting people to lean forward into this experience. Understanding the nuances of deductibles and co-pays for multiple healthcare plans is no one’s favorite pastime (unless you’re getting paid to do it).

So in order to encourage people to learn about complicated healthcare plans, ALEX needed to be fun and easy. So it was designed as a natural conversation, the kind you might have with a really good friend who just so happens to be an expert at employee benefits. ALEX spoke in plain English rather than in insurance-speak. And at times he was irreverent, a little cheeky, or self-depricating. These added little Easter eggs of surprise and humor into what would otherwise be a dry, laborious exercise.

Customers were usually delighted by ALEX. They were tickled by his personality. They weren’t accustomed to linking employee benefits with joyful.

But at times they were also puzzled. Why design ALEX this way?

That’s when I taught them about the concept of Nudge and, by proxy, Fun Theory.

Collectively, there are so many things we need to get better at. We need to be better about our health, our environment, how we learn, our relationship with money, how we navigate cities, you name it. Each step of the way there’s an opportunity for Nudge to positively change behavior. And I expect it to stay central in the work I’m drawn to.