The FinLab Toolkit

BEHAVIOUR DESIGN | TOOLS

NUDGE

60-90 Min

The NUDGE framework is a set of principles that help designers influence decisions made by people. The framework states that while people should have the freedom to make their own choices, they should also be provided assistance that allows them to make better decisions. This approach to designing people’s choices is broadly called ‘Choice Architecture’. The framework was first proposed by Nobel prize winning economist, Richard Thaler.

USE CASES

  • Help people make decisions when they have multiple choices and do not fully appreciate the true costs and benefits of their actions.
  • Help people make decisions when they struggle with genuinely complex choices that require a high degree of reflection, fact finding, analysis, etc.
  • Help them make decisions that are rare in nature and are not informed by their own experiences.
  • Help make decisions when people need feedback on current decisions.

LIMITATIONS

The NUDGE Framework is best used to influence moments where people are making a clear choice/decision. It may not be suited to changing ingrained attitudes and behaviours that may not have clear ‘choice moments’.

NUDGE Framework | BVA

UNDERSTANDING THE TOOL

  • The ‘Choice/Decision Moment’ section is meant to note down the decision that is being designed for. What is happening currently?, can be noted in the ‘Current Choice/Decision’ box, and the intended action in the ‘Desired Choice/Decision’ box.
  • The ‘User/Stakeholder/Persona’ box is for making a note of the key attributes; needs, attitudes, behaviours, etc. that describe the person who is making the choice.
  • ‘Investigate Incentives’ is the section where designers can list potential incentives for users that can work as the nudge. Incentives can be monetary, social recognition, personal growth, etc. Designers are to decide how these incentives are offered and communicated.
  • ‘Understand Choices’ is a nudge approach where designers are able to communicate the costs vs. benefits of the different choices to the user, and therefore influence choice. For this to happen, the costs and benefits of different decisions need to be mapped first, and then prioritised based on what is most important for users.
  • ‘Consider Defaults’ is a nudge approach where designers set defaults on the product or service that are closest to a desired choice. An evaluation of moments where defaults are required, and how they will be set needs to be done.
  • ‘Give Feedback’ is a nudge approach where designers decide on points in the decision making process where proactive feedback can help the user make the correct choice. An evaluation of the kind of feedback, and how it will be communicated needs to be done by designers.
  • ‘Expect Errors’ is a nudge approach where designers accommodate the most common errors made by users at the time of decision into the design of the product or service, not to minimise error but to absorb and move forward with common errors. An evaluation of what these common errors are, and how they can be accommodated needs to be done.

STEP BY STEP

  1. Familiarise yourself: Read through the various boxes in the NUDGE template. The top is where the decision that is in focus needs to be noted.
  2. Get started: Start by calling out the persona of the target user (you can use a previously filled out persona template). Go through the NUDGE actions thereafter. Fill the middle column first, and then go to the right side.
  3. Complete: Note down your thoughts and ideas for each of the NUDGE actions in the relevant boxes in the rightmost column.
  4. Prioritise: Once the worksheet is completed, discuss and prioritise ideas that could be experimented with.

HOW TO FOR FACILITATORS

  1. At the start: Make sure participants understand the goal of the activity and the direction. Refer to facilitation questions if they are feeling stuck.
  2. During the exercise: Start with participants discussing the prospect of influencing choice and instances where their own decisions could have been improved with help. Go through the NUDGE framework step by step.
  3. At the close: Have participants walk you through the worksheet once they have created, and probe them on the nudges they have considered, and how they could put them into action.

FACILITATORS QUESTION BANK

  • Think about your product or service solution; What are some moments when a user is making a choice? Can you list the moments down?
  • What is the critical user choice to focus on? Why is it important for you?
  • What are the different options in front of the user when they are making the choice? Why do you think they make the current choice?
  • What are the incentives that influence behaviour? What could be some incentives to try?
  • What are the different kinds of costs and benefits involved with the choices? How could you communicate these to the user?
  • What is the default setting closest to the desired choice? How could you set this default?
  • How can the user benefit from feedback? What kind of feedback would this be? How would you provide it?
  • What are the kind of errors people make most commonly? What can you do to address and accommodate these errors?

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