Latest Insights
The Psychology of Debt Collection
More and more people struggle with debt, and while people differ in their motivations, preferences, and their reasons not to pay, debt collection practices rarely take these factors into account. Using psychological insights, debt collection can be made more debtor-friendly and effective. The results: increased repayments for companies and a lower financial burden for consumers.
Empathizing With Future Selves
We’re generally poor at predicting how events will impact future states of happiness. And yet, if we’re going to make good decisions in the present, we need to empathize with our future selves at some level. How can we reconcile this? The answer may lie with art, visualization, and social cognition.
Boosting Transit Ridership – $2 at a Time
A majority of commuters in the US choose to drive alone. We aimed to understand the influence of monetary incentives and anchoring on the transportation choices of residents in Los Angeles, California. Our key results included willingness to accept values averaging around $7, a difference in acceptance rates between anchoring treatment groups, and a significant change in acceptance rates when shown double-digit compared to single-digit values. This presents an opportunity for transit-based companies to invest in monetary incentive schemes to boost sustainable mode use.
Using Behavioral Science to Improve a Referral Program
How do you use a referral program to motivate people? We ran a large-scale experiment aimed at increasing referral volumes at our staffing company. The details of the experiment were motivated by concepts in behavioral science, specifically something called present bias. Many of our colleagues were surprised by what we found.
Designing More Equitable Digital Health Interventions
Effective digital health interventions may need to address a broad set of barriers in order to help a diverse population change behaviors. Layering the Double Diamond model of design with a behavioral design process ensures the inclusion of a comprehensive set of behavior change techniques in an intervention. Coupled with personalization technology, this approach can make digital health more equitable.
Behavioral Segmentation in Marketing: How to Increase Conversions
Market segmentation is a valuable strategic tool in marketing. How to properly do segmentation is, however, not widely known. In this article, I lay out the principles of segmentation and provide a step-by-step guide.