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.
Technology has become a relevant asset for scientists supporting people in modifying their behavior. For instance, we find various apps on the market trying to achieve this. Some inspire their designs in psychological theories, but most do not. Creating theory-based app designs provides a guide on which people's behavioral outcomes to expect in response to a particular stimulus, leading to more robust design and effective apps. How to begin designing theory-informed apps? Continue reading to find out!
When it comes to nudging, it’s very much a case of ‘different strokes for different folks'. A free donut might entice some people to take a vaccine; for others, it might make them even more skeptical. Fortunately, a combination of digital footprints and ‘thin slicing’ psychology means that nudges can now be targeted to the right people in the right way.
The most successful products of the digital revolution, principally those with social media components, have mirrored and exaggerated our ancient mental response mechanisms. With the coming metaverse and ‘web3’, psycho junk food supernormal stimuli may be about to take the exploitation of our Stone Age minds to a frightening next level.
There have never been more options to choose from when paying. Under conventional Economics assumptions, this should not make a difference in either decision-making or outcomes. According to behavioral economics, however, the payment method chosen does impact (financial) decision-making and its possible outcomes. In this article we dive into the impact a payment method can have on financial decision-making.
Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about data privacy in their interactions with tools that support financial decision-making. The authors of this TFI research project investigate the impact of privacy concerns on consumers’ use of financial support tools by conducting four experiments using a savings calculator tool, a mortgage calculator tool and an investment advice tool.
Do budgeting apps always improve consumers' financial decisions? Contrary to common beliefs, the use of budget apps can increase spending, especially at the end of the budget period. The authors of this article propose five interventions to mitigate the acceleration of spending and help FinTech apps better serve consumers' financial needs.
Applied behavioural science is facing some tough challenges, in the form of an ongoing replication crisis and a public debate on limits to nudging (including COVID-related stumbles). At the same time, we believe there is reason to be optimistic: the fusing of behavioural knowledge with data science methods means that we can see some of these shared challenges in a completely new light. In this article, we show how a transformation of our interactions with consumers and employees can usher in a new age for the field.
Our decision making is subject to more pervasive observation than ever due to technologies that companies use to understand our offline and online activities — even before we make a purchase. Our research finds that consumers are particularly averse to being observed while they construct their preferences. Consumers feel that their sense of autonomy is threatened and distort their behaviors significantly in order to evade being observed.
Mutual funds cannot consistently return better-than-average performance. Yet investors often pick their mutual funds based on past performance. Researchers Leonardo Weiss-Cohen, Philip Newall and Peter Ayton conducted a long-term Think Forward Initiative research project that sought to answer how their investment decisions could be improved.
