Purple Path Behavior Guide

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PurplePathBehaviorGuideStanfordPersuasiveTechLab(alphaversion0.50December2010)

Donotsharethisdocument.Peoplewhowantacopycanemailcaptology@stanford.eduformoreinfo.www.behaviorwizard.org

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Purple Path

Behavior

Guide version 0.50

December 2010

Stanford Persuasive Tech Lab

captology.stanford.edu

For more information, see www.BehaviorWizard.org

The Purple Path Behavior Guide is made possible in part by a gift from Humana,


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StanfordResourceGuidesforBehaviorChangeOurStanfordteamhascreatedasetofResourcesGuidestohelppeopleworkingonbehaviorchange

projects.Ourgoalistomakeiteasierforyouto:

1. Learnaboutaspecifictypeofbehaviorchange2. Createsolutionsforachievingthatbehavior

Inthepast,designingforbehaviorchangewasamessyprocess.Mostdesignersandresearchersguessedat

solutions.And,frankly,mostattemptsfailed.Today,ratherthanguessingatsolutions,peoplewhouseour

ResourceGuideswillhaveclearguidance.

OurStanfordteamwillcontinuetoimproveeachofthe15ResourceGuides.Wewelcomeyourinput.

BJFogg,Ph.D.

Director,PersuasiveTechLab@[email protected]

Youcankeepcurrentwithourworkinthreeways:

1.JoinourPageonFacebook:facebook.com/captology

2.FollowusonTwitter:@captology

3.SubscribeonYouTube:youtube.com/captology

TheBehaviorWizardTeam

OurStanfordteamcreatedtheBehaviorWizardandtherelatedmaterials.Withouttheexpertiseofeach

teammember,theResourceGuideinyourhandstodaywouldnotexist.

BJFogg([email protected]),ProjectDirector

JasonHreha([email protected]),ProjectLead

RobinKrieglstein ([email protected]),WebDeveloper

KaraChanasyk([email protected]),UXDesignerGajuKrishna([email protected]),ResearchSpecialist


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IntroductiontotheFoggBehaviorGrid

APurplePathBehaviorisoneof15typesofbehaviorasdefinedbyBJFogg.Theseareoutlinedinwhatwe

calltheBehaviorGrid. (Formoreinformation,seewww.BehaviorGrid.org.)

Eachofthe15behaviortypesrequiresdifferentpsychologystrategiesandpersuasivetechniques.For

example,themethodsforpersuadingpeopletobuyabookonline(BlueDotBehavior)aredifferentthan

thoseforgettingpeopletoquitsmokingforever(BlackPathBehavior).

Tosucceedindesigningabehaviorchangeintervention,youneedtounderstandthe typeofbehavioryou

seek.AndthatsthepointofourBehaviorGrid.

Forexample,sometargetbehaviorsareonetimeactions.Thisincludesinstallingsolarpanelsonahomeor

selectingacollege.Incontrast,sometypesofbehaviorhappeneveryday:exercising,eating,andsoon.And,

yetagain,sometypesareaboutstoppinganexistingbehavior,suchasquittingsmoking.

TheoverallBehaviorGridlookslikethis:


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IntheBehaviorGrid,therowsrefertodifferentbehaviordurations:Dot,Span,andPath.Thedurationsof

behaviorsexpandasonemovesdownthegrid.Thecolumnsrefertobehaviorfamiliarityorchange.Thefirst

twocolumnsdealwithnew(Green)andfamiliar(Blue)behaviors.Thenextcolumnsalsodealwithfamiliar

behaviors;however,thesebehaviorsarechanging.PurpleBehaviorsareincreasinginintensityorduration.

GrayBehaviorsaredecreasinginintensityorduration.Finally,BlackBehaviorsarebeingstopped.

ForabehaviortobecalledPurpleSpan,itneedstocombinethecharacteristicsofaPurpleBehaviorand

thoseofaSpanBehavior.

Inthisguide,weteachyouhowtothinkclearlyaboutthistypeofbehavior.Inaddition,weteachyouhow

todesignthistypeofbehaviorinothersandinyourself.


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IntroductiontoPurplePathBehaviors

Ifyouwantsomeonetoincreasetheintensityorduration ofabehaviorforever,youareseekingaPurple

PathBehavior.Examplesinclude:

Health:Exercise10minutesmoreeachdayfromnowon.

Environment:Eatmorefruitsandvegetableseachdayintothefuture.

Commerce:Save10%moreofyourpaycheckeachmonthforever.

ManypeopleseekPurplePathBehaviors.Theyarealreadydoingsomethinggood,likeexercising,andthey

arereadytotakeittothenextlevel.Thisincreasedintensityordurationofafamiliarbehavior(likeexercise)

iswhatPurplePathisallabout.

ToachieveaPurplePathBehavior,youmustalteratleastoneelementfromthe FoggBehaviorModel:

Increasethenumber,oreffectiveness,of triggersleadingtothedesiredbehavior. Enhanceabilitytoperformthebehavior(makeiteasiertodo). Amplifymotivationfordoingthebehavior.

ExamplesofPurplePathBehaviors

Health

Increasetheconsumptionofvegetablesinthecorporatecafeteria. Increasefoottrafficonthestairwellsbetweenfloors. Drinkmorewaterfromnowon. Increasesleepdurationandquality.

Commerce

BuymorebooksfromAmazon.com. BuyonlyApplecomputersfromnowon. Spendmoretimeshoppingonline.


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Environment

Alwaysusepublictransportation. Buymorebiodegradableforksandplatesfortheoffice.

Recyclemoreofyourplasticbottles.

Productivity

Increasenumberofuninterruptedworkperiods. Takebetternotesinclassfromnowon. Increaseproductivityofmeetings.

OverviewofPurpleBehaviors

InourStanfordwork,whenwetalkaboutaPurpleBehavior,werereferringtoafamiliaractionthatgets

increasedorintensified.Thesetypesofbehaviorgoalsarecommon.Intodaysworld,peopleoftenseek

PurpleBehaviorsforthemselves.Wewanttosavemoremoney,wewanttoexerciseharder,andwewantto

recyclemoreoften.

Anditsnotjustindividualsseekingtointensifybehaviors.Inmanycases,companiesseekPurpleBehaviors

fortheircustomers:buymore,watchmore,eatmore,andsoon.AllofthesearePurpleBehaviors.Note

howeachexamplereflectsanincreaseinanexistingbehavior.

PurpleBehaviorscanbeincreasedinthreeways.Specifically,onecandoafamiliarbehavior:

Foralongertimeperiod (exercisefor45minutesinsteadof30) Withmoreintensity (spendmoreonacar) Withmoreexpertiseorprecision(sorttherecyclingmoreaccurately)

HowPurpleBehaviorsRelatetoOtherTypes

PurpleBehaviorsrelatetootherbehaviortypesintheFoggBehaviorGrid.Herewehighlightsome

similaritiesanddifferences.

IntheBlueBehaviorcolumnoftheBehaviorGrid,Bluedesignatesafamiliarbehavior.Thesearethe


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foundationofPurpleBehaviors.Peoplewillalwayshaveanexistingactionthattheyintensifytoachievea

PurpleBehavior.Forexample,ifyoudoaBlueBehaviorlikebuyingonedozenroseseachSunday,aPurple

BehaviorwouldbetobuytwodozenrosesonSunday.Buyingmoreisincreasingtheexistingbehavior.

IntheBehaviorGrid,theGrayBehaviorcolumncontainsbehaviorsthataretheoppositeofPurple

Behaviors.GrayBehaviorsareallaboutdecreasingafamiliarbehavior.Letsreturntotheroseexample.Ifyournormalaction(BlueBehavior)istobuyonedozenroseseachSunday,thenaGrayBehaviormightbeto

buyonlyoneroseonSunday.ItsadecreasethatswhatmakesitGray.

PurpleFadestoBlue

IfyoudoaPurpleBehaviorlongenough,itmaybecomethenorm.Itisnolongeranincrease.Forexample,if

youincreaseyourexercisefrom30to45minutes,thenafterawhile,45minuteswillbethetypicalbehavior

foryou.Atsomepoint,thePurpleBehaviorbecomesaBlueBehavior.TheprecisepointthatPurplefades

intoBluedoesntmatter,really.WevetalkedaboutthisatlengthinourStanfordLaband,althoughitsa

fundiscussion,itssortofuseless.Forpracticalpurposes,weveagreedthatthetransitionfromPurpleto

Bluedoesntmattermuch.

Whatmattersistheoppositedirection:Howdoyougetpeopletointensifyanexistingbehavior?Andthats

whatthisResourceGuideonPurpleBehaviorsisallabout.

OverviewofPathBehaviorsPathBehaviorsarethosethatareperformedoften,evenritually.Thisincludesactionsthatwedo

automatically.Inaddition,behaviorswedooverandoversuchasalwaysbuyingmusicfromiTunesfall

intothiscategory.Theseactionsareoftenintegraltoapersonslife.

Uptothispoint,wevecoveredwhatitmeansforabehaviortobePurple.

NowwediscusswhatitmeansforthebehaviortobeaPath.


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Inmanydomains,especiallyinhealth,interventionstoachievePathBehaviorsarethemostdesired

outcomesofbehaviorchange.Forexample,companiesthatcanmotivateemployeestoexercisefromnow

oncansavelotsofmoneyinhealthcarecosts.

ThecombinationofPathcharacteristicsandPurplecharacteristicsdefinesaPurplePathBehavior.

PurplePathBehaviorscantakemanydifferentforms.Asyoureadtheexamplesbelowfromvarious

domainshealth,commerce,environment,andproductivity lookforthesimilaritiesamongthem.This

willhelpyouidentifyPurplePathBehaviorsinyourownlife.

Health

LetssaythatSallywantstobecomeevenhealthierbyexercisingmore.Shedecidestoincreasethetimeof

herdailyjogst

hatsaPurplePathBehavior.Sallycouldalsoaddhillsintoherrun,orshecouldstarttorunwithbetterform.BothofthesearealsoPurplePathBehaviors.

Sallyintendstointensifyherrunningfortherestofherlife;itsnotamonthlongprogram.Ifitwereonlya

monthlongprogram,itwouldbeaPurpleSpan,notaPath.

Commerce

RetailersoftenseektoinducePurplePathBehaviors.ConsiderAmazon.com.Onceyoubecomeacustomer

ofAmazon,thecompanywillsendyouemails,makeyouoffers,andsetup1clickorderingallofthisinan

efforttogetyoutobuymorestuff,moreoften.ThatsPurplePathBehavior.

IfAmazonwereonlyabookofthemonthclub,sayingItstimetobuyonebook,thatwouldbeaBlue

PathBehavior,notPurple.ButnoticehowAmazontriestogetyoutobuymoreandmore.

Environment

BikingtoworkmoreoftenisaPurplePathBehavior.Forexample,ifJohncurrentlybikestoworkthreedays

eachweekandincreasesthatnumbertofourdays,hehasachievedaPurplePathBehavior.

Johnschangeisnotaboutdrivingless,whichisaGrayPathBehavior;itsabouthisbikingmore.Thesemay

betwosidesofthesamecoin,buttheyaredifferentbehaviorsfromapsychologicalstandpoint.

Productivity

AnotherexampleofPurplePathBehaviorisaJapanesepracticecalled Kaizen.Itmeanscontinuous


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improvement.Thispracticeseekstofindthesmallestpossibleactionsthatcanbedoneinthepursuitof

excellenceandimplementingthemconsistently,onestepatatime,untiltheybecomeestablishedhabits.

TheFoggBehaviorModel

TheFoggBehaviorModelshowsthatthreeelementsmustconvergeatthesamemomentforabehaviortooccur:

1. Motivation2. Ability3. Trigger

Whenabehaviordoesnotoccur,atleastoneofthesethreeelementsismissing.Triggersthatoccurwhena

personisabovetheactivationthreshold(seenbelow)arelikelytobemetwithaction.

Abehaviordesignershouldseektounderstandwhereyourtargetaudienceliesonthegraph(intermsof

motivation/ability).Triggersworkonlywhenapersonisabovetheline.Ifyouseektochangethebehaviorof

manypeople,noteveryonewillbeabovetheActivationThreshold.Maybejust10%areinthatarea.By

issuingtriggers,youcanbetterunderstandhowyouraudiencemapstothegraphandtakestepsto

maximizeresults.

(Formoreinformation,seewww.BehaviorModel.org.)

NowthatyouhaveagoodsenseofwhataPurplePathBehaviorisandwhereitlieswithintheBehaviorGrid,weregoingtocovertheFoggBehaviorModel.Thiswillgiveyouanunderstandingofwhybehavioroccurs

andhowitcanbedesigned.


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UsingtheFoggBehaviorModel(FBM)asaguide,designerscanidentifywhatstopsusersfromperforming

behaviorsthatdesignersseek.Forexample,ifpeoplearenotperformingatargetbehavior,suchasratinghotelsonatravelWebsite,theFBMhelpsdesignersseewhatislackinge.g.acleartrigger,anaspectof

ability,etc.

TheFBMalsohelpsacademicsunderstandbehaviorchangebetter.Whatwasonceafuzzymassof

psychologicaltheoriesnowbecomesorganizedandspecificandpracticalwhenviewedthroughthis

model.


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IntroductiontothePurplePathBehaviorDesignProcess

YoucanmoreeffectivelydesignforPurplePathBehaviorsusingtheFoggBehaviorModel,whichbreaks

behaviordownintothreecomponents:

Motivation Ability Trigger

InordertoinducePurplePathBehavior,itisnecessaryto increaseatleastoneoftheabovecomponents.

Inlatersections,weoutlinethisprocess.First,however,youneedtolearnhowtosequencethebehavior

designprocess.Theordermaysurpriseyou.

NowyouregoingtolearnhowtodesignPurplePathbehaviorusingtheFogg

BehaviorModelasyourguide.


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SurprisingSequence:StartwithTriggers,NotMotivation

Abehaviorchangeinterventionshouldntmanipulatetriggers,ability,andmotivationatthesametime.That

makesittoughtorecognizewhichchangeismosteffectiveanditcanresultincomplicatedbehaviorchangeinterventions.

Inouracademicandindustrywork,wevefoundaspecificsequencethatworksbest.Andourconclusion

maysurpriseyou:Whenyoudesignforpersuasion,youdontstartbymanipulatingmotivation.Thatswhat

youdolast.

Sowhatsfirst?FocusonTriggersfirst .Thisisthesimplestchange,andisoftenallthatisneeded.

Forexample,letssaythatKaraisexercisingonlythreedaysaweekbutwantstoincreaseherexercise

programsintensitybyaddingtwoworkoutsperweek.Thisincreasemayrequireonlyadailyreminder,

whichcanbedonewithasimplecalendarpopuporascheduledemailasthetrigger.

Ifachangewiththetriggerdoesntwork,abilityshouldbetacklednext.

Considerthisexampleofchangingability.

Letssaythatyouwanttoincreasetheamountyourecycle,aPurplePathBehavior,byincreasingyour

recyclingability.Thetriggerisalreadypresenttheemptybottle.However,youfindingyourselfthrowing

bottlesinthetrashbinbecausetherecyclingbinistoofaraway.Youcanincreaseyourrecyclingabilityby

movingtherecyclingbincloser.

Ifanabilitychangedoesntwork,approachmotivation.Peopledesigninginterventionsoftenstartby

focusingonmotivation,believingitisthemosteffectivewaytochangebehavior.However,motivationisthe

trickiest,mostnebulousarea.Itshardertomeasure,anditshardesttochangepredictably.

Notethatinthetwoexamplesabove,boostingmotivationwouldhavebeenalessefficientwaytosolvethe

problem.FocusingonTriggerandthenAbilitywassimplerand,inthiscase,sufficient.

Infact,whenitcomestobehaviorchangeinterventions,onewaytodistinguishanovicefromaproiswhat

firstgetsattention.Ifadesignerstartstweakingmotivationsatthestart,beforeunderstandingtriggersor

abilityfactors,weintheStanfordlabconsiderthattobeaclearsignthatthepersonisntveryexperienced

(orveryskilled).

Withtodaysemergingtechnology,triggersareperhapsthemostfascinatingofthethreeelementsinthe

FoggBehaviorModel.Inourview,thefastest,surestwaytochangebehavioristhrougheffectivetriggers.

Onereasonthattriggersaresofascinatingistheirincrediblediversity.Youneedtorememberthatatrigger


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isanythingwhichtellsthetargetaudiencetoDothisactionnow!

ThefollowingexamplesarenotPurplePathspecific.Welisttheminordertogiveyouasenseofhowmany

differenttypesoftriggersthereare,sothatyoucanrecognizethemaccuratelyinyourbehaviordesign

work.

Astickynote

Atextmessagecalltoaction

Anemail


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Anobjectplacedsomewhere

Agrumbleinonesstomach

Asyoucansee,anythingthatremindsortellsthetargetperson/audiencetoperformabehaviorisatrigger.In

differentcontexts,differentkindsoftriggersneedtobeusedtheanswercantalwaysbeanemail.Wehope

thatyourecognizethisandstarttoseenewtypesoftriggersinyourlifeandwork.

Now,weregoingtocoverourfirstrecommendedPurplePathinductionstrategy.

IncreasetheNumber,orEffectiveness,ofTriggersLeadingtotheDesired


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BehaviorOnewaytoachievePurplePathBehaviorsistoincreasethefrequencyoreffectivenessofthetriggers.

Remember,triggersarethecalltoactionthethingthatsaysDothisactionnow!

Forexample,ifthedesigngoalistogetpeopletobuymorebooksonline,triggersdeliveredthroughemail

couldgetapersontoreturntothesiteandmakeapurchase.Onceapersonhasselectedabook,the

merchantcansuggestothersthatarerelated,increasingthenumberofbookspurchased.Notethatthe

emailtriggergetspeopletoshopmoreoftenandthebooksuggestionsinthecheckoutprocessgetsthem

tobuymorebooks.BothofthesearePurplePathBehaviors.

Manipulatingtriggerscanbetheeasiestandmosteffectivewaytochangebehaviors.Focusherefirst.

IncreasetheAbilitytoPerformtheBehavior

Ifchangingthetriggersdoesntwork,focusonability.

Wegenerallythinkofabilityasconsistingofsixcomponents.ThesearecalledtheAbilityFactors ,asdefined

byBJFogg:

Time:Doesthebehaviortakealongtime? Money:Doesthebehaviorrequirealotofmoney? PhysicalEffort:Doesthebehaviorrequiresignificantphysicaleffort? BrainCycles:Doesthebehaviorrequiresignificantmentaleffort? SocialDeviance:Isthebehaviorstrange,outofthenorm? Nonroutine:Isthebehaviorsomethingthepersonisnotusedtodoing?

Accordingtoourmodel,abilityisafunctionofapersonsscarcestresourceinthemoment.Therefore,in

ordertoinducetheinitialPurplePathBehavior,itisnecessarytodeterminewhichAbilityFactorsare

weakest,andthenfigureoutawaytostrengthenthem.

Inordertoeffectivelyincreasetheabilityofatargetpersonoraudience,werecommendthatyougo

throughtheAbilityFactorsinorderandaskyourselftherelatedquestions.Afterthis,youshouldhavea

senseofthetargetaudiencesabilityprofile.Forexample,doestheaudienceinquestionhaveasmall


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amountoftimebutalotofmoney?Ifso,thenyoucouldmakethedesiredbehaviorlesstimeintensivebut

morefinanciallycostly.Whenyouunderstandtheaudiencesabilityprofile,youllbebetterabletohonein

onapotentialsolution.

BelowareexamplesforeachofthesixAbilityFactors.

ApplyingtheElementsofSimplicitytoPurplePathBehaviors

SimplifyTime:1ClickShopping

Amazon.comhasgottenridofthetimebarrierwhenitcomestoshoppingwith1clickordering.Instead

ofhavingthecustomertypeintheircreditcardinformationforeachpurchase,makingittime

consumingtoshop,Amazonrememberscustomerinformation,allowingpeopletoorderanyitemthey

wantwithasingleclick.Thisallowsthecustomertoshopevenmore,aPurplePathBehavior.

SimplifyMoney:FrequentBuyerProgram

Frequentbuyerprogramshelplowerthemoneybarrierforincreasedshoppingbehavior.Byproviding

discounts,theseprogramsallowcustomerstosavemoneybybuyingmoreorinlargerquantities.These

arebothPurplePathBehaviors.

SimplifyPhysicalEffort:OrganizingExerciseGear

Smalltweaks,suchasputtingyourexercisegeartogetheraheadoftime,reducethephysicaleffortrequiredtoexercise.Removingthisbarriercanmeanthedifferencebetweenexercisingthreedaysa

weekversusfive.Thisisanexampleofincreasedandintensifiedexercisebehavior,aPurplePath

Behavior.

SimplifyBrainCycles:ExerciseRoutine

Removingmentaleffortbyreducingthenumberofchoicesisawayofloweringthebraincyclebarrier

infrontofaPurplePathBehavior.AprimeexampleistheCurves30MinuteWorkout.Eachwomanat

thegymdoesthesame30minutecircuit,makingthedecisionverysimple:DoIgoworkout,ordoIstay

home?ThisenablestheindividualtoworkoutmoreaPurplePathBehavior.

SimplifySocialDeviance:BikingtoWork

Biketoworkgroupsaredesignedtolowerthesocialdevianceofbikingtowork.Thegroupdynamic

makesitmoresociallyacceptabletoarriveatworksweatyandinexercisegear.Thisbooststhe


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likelihoodthatsomeonesensitivetosocialpressurewillconsistentlybiketowork.Thiswouldcausean

increaseinbikecommutingaPurplePathBehavior.

SimplifyNonroutine: IncreasingThermostatRegulation

Nonroutineactions,suchasregulatingthethermostat,canbeincreasedbyattachingthemtoexistingroutines.Inthissituation,changingthetemperaturesettingscanbeattachedtoaneverydayroutine,

likepickinguponeskeysinthemorningbeforeleavingthehouse.

IncreaseMotivationforDoingtheBehavior

ThefinalfactorthatcanbemanipulatedtoinduceaPurplePathBehaviorismotivation.

Forexample,ifthePurplePathisanexercisebehavior,moremotivationmaygetthepersontodoitlonger,

moreintensely,orwithmoreexpertise.Insteadofwalkingfor30minutes,apersonwithmoremotivation

maywalkfor45.Insteadofwalkingatamoderatepaceonflatland,apersonwithmoremotivationmay

walkfasterandupsomehills.Insteadofwalkingcasually,apersonwithmoremotivationmaywalkwithbetterform.

Butwhataretheelementsofmotivation?

AccordingtotheFoggBehaviorModel,therearethree CoreMotivators,eachwithtwofacets:

Sensationpleasure|pain

Anticipationhope|fear

Belongingsocialacceptance|socialrejection

SofarwevecoveredtwoofthethreeelementsintheFoggBehaviorModel.Wenowturnbrieflyto

thefinalelement:Motivation


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BymanipulatingoneormoreofthesemotivatorsyoumayinduceaPurplePathBehavior.

Forexample,ifsomeoneiswalkingandlisteningtoenergizingmusic(pleasure),thatpersonmaywalk

longer.Or,byreducingtheexercisespainwithbettershoes,thatpersonmayalsowalkmore.Similarly,the

nexttwoCoreMotivators(hope/fear,acceptance/rejection)canbemanipulatedtointensifysomeones

exercisebehavior.

Tomaketheseideasconcrete,weexplainthetechniquesbelowinfourdomainexamples:health,

commerce,environment,andproductivity.

Health&Motivation

LetssaythatJohnwantstolosesomeweight.InordertomotivateJohnyoumighthavehimwriteupalist

ofthebenefitsofbeingfit.Inaddition,youmighthavehimimaginehowgooditwillfeel.Youcouldalso

havehimsignupforanexercisegrouptoencouragesocialacceptancethroughincreasedexercise,whichis

aPurplePathBehavior.Thus,byusingtheinnatehumandesireforhopeandsocialacceptance,you

increaseJohnsmotivationtoengageinaPurplePathBehavior.

Commerce&Motivation

eBaywantstoincreasetheamountoftimepeoplespendontheirsite.Theydecidetotapintothe

motivatorsofhopeandpleasurebyincludingmessageslikeStumbleuponyournextgreattreasureor

Thebestdealsyouhaventdiscoveredyet.Messagesliketheseinduce hopeinthecustomers.Andsuchincreasedhoperesultsinincreasedbrowsingbehavior,whichresultsin pleasurewhenaninterestingnew

objectisactuallyfound.

Environment&Motivation


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Sandywantstoincreasetheamountsherecycles.Inordertoincreasehermotivation,asuccessful

interventionmightplayintoherdesirefor socialacceptanceandfearofsocialrejection.Asimplemessage

orflyershowingthat65%ofherneighborsrecycleonaregularbasismightprovidetheextramotivation

needed.

Productivity&Motivation

Jimwantstoincreasehisnumberofuninterruptedperiodsofwork.Hedecidestotapintohis hopeforeven

betterperformance.Aseriesofemailstalkingaboutthemeritsofuninterruptedflowstatesandhow

muchmoreworkhewillgetdonemightdothetrick.

Beforewecontinue,wewanttoemphasizenineimportantwords.TheFoggDesignMantraforbehaviorchange

is:

Puthottriggersinthepathofmotivatedpeople.

Whatmakesatriggerhot?

Triggersbecomehotwhentheyallowyoutotakeaction.Forexample,anemailcontainingalinkisahottrigger,

sinceitallowsyoutotakeaction visitawebsiterightaway.

Abillboardadvertisementisagoodexampleofacoldtrigger.ItimploresyoutoactwithBuymilk!butatatimewhenno

actionispossible.ABuymilk!signabovetherefrigeratoratthegrocerystore,ontheotherhand,isahottrigger.

Next,weregoingtohighlightsomePurplePathcasestudies,togiveyouasenseofhowthesestrategiesplay

outinarealworldcontext.


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CaseStudies

CaseStudy:ZeoPersonalSleepCoach

TargetBehavior:IncreaseSleepQualityandQuantity

ZeohascreatedaproductintendedtocreateaPurplePathbehaviorincreasedsleepqualityandquantity.

Thesolutionconsistsofacentralunitandaheadband.(Seewww.myzeo.com.)

Eachnight,theuserwearstheheadbandandsecuresthecentralsensorinthemiddleoftheirforehead.

Throughoutthenight,sleepdataiswirelesslytransmittedtothecentralunit.Inthemorning,theunit

displaystheusersZQametricrepresentingthequalityofsleepbasedontotalsleeptime,restorative

sleeptime,anddisruptedsleeptime.

Inordertoincreasethequalityofitsuserssleep,Zeoboosts motivationacentralcomponentofthe Fogg

BehaviorModel.

MotivationandZeo

Zeousesmetricsanddatavisualizationtomotivateusers.TheZQmetric,inventedbytheZeoteam,seems

aneffectivewayofcompressinglotsofinformationintoaneasytounderstandnumber.TheZQisdisplayed

rightbelowthetimeontheZeocentralunit.Thiseithermotivatestheindividualtoimprove,iftheyreceived

apoorscore,oractsasareinforcementofalreadygoodbehavior.

Inaddition,Zeodisplaystheusersinformationinacompellingmanner.Ashumans,weallliketosee

progressanupwardtrendthatshowsweregettingbetter.Thisinfogivesusbothpleasureandhope.Zeo

tapsintothesemotivatorsbymakingiteasyfortheusertoseewhetherornottheyareimproving.Ifnot,


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seeingadownwardtrendwithonesnameattachedtoittapsinto painandfear.Soeitherway,Zeo

leveragesmotivation.

TriggersandZeo

BecausetheZeoisabedsideunit,itiseasilynoticedattheopportunemomentofpersuasion.Justbeforetheusergoestobed,theyareboundtoseethemoderatelysizedwhiteunitandaccompanyingheadband.

Thisdoestwothings:

Itremindstheuserofthedesiredproximalaction:weartheheadband. Itletstheuserknowthatwiththisdevicetheyhavetheabilitytomonitortheirsleep.

Bysituatingtheunitnexttotheusersbed,Zeoisabletoenhancethetheirperceivedabilitywhile

remindingthemofthecorrectactionattheopportunetime.

AbilityandZeo

TheZeosystemincreasestheusersabilitytotrackhowtheysleepboththedurationofsleepandthe

stagesofsleep(suchasREM).WithZeo,theprocessofdatacollectionissimple:allonehastodoisstrapon

aheadband.

Inaddition,alloftheuserssleepdatacanbeuploadedtoaZeocompanionwebsite.Thisinformationis

representedinaseriesofgraphsandmetrics.Theusercanthenlookattheirperiodsofdisruptedsleep

frompreviousdaystogetsomeinsightastowhatmaybecausingthem.Thisenablestheusertooptimize

theirsleep.


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CaseStudy:VitalityGlowCaps

TargetBehavior:IncreaseMedicationAdherence

TheGlowCapisanInternetconnectedlidthatisplacedontopofonesmedicationcontainer.Itisconnected

toasensor,whichlookssimilartoanightlight.Thisgetspluggedinnearthemedication.Whenthedrug

needstobetaken,thelightbeginstoflash,alertingthepatientthattheyshouldtaketheirmedicine.Ifthis

signalisoverlooked,theGlowCapbeginstoplayaringtone.Ifthisisunheard,thecapthentriggersan

automaticcalltothepatientsphone,alertinghimorhertotakethenecessarymedication.

Inaddition,theGlowCaptransmitsthepatientsmedicationadherencedatatoasecurewebsite,whereit

generatesaseriesofreports.Amonthlyprogressreportissenttothepatientshouse.Itshowssuch

informationaswhatdaysthepatienttookthemedicine,whatdaysweremissed,andwhattheoverall

compliancerateis.Thedoctorandfamilymemberscanreceiveacompliancereportaswell.

GlowCapreportsaboostinadherenceof27%.Inourview,thissuccesscomeslargelyfromtheeffective

designoftriggers.

TriggerandGlowCap

TheGlowCapsmainstrengthisitsarrayofeffectivetriggers.Thepatientreceivesdifferenttriggers,of

increasingintensity,inordertomakesuretheytakemedication.

Thefirsttriggeristhelightonthepluginunit.Sincethelightissituatednearthemedication,thisisasubtlereminderforthosewhoweremostlikelyintheprocessoftakingthemedicationalready.

Thesecondtrigger,aringtone,ismoredisruptive.Thistriggerintendstoremindthosethatcompletely

forgetabouttheirmedicine.However,sincetheringtonecannotalwaysbeheardthroughoutoneshouse,

thismaynotbeenough.


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Thefinal,mostinvasive,triggeristhephonecall.Thismakessurethattheindividualistriggeredtotake

theirmedicine.Iftheindividualreceivesthecallontheirmobilephone,theymaynotbeabletoperformthe

correctactiontakingthepill.However,iftheyareathome,thistriggeroccurswhentheyhavehighability

andhighmotivation.

AbilityandGlowCap

TheGlowCapincreasesapatientsabilitytotakemedicationsontime.Specifically,thesystemdecreasesthe

burdenofbraincyclesandsupportspatientsinestablishingaroutine.Thisleadstoincreasedmedication

compliance,aPurplePathBehavior.

MotivationandGlowCap

TheGlowCapusesdatavisualizationandsocialpressureinordertoincreasetheusersmotivation.

Whilemostpatientsarealreadymotivatedtotaketheirmedicine,sinceitmaybethedifferencebetween

lifeanddeath,extramotivationmightbehelpful.Inordertoincreasemotivation,theGlowCapallowstheusertoseetheirsuccessfulandmisseddaysonalarge,playfulcalendar.

Inaddition,becausethereportissentouttoonesclosefamilymembersanddoctor,thepatientfeelssocial

pressuretocomply.Apatientmightthink,Itwouldbeembarrassingtomisstwodaysthisweek,sinceDr.

Smithandmydaughterwouldnotice.

CaseStudy:CurvesforWomen


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TargetBehavior:IncreaseExerciseFrequencyandIntensity

Curvesisawomenonlyfitnesscenterthataimstobuildmuscle,burnfat,andpositivelyimpactthenutrition

ofitsclients.Thefranchisedoesthiswithaspecialized30minuteworkout,apositivesocialenvironment,

andtargetedcoaching.

AbilityandCurves

CurvesachievesitsPurplePathsuccessprimarilybyincreasingapersonsabilitytoworkout.Curveshasone

optimizedworkoutforwomen:a30minuteroutine.Thisstandardprogramfreeswomenfrommaking

decisionsintheirbusylives.Forexample,oneyoungmothermightthink,ShouldIgotothegymtoday?

Well,Imnotsurewhatkindofworkoutwouldbebestformetoday.Anditmighttaketoolong....

WithCurvesitssimpleyoujustshowupandgetitdone.

OncewomenarriveatCurves,theyjoinagroupandfollowalong.Eventheexercisemachinesmakeiteasier:

theyadjustautomaticallytoeachwomanaftersheinsertsherIDcard.

MotivationandCurves

Curvesbuildsaspecialcommunityatmospheretomotivatecustomers.BecauseCurvesisforwomenonly,

thegroupdynamicisntlikeothergyms.Thefearfactorcertainlyislessforwomenlesspressuretobegym

savvyorlookperfect.Inaddition,Curveshascreatedavibrantonlinecommunitysothatwomencangain

evenmoresupport.Thissenseofbelongingmotivates.


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TriggerandCurves

Curvesembracesaholisticapproachtofitnessand,therefore,hascustomersuseCurvesbrandedproducts

throughouttheirlifefooddiary,companionwebsite,etc.Productsliketheseremindtheuseroftheir

affiliationwiththegymandcantriggerworkoutbehavior.

WhatsNext?

InourStanfordLab,wewillcontinuetoexpandandimprovethisResourceGuideforPurplePathBehaviors.

Whatyouseenowissimplyouralphaversion.Andthisisoneof15ResourceGuideswearecreatingtohelp

peopledesignforbehaviorchange.

Wewelcomeyourfeedback.Whatdidyoufindhelpful?Whatwasmissing?Inshort,howcanwemakethis

guidebetterforyou?

BecauseweupdatetheResourceGuides,thedocumentyouarereadingrightnowisprobablyoutdated.

Wevealreadymadeitbetter!Pleasecontactustofindouthowtogetournewandimprovedversion.

Onemorething.Ifyouhaveafriendwhowouldlikeacopyofthisguide,pleasedonotsendthisdocument

tothem.Instead,havethemrequesttheirown,mostcurrentdocumentbyemailing

[email protected].

BJFogg,Ph.D.

Director,PersuasiveTechLab@StanfordUniversity

[email protected]

Purple Path Behavior Guide

Documents

Transcript of Purple Path Behavior Guide