Aim For Behavior - A design, innovation & change consultancy

When did LinkedIn turn back into Instagram, circa 2019? “Like, tag, comment, and share to get the free resource.” I thought we had moved past engagement bait practices and into something closer to real dialogue and value exchange. But apparently, nostalgia marketing now includes strange platform tactics too. Curious: are we optimizing for reach, or for value? (I know it’s outside my usual posts, but feel it had to be said)

Are we lacking strategic clarity as a true driver of change? Many change programs don't fail because people resist. They fail because people don't know what, exactly, is changing—or why it matters. I was watching the UN Behavioral Science Week and in one of the session, I got a thought: when strategic direction isn't clear, action tends to slow down. Not because people are unwilling, but because the system hasn't helped them to know where to go. That lead me to reflect on my own experience, that what is happening around change in organizations is more of a structural problem, because even when policies exist, teams often don't follow them due to leadership assuming there is understanding when there probably isn't. Clarity is only going to work when it shows up at the moment of action. If leaders think " but we already communicated this, they get it" they've probably already lost half change process. That lack of timely and trusted direction, especially in high-pressure situations tends to push people to inaction. They're not waiting for more information—they're waiting for signals from you. Something else that really resonated with me from the talk was Lennart Klein's talk on data distraction, and his quote is fantastic: "Just because there’s a beautiful dashboard doesn’t mean it’s useful for the decision-making process.” Beautiful dashboards create an illusion of clarity while often obscuring what matters. Most leaders aren't short on information. They're short on structure that removes ambiguity. What works instead: -Make direction explicit in tradeoffs, not just slides -Check if managers can explain the change without notes -Frame decisions in real terms: what we're doing, what we're not, and why -Test understanding, not just compliance Strategic clarity isn't about communicating more. It's about being precise, timely, and consistent—especially when stakes are high. Remember, most people don't resist change. They resist confusion... think about that every time you are working on a change project. If your change can't be explained at the team level without interpretation, you don't have a change strategy that's ready for execution.

Here is a checklist to help you with adoption... After working on many of change projects, we keep seeing the same thing over and over, it has turned into a repeatable pattern: AI (or latest emerging tech) capabilities get teams excited. Tools are rolled out left and right, the Excel killer keeps coming every year (maybe this time it actually happens) And then… no one really uses them as they should. I will go back to the excel example, years ago after a very expensive new system was rolled out, we did some internal research and when we spoke to colleagues they told us they still used excel to do most of the work... millions in a new system that rarely was being used. So what is the issue? We end up focusing on what AI can do, not on how people actually adopt new tools. Use the checklist below to uncover hidden motivational gaps before adoption stalls: AI Adoption Checklist 1. What People Need Before They’ll Use Your AI Tool -Choice: Do people have real input in how AI is implemented? -Progress: Can they clearly see how it makes them better at their work? -Connection: Does it support collaboration — or isolate people further? 2. Why People Use It (or Quietly Abandon It) -Are there natural workflow moments where AI fits without friction? -Does using AI align with how people see their role or expertise? -Can it still be used when people are overloaded or stressed? -Does it solve something they care about right now? -Have you addressed concerns about skill loss or job security? Remember, adoption isn’t about telling someone to do something. It’s about trust, ease, and relevance. How are you approaching adoption?

The Behavior Gap: Why Good Change Plans Often Fail Last week I sat in a meeting where a team was confused about their latest change initiative. "We did everything right," the leader said.... -Clear communication -Great training -Executive sponsorship. But six months in, people are still working the old way." Can you relate to this? After many years working on change, in private and in government settings, I realized there was a disconnect in how we approached organizational change. We focused on the plan, the messaging, the training. But we rarely got into the practical reality of behavior change. What helps? Before any change effort, I've found asking these everyday questions makes all the difference: 1. Can we change the information we provide and how we provide it? (Is it actually useful for daily work?) 2. Can we change how we help develop skills? (Beyond training sessions to real practice) 3. Can we change how we communicate? (Less telling, more showing and involving) 4. Can we change how decisions are made? (Who's involved and when) 5. Can we change the incentives? (What actually motivates this specific team) 6. Can we change the environment? (The physical or digital workspace itself) 7. Can we change policies, processes, and the system? (The rules and workflows that guide behavior) You would be surprised to see that sometimes the smallest practical changes make the biggest difference. What's the most successful change you've seen in your organization? What made it stick beyond the initial rollout?

Most change communications fail. Here's the system we use to drive real action. Ever created a change initiative only to see it fall flat? all because your communications didn't drive action? It was challenges like these that had us think and then develop BOOST©—our framework combining behavioral science with strategic messaging. Organizations often focus on what they want to say rather than designing communications that actually change behavior. Here's the framework and some examples to bring it to life: B - BEHAVIOR: Define exactly what behavior change looks like in measurable terms. When helping a manufacturing client improve safety, we defined the target as "100% completion of pre-shift equipment checks" rather than vague "safety compliance." O - OBSERVE: Identify specific barriers and motivators. At a healthcare organization, we discovered nurses weren't using a new system not because of training gaps, but because it added steps during peak periods. O - ORGANIZE: Map the journey, the audience specific messages and match them to each barrier and motivator, choose channels and form your execution. For a tech transformation, we organized communications in three phases: addressing fear of job loss, building capability confidence, and leveraging social proof from early adopters. S - SHAPE MESSAGING: Blend behavioral science with compelling narratives. Instead of announcing a new expense policy, we highlighted how time saved could be reinvested in meaningful work—addressing the "what's in it for me" factor - "blend the science and the art" T - TEST & EVALUATE: Start with small tests, measure actual behavior change (not just comprehension), and refine. Why not use it review your change communications? Some things you can do today: 1. Remember to ask, if your comms connect to specific, measurable behaviors. 2. Rewrite one key message to directly link to your most important desired behavior.

Nudges Are Just Tactics. Behavioral Science Is A Process. Don't Confuse The Two When we truly work on behavior change, we cannot rely solely on one set of tactics because human behavior is complex, nuanced, and embedded within systems - requiring far more sophisticated approaches than simple nudges. Effective change demands: 1. Systematic evidence-based approach - change work requires scientific rigor, not intuitive assumptions 2. Strategic framework selection - Each project demands careful evaluation of which models make the most sense for specific contexts 3.Precise behavioral framing - Challenges must be defined in behavioral terms while accounting for the system in which behaviors occur 4.Human-centered understanding - Deep empathy for underlying needs drives effective solutions 5. Cultural intelligence - Behavioral patterns vary dramatically across cultures, requiring nuanced approaches 6. Comprehensive driver analysis - Using robust models to map all factors influencing behaviors 7. Systems thinking - Looking beyond the individual to identify organizational and environmental factors 8. Evidence-backed strategies - Selecting techniques with proven efficacy for specific behavioral challenges 9. Cross-disciplinary methods - Drawing from design, psychology, and other fields to translate insights into solutions 10. Rigorous impact evaluation - Testing hypotheses and monitoring for unintended consequences In reality: Meaningful change or evolution requires substantial investment to develop solid, testable hypotheses. Nudges, while valuable tactical tools, cannot stand alone as the champion of behavior change despite their popularity. What's your experience? Have you seen organizations overinvest in nudging at the expense of more comprehensive approaches? Learn the process: https://lnkd.in/eefB3-6q

How can you make behavior change work for you? There are some core principles that you as a designer, innovator or change maker should think about: 1) Behaviour Change is not only about individuals - you need to account for the system and environment. 2) People's behaviour is contextual - decisions are going to vary depending on what is happening. 3) Biases as behavioral design - those findings are based on a specific context, they probably won't replicate for you - don't blame the bias, blame the context you ignored. 4)Create experiences that guide towards progress - we all want to feel like we are making progress towards something, make sure you give the right feedback 5) Account for people's needs AND the behaviors we want them to progress on - needs are important, but they need to be accompanied by the actions that have to be done. 6) Habit formation isn't easy - what you are told in terms of building habits is more of a fantasy than reality - this stuff is hard. Focus on routines and on simplifying those when needed. 7) Remove the jargon from your communications - stakeholders don't always want to know how the engine works, they need the car, which they can drive, which takes them to their destination, so they can fulfil their need. We need to be better at explaining the benefits in a way that people can understand - storytelling is your friend. 8. Embrace theories, models and frameworks - use them as thinking tools, not as things to copy paste. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ePx2PbFm

How can you help improve engagement? The Engagement Gap Audit is a free tool that helps you see how your product supports (or blocks) engagement —across 6 behavioral dimensions, grounded in science. It is a smaller version of the audits and work we do for companies in digital health, finance, insurance, tourism and more... We’ve spent the last years working with and teaching teams how to design for engagement and in doing so, we kept seeing the same thing: they didn't have a shared, structured way to look at engagement across an experience. So we took the theories we use and our ACTOR Model—and made them practical for product teams. You should of course use these as a level 2 assessment, after you have gone deeper with both heuristics, needs and behavioral analysis. In this free tool you have: 1) A radar model that shows your motivational profile across 6 dimensions 2) A behavioral maturity framework based on Motivational Support Levels 3) A scoring algorithm that gives you section-by-section recommendations 4) A set of next-step recommendations tied directly to your scores This audit serves as a reflection and thinking tool. It provides you and your team a science based approach to thinking about motivation and engagement. Get yours here: https://lnkd.in/er9fbwhi

We obsess over product-market fit, but what about product-BEHAVIOR fit? When building products, most teams know product-market fit is a crucial aspect to focus on. As important as it is to find the fit between the product and the market - it's also important to consider the fit between the product and your or customer's behavior (and drivers of behavior). Think of it, when your customer or employees use your product, they have to change something related to their behavior or the environment - which can be a big ask. The first step in working towards product-behavior fit is to get the user to try the product. Many companies today are good at this - giving free trials, getting leads, and finding ways to get people in the door. After the person gets your product, then it's important to make it easy and attractive to start using it (that may mean adapting the product to their mental model, or figuring out how to increase their motivation). By understanding the psychological, social and environmental factors that influence behavior, you can play a proactive role in building a product that truly will help people achieve their goals. And remember, most products have 2 layers - the one that helps the user with a behavior outside your product (take a pill, buy a healthy meal, go for a run) and the one that involves making sure your product enables them to do so - which is all about engagement and motivation. It's clear that to achieve Product-Market fit you can’t ignore the behavior. It's something that you can and should learn, especially if you are already creating experiences... What do you think? How do you incorporate this behavior fit? Give our free assessment a try: https://lnkd.in/er9fbwhi

The Engagement Gap Audit is a free tool that helps you see how your product supports (or blocks) engagement —across 6 behavioral dimensions, grounded in science. It is a smaller version of the audits and work we do for companies in digital health, finance, insurance, tourism and more... I've spent the last years working with and teaching teams how to design for engagement and in doing so, I kept seeing the same thing: they didn't have a shared, structured way to look at engagement across an experience. They were missing a systematic approach to understand why users engage or disengage beyond the surface-level metrics. So I took the theories we use and our ACTOR Model—and made them practical for product teams. You should of course use these as a level 2 assessment, after you have gone deeper with both heuristics, needs and behavioral analysis. In this free tool you have: 1) A radar model that shows your motivational profile across 6 dimensions 2) A behavioral maturity framework based on Motivational Support Levels 3) A scoring algorithm that gives you section-by-section recommendations 4) A set of next-step recommendations tied directly to your scores This audit serves as a reflection and thinking tool. It provides you and your team a science based approach to thinking about motivation and engagement. Let me know what you think, what you would like to see added or improved.