As a behaviour change agency, we look to apply behavioural science (BeSci) to all elements of our design process. That means not just when it comes to identifying desired behavioural outcomes or writing content.
Our UI Design team have been on quite a journey over the last few years, learning how BeSci findings can help further lift their creations to a whole new level.
As our Behavioural Science Consultant Dr Charlotte Hills puts it, they are in fact critical to the success of our client work:
“Behavioural design insights only really come alive if they're embedded into the actual user experience.
Our UI Design team are on the front lines of that. They determine whether an experience feels easy, whether it's genuinely attractive, and ultimately whether people will actually do what we're hoping they'll do.
Without that design thinking, the best behavioural science in the world just becomes noise.
When designers understand that, it changes how they build experiences, and gives them a language to articulate what's working, critique what isn't, and push their work further.”
With that in mind, we spoke to the team about this to see whether they feel like they are genuinely designing with much more purpose…
Has behavioural science changed the way you think about good design? If so, how?
Gem James – Senior UI Designer
“Yes. It feels like we now design with more purpose, with more meaning. Everything we put on the screen is there to ensure the messages are being delivered clearly – not just to look cool. And making sure it’s there for the right reason.”
Adam Morgan – Head of UI
“I'm so much more aware of what we’re trying to achieve with our interventions now - which bits need to be emphasised, what actions we want people to take. And that has an effect on whether I design a call out box or use some particular iconography, for example.
There’s a richness we’re adding to a lot of our experiences. I think it's one of the ways that you also show the audience that love and passion has gone into it – that we’ve really invested in making it interesting and attention grabbing for them.”
Can you give some examples of where behavioural insights have changed your design approach?
Adam
Basically we incorporate behavioural research much earlier into the design process now. Visual hierarchies and movement have become so important for supporting the key behavioural concepts our designers are trying to convey – no matter how subtle.
Adam
I had a project where we were looking to reframe leadership as something that everyone is a part of – everyone can take ownership and lead in different ways. So we incorporated these post-it note style annotations that presented the reframing of certain leadership phrases and concepts, in order to make it feel like personal annotations had been added.
I’m not sure we’d have come up with that kind of approach without being shown the clear behavioural outcomes that the client was looking for. This helped us to have better ideas for bringing the concepts to life.
What challenges do you face? But also what benefits do you enjoy?
Adam
Balancing the extra work to do the project justice against how much time we've got traditionally in our budgets to do it can be difficult. It's an ongoing process, really.
Gem
Taking that extra time to carefully consider things - and then to design something that really stands out. That can be challenging. I think it's definitely worth it though.
Adam
Nowadays, I definitely take a lot more inspiration now from things around me that I know use a lot of behavioural science – for example, apps like Duolingo, and how they are designed. It’s on us to look around at what other organisations are doing.
Gem
We really, really need to fully understand what our clients are trying to achieve in a way we maybe didn’t before. And I think behavioural science has therefore helped us as designers to feel much closer to our clients as a result…
