I often kickstart my day by making a conscious decision to eat healthily, however after a long tiring day when I get home and my phone goes *ting* with a notification from a food delivery app, I somehow end up ordering my regular.
Some of the simple products we use on a daily basis influence our behavior subconsciously. Our decisions often depend on how the choice is presented. Due to cognitive limitations, our rationality is bounded and heuristics & biases drive our decision-making.
“Anyone who creates the environment in which decisions are made is known as a ‘Choice Architect’. And it’s a part of almost all types of jobs (from doctors, accountants to architects)” - as stated in Nudge by Richard Thaler.
With an increasing number of people making choices through digital devices — interface designers become choice architects who knowingly or unknowingly influence people’s decisions and behaviors through the concept of nudging.
Nudges are subtle interventions that guide choices without restricting them. — Richard Thaler.
Just like the systems development life cycle — planning, analysis, design, and implementation — designing choices to nudge users follows the digital nudge cycle. (based on Datta and Mullainathan and Ly et al)
Let's discuss each phase in detail
We understand that people’s behaviors are affected by the context. The first step is to identify the digital context and the organizational goal. These goals determine how choices are to be designed, particularly the type of choice to be made. The choices can be binary (newsletter opt-in/opt-out), discrete (comparing between a few data plans), or it can be any choice. The type of choice will define the nudge to be used. However, it is crucial to consider the ethical implications of nudging people into making particular decisions.
Key Questions to Address :- What is the digital context?
- What are the overall goals?
- What specific goals are to be achieved in this situation?
- What are the ethical implications of nudging people into making certain decision?
People’s decision-making is susceptible to heuristics and biases. People are influenced by many biases such as status quo biases, availability heuristics, etc. Therefore, it is important to understand the decision process before selecting suitable nudges. This will help to guide users’ online choices and nudge them into decisions that align with the organization’s overall goals.
Key Questions to Address :- What are the user goals?
- What is their decision-making process?
- What heuristics might influence their choices?
Some common heuristics and cognitive biases —