Using Design to Influence Behavior

An interesting post by Robert Fabricant at frog design titled, “Design With Intent How designers can influence behavior.” discusses the concept of using to design to change or influence people’s behavior. The focus of User Centered Design has been to understand user behavior and then design to fit into those behaviors. Flipping that approach around and asking what behavior would we like to encourage, then designing products, services, experiences, programs etc. to move people toward that new behavior is intriguing.

Architects know the environments they design can and will influence behavior to some extent but it’s limited to behavior within the specific environment they’ve constructed. In the web world we think about influencing behavior at a micro level when we design for purchase completion or sign-up but we’re not really influencing a person’s day-to-day behavior at a macro level. Asking ourselves how we can or should use design to impact a person’s life really adds a whole new dimension to the potential and purpose of design. Of course it also opens up a new discussion about the role of ethics and a debate on what behaviors should be influenced (and how and why).

I’m going to have to ponder this one some more.

Quirks, Clutter, and Authenticity

I’ve been visiting this store in Dorset, Vermont Since I was three years old.

Peltier’s (as I’ve always known it) first opened in 1816 on the Dorset town green. It’s always been one of my favorite places – an old general store with friendly people, well worn steps, an unusually narrow front door, and great muffins.

Last year Peltier’s was purchased by new owners, renovated, and renamed “Dorset Union Store” (the original name we’re told). Last week my daughter and I were in Dorset and went to Peltier’s (it will always be Peltier’s to me) a couple of times. We checked out the changes the new owners had made. Nice wood shelves, a new coffee bar, a cleaned up floorplan, a large wine section. Pretty nice.

But after leaving, my daughter commented that the store didn’t feel right. It was too neat and orderly. I thought about it and went back one more time to observe more carefully. Sure enough. She was right.

The old Peltier’s had “that” authentic country store charm. Mismatched shelves, an old barrel full of toys protruding into an aisle, local flyers stapled on the wall by the cash register, a steep ramp that went down into a second room (where the giant cheese wheel was kept). The new store seemed too neat, organized, and, well, too designed. So well designed that they seem to have lost some of the store’s personality.

Often a primary design objective is to elimate or avoid clutter. But authentic country stores have quirks and clutter. I love a well-designed store but, in this case, I miss the clutter.