How might we help people to change?

I was a one-man band responsible for user research, interaction design, prototyping and UI design.

There are many myths and half-truths about habits circling around. Good example is the 21 day myth spread by innumerous blogs, gurus and coaches. One of the goals of the project was to rely on valid insights and sift through noise that was prevalent. To do this I started by reading a bunch of research papers on behavior change, habit formation, willpower, ego depletion and related subjects.

Mental resources like attention and willpower are limited. In order to function, we learn subconscious routines that free the resources for more valuable and urgent situations. Remember your first driving class (If you’re driving an automatic, you won’t relate much to this story, but please imagine the pain of manual gears) - Using one hand for the wheel while switching the gear with another one, while pressing the clutch with your foot, looking at three mirrors, road, signs and listening a driving instructor. It was a sensory overload. Brain can’t handle so much information at a same time, so we learn discrete procedures and internalize them:

One of the most overlooked insight about behavior change is that the bigger the uncertainty is, harder it is to achieve change. Thus, per Steve Wendel’s model from Designing for Behavior Change, in order to do some action, a person needs to notice a trigger, react to it, find the activity worth doing, have everything available to do it and have enough time for it. Only if all conditions are met, person will perform the activity.

There are many products related to habit tracking, and even more focusing on specific routines, like meditation and running. They all use different strategies and cover a different ground. Some are focused on tracking, and work as repeating to-do lists using the don’t-break-the-chain method, some use professional coaches and rely on social aspects, or even electroshocks.

Several groups emerged:

Once I had some background info, I was able to conduct open-ended interviews. This lead to formation of primary, successful, and anti persona, based on strategies and tools they used to cope with change, new habits and achieve their goals.

What’s the most effective way to help Vanja change? Calendar, app, wearable, online course, personal trainer, a guide?

Before deciding on the platform and format it was important to understand the story of Vanja’s day, how it unfolded, what were the obstacles, how would this “helper” fit her day, how it would respond to unforeseen circumstances and distractions like unexpected call from Dad, drinks with friends or such.

Telling the story in this way made it clear that the solution requires to be interactive, transportable. Desktop, print and others were dismissed, mobile phone and smart watches came into the view.

A lo-fi  prototype was made from sketched screens. This was a cheap and effective way to validate ideas, find problematic flows, and improve them.

Visuals had very important role - they needed to guide Vanja through many unknowns, help her overcome her fears, overcome barriers and be a guiding hand on the path to self-improvement.

Finally all required pieces could be assembled. The final prototype consists of several main flows:

One of the worst kind of apps are those who don’t tolerate mistakes. Achiever tried to be the opposite, by offering ways to slow down if it detected becoming a burden, offering to check-in for previous days if she forgot or didn’t have time, and level-up if it became too easy and boring.

This concept was validated with multiple prototypes that resonated well with users and in different discussion and presentations. Similar patterns and ideas started emerging in parallel, in apps for working-out, savings, investment and other. Some of them, different in execution but similar in guiding psychology and principles got large communities of users, won awards and provide a proof that there’s large untapped opportunity for this kind of apps - that use the knowledge of behaviour change not to addict and exploit users, but to help them achieve best version of themselves.