Whenever we learn something, we need to practice doing it to actually embed the new processes in our work. Think of it as modeling the behavior you want to see in the future. This behavior modeling happens after the lesson, in the design, experimentation, and feedback phases. The best way to learn behavioral science is to run a ton of experiments; the second best way is to design them and predict what would work (or what would be the best choice given time and resource constraints).
We know it often won't be possible to launch an experiment and have data within a week. So when thatâs not feasible, it can be useful to brainstorm experiments, predict which would be most effective, and game plan how you'd handle different results with your team.
Additionally, you can do quick-and-dirty applications of these behavior change concepts in your own life around personal goals you might have. What works for you personally? Who might respond the same? What groups might this not work for? The best behavioral scientists we know are often experimenting in their own lives, where they can get data much faster and shorten feedback cycles.
Examples:
⢠How can I experiment with rewarding myself to do X using extrinsic rewards that aligns with my intrinsic motivation (or at least doesn't crowd it out)?
⢠How can we make it more likely for our team to do something we've been putting off by adding a concurrent reward? (AKA temptation bundling)
⢠How can we get our population to do X by making the experience better evoke an intrinsic reward?
Whatever you do, track it with a spreadsheet or app to measure whether or not it works. Then write a short post-mortem afterwards to deconstruct it - what would you stop doing, start doing, and continue? What could you layer on later to make the tactic more effective or prevent boredom/attrition? Feel free to use any concept from this week, or anything that relates to motivation and rewards.
List at least 5-10 different experiment ideas or reward variations, whether you're planning a work experiment or a personal one. Don't just go with the first idea that comes to mind for you or your team, and list several different reward types. Prioritize ones which will be the most effective and easiest to get going (i.e. best ROI). Feel free to test ideas that combine more than one type of reward.
That's it for week 2. Let's go design some experiments!