Behavioral Design: Deep Dive

Twenty modules on the invisible architecture of everyday choices. How environments, defaults, and friction shape what people do without them even noticing.

Foundations5 modules
01Available
What is Behavioral Design?
The practice of applying behavioral science insights to shape environments, products, and systems that help people make better choices.
02Available
Nudge Theory
Thaler and Sunstein's concept: a nudge alters behavior in a predictable way without forbidding options or significantly changing economic incentives.
03Available
Libertarian Paternalism
The philosophy behind nudging: helping people make better choices while preserving freedom of choice. Controversial but influential.
04Available
Choice Architecture Principles
Defaults, feedback, mapping, structured complexity, error reduction. The NUDGES framework for designing better choice environments.
05Available
Ethics of Behavioral Design
When does a nudge become manipulation? Transparency, autonomy, and the distinction between nudging and sludge.
Core Mechanisms5 modules
06Available
Default Effects
What happens when you change the pre-selected option. Retirement savings, organ donation, printer settings: defaults shape behavior at massive scale.
07Available
Framing and Presentation
The same information, presented differently, leads to different choices. Loss framing vs gain framing, percentage vs frequency.
08Available
Social Proof and Norms
'Most people in your neighborhood conserve energy.' Descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and when social proof backfires.
09Available
Friction and Sludge
Adding or removing small barriers dramatically changes behavior. One extra click can cut conversion by 50%.
10Available
Commitment Devices
Strategies people use to lock in future behavior. Ulysses contracts, deposit commitments, and public declarations.
Applications5 modules
11Available
Health Behavior Design
Calorie labeling, portion size, medication adherence, physical activity nudges, vaccination scheduling.
12Available
Financial Behavior Design
Save More Tomorrow, round-up savings, default enrollment in 401(k), simplification of financial choices.
13Available
Environmental Behavior Design
Energy conservation, recycling, sustainable transportation, reducing food waste through behavioral interventions.
14Available
Digital Product Design
Onboarding flows, notification design, engagement vs. well-being, dark patterns and their ethical implications.
15Available
Workplace Behavior Design
Meeting design, feedback systems, diversity hiring processes, productivity environments.
Advanced Practice5 modules
16Available
Measuring Behavioral Impact
RCTs, A/B testing, effect sizes, and what counts as a meaningful behavioral change.
17Available
Behavioral Mapping
Identifying decision points, barriers, and enablers in a behavioral journey. Creating intervention maps.
18Available
Sludge Audits
Finding and removing unnecessary friction that prevents people from achieving their goals.
19Available
Cross-Cultural Behavioral Design
What works in one culture may fail in another. Individualist vs. collectivist approaches, WEIRD bias in research.
20Available
Building a Behavioral Design Practice
Frameworks for systematically applying behavioral insights in your organization or personal life.