Behavioral design and motivation

1) What is behavioral design

Behavioral design is a systems approach to designing interfaces and services that helps people more easily perform targeted actions by removing barriers, increasing motivation, and making the right behavior "default." The goal is not to "push at any cost," but to combine the value of the product and the interests of the user, while maintaining autonomy and transparency.

• Simplify the action (friction ↓) before increasing motivation.
• Make the "right way" the easiest and most visible.
• Clarify near-term benefit and here-and-now feedback.
• Follow ethics: Avoid dark patterns and false urgency.

2) Basic motivation models

2. 1 Fogg Behavior Model (FBM)

Behavior = Motivation × Ability × Trigger.

Motivation: desire/interest/fear of omission.
Ability: Ease of step (time, money, effort, repeatability, difficulty).
Trigger: an explicit signal at the right time (call-to-action, push, hint in context).

Practice: if the behavior does not happen - first reduce the complexity of the step (form on 1 field, Apple/Google Pay, autocomplete), then improve the signal and only then increase motivation.

2. 2 COM-B

The behavior is based on: Capability, Opportunity, Motivation.

Capability: knowledge, skills, memory.
Opportunity: external environment, accessibility, social environment.
Motivation: automatic (habits, emotions) and reflective (goals, values).

Practice: COM-B barrier map → design interventions (training micro-prompts, social proof, correct defaults).

2. 3 Self-determination theory (SDT)

Sustainable motivation appears when 3 needs are met: autonomy, competence, involvement.

Let's choose (modes, limits, personal goals).
Show progress and skill (skill ladders, training badges).
Maintain community (clubs, fair ratings, fair rules).

3) Cognitive effects and nudges

• Status Quo and Defaults - The default options are used more frequently.
• Progress effect: Visible scale/checklist speeds up completion.
• Social proof: "80% of similar users...."
• Losses are stronger than gains: Frame benefits as preventing time/money/effort losses.
• Target gradient: The closer to the goal, the higher the pace of action.
• Step division: small "tasty" steps> one large.

• Transparent reason for recommendation.
• Easy refusal and a clear alternative.
• No hidden subscriptions, "default" auto-renewals without informing.

4) Habit loops and gamification

4. 1 Habit loop

Signal → Action → Reward → Integration into the sense of self.

Signal: reminder in context (by time/event).
Action: minimum step-in.
Reward: immediate, appropriate feedback (not necessarily material).

Identity: "I'm a person who does X regularly."

4. 2 Gamification mechanics (wisely)

Progress bars, quests, levels (do not replace the value of the product).
Collections/badges for training or healthy habits.
Challenges with soft terms, team goals, cooperation.
Personal goals and limits as part of responsible use.

5) Behavioral design in flow product

5. 1 Onboarding

Progress indicator "1 of 3," auto-substitution, 1-click input.

Micro-learning at the moment: hints on the element, short "demo click tours."

Defaults are safe and reversible.
"Start small": basic setup, rest later.

5. 2 Activation

"First victories" within 1-3 minutes (demo data, templates, preview of the result).

Social cues/cases "as others do."

Context CTAs near the target (not in general notification).

5. 3 Retention

The rhythm of reminders is adaptive (in fact, not calendar).

Recommendations for habits: "continue yesterday," "close the checklist of the week."

Benefit feedback: N minutes/effort saved.

5. 4 Payment flow

Clarity of price and conditions, lack of bait- & -switch.
Trap-free confirmations, clear returns/cancellations.
Highlighting reliable and quick methods "by default," but without hidden restrictions.

6) Responsible design and anti-patterns

• Awareness: the user understands why he is "pushed."
• Control: easy opt-out, clear settings.
• Wellbeing: Design does not encourage harmful behavioural patterns.
• Accessibility: People with different opportunities get equal chances.

• Hidden checkboxes of agreement, negative yes/no wording.
• False urgency, fake meters.
• Confusing unsubscriptions, "sticky" subscriptions.
• Opaque "micro-barriers" that provoke harmful cycles.

7) Metrics and behavior analytics

• Activation Rate (passed key action ≤ X minutes).
• TTFV (Time-to-First-Value) и TTW (Time-to-Win).
• Retention: D1/D7/D30, rolling retention.
• Habit Index: proportion of weeks where ≥ N target actions are performed.
• Friction Metrics: dropped steps, average number of attempts, step time.
• Fairness/Trust: Complaints, unsubscribes on communications, NPS/CSAT after critical flow.

• Display → Intent → Start → Finish (each step as a separate event).
• Context attributes: device, traffic source, time of day, segment.
• Experiments: A/B/n, CUPED/stratification, test power exposure.

8) Behavioral Scenario Map Template (Mini Canvas)

1. Targeted behavior: What exactly is going to happen?
2. Context and moment: where/when is the user ready to do this?
3. Barriers (COM-B): ability, opportunity, motivation.
4. Reducing friction: what are the simplifications in the interface?
5. Triggers: Where and how to show the signal?
6. Reward/feedback: what will see/get right away?
7. Ethics and control options: how to opt out/set up?
8. Success metrics: what and how are we measuring?
9. Experimental design: hypothesis → metric → effect size → duration.
10. Risks and anti-patterns: what are we excluding?

9) Catalogue of techniques (with example formulations)

Defaults: safe option chosen in advance; caption: "Can be changed in settings."

Micro-step: "Add only e-mail - the rest later."

Empty state with demo: "Here's an example project - click Retry."

Path separation: "Fast start/Advanced settings."

Progress bar: "2 out of 3 - 30 seconds left."

Social proof: "Top template of the week - 2,153 uses."

Pre-comment: "Set a goal for the week" (+ reminder).
Visual anchors: large primary button, secondary - less noticeable.
Eco-friendly reminders: "You seem to have done X in the evenings. Do you want to continue?

10) Command process: from hypothesis to solution

1. Research: interviews, diary techniques, pictures of the day, session analysis.
2. Behavior mapping: FBM/COM-B + user path.
3. The idea of ​ ​ nudges: collaborative workshop (Crazy-8s/How-Might-We).
4. Prioritization: ICE/PIE with an "ethics/risk" weight.

5. Prototyping: fast clickable prototypes, "Wizard-of-Oz."

6. Experiments: A/B/n, retention and quality of experience as peer metrics.
7. Rollout: feature flags, phased rolling, monitoring complaints.
8. Retrospective: What has become a habit? what's left a one-time blip?

11) Interface Review Checklist

• The goal of the step is clear in the ≤ 3 seconds.
• There is "micro-success" and instant feedback.
• There is a safe default and a simple failure.
• Key CTA next to the task context.
• Form fields are minimal; auto-substitution is enabled.
• Progress is transparent; there is no false urgency.
• Communications are personalized by event, not "by calendar."
• Limit/control settings are accessible and clear.
• Metrics and events are configured prior to release.
• Checked availability and localization.

12) Examples of correct and incorrect solutions

Correct: "We recommend the fast X method - it is processed in the ~ 10 seconds. You can change it in one click."

Incorrect: hidden checkbox for auto-subscription; timer, which is "tick-tock," although the offer does not disappear.

13) Documentation of artifacts

COM-B/FBM map for key scenarios.
Solutions-nudes describing ethics and reversibility.
Event scheme and KPI list.
Journal of experiments (hypotheses, results, effect on retention).

Guide to dark patterns and internal "red lines."

14) Frequent command errors

They start with motivation, ignoring friction.
Make "play for play" instead of product value.
Disguise a weak sentence with aggressive clues.
Outputs/failures are not designed.
Only step conversion is measured, forgetting about long-term loyalty.

15) Concise Dictionary

Nudge: soft "nudger."

Default: preset option.
Habit Loop: a cycle of habit formation.
Loss Aversion: Tendency to avoid losses.
Progress Feedback - visual confirmation of movement towards the target.

Summary

Behavioral design is not about manipulation, but about respectful service: minimal friction, clear triggers, honest defaults and instant feedback. Sustainable habits are formed where the product quickly provides value, maintains autonomy, and makes the "right choice" simple and transparent.