Changing Habits: Interview with Dr. Amy Bucher, a Behavior Change Designer
Unravel the mysteries of behavior change with Dr. Amy Bucher, a renowned Behavior Change Designer. Discover her insights on altering habits, the psychology behind it, and how these transformations can lead to a more fulfilling life.
Dr. Amy Bucher, the author of Engaged, talks about behavioral design, the science of crafting products and services in such a way as to shape or influence human behavior.
The profession of behavior change designer is still very new. We haven’t quite coalesced yet as a professional community, and there’s not a particularly well-defined path to entering the field.
What surprised you the most?
The idea that behavior could be shaped by something we don’t even notice blew my mind.
- I am surprised that even though environmental changes are one of the most effective behavior change techniques, self-control and other personal variables are still so prominent in how people think about achieving goals.
What lessons should people take away from your book regarding how they should design their own behavior or the behavior of others?
The closer you can get to a personalized approach, the better. Successful long term changes happen when a person buys into them-whether it’s because they cared enough about a goal to cultivate a series of habits, or because they’ve decided they’re willing to put in hard work for the duration.
- Tie what we are asking people to do to reasons that matter to them to make it worth their while to try. The exception to being able to assign moral value to behaviors comes with anything that directly harms others.