Behavioral Design 101: How to Design for Behavior Change
Can you understand and assess the potentially far-reaching consequences of seemingly small design choices? As designers, every decision you make influences user actions. You are shaping behavior, whether intentionally or not. In this Master Class with Expert Behavioral Designer, Samuel Salzer, you’ll learn how you can use tools, insights, and principles from behavioral design to thoughtfully and systematically design for behavior change.
This session will demystify the concepts of behavioral design and product psychology, to show you what really matters when integrating behavioral science into your workflow. The aim is to enhance your ability to understand user needs and ensure your designs not only meet key product metrics such as engagement, retention, and low churn but also crucially influence the right behavior change.
You’ll learn:
- The foundational principles of behavioral design, emphasizing systematic processes over quick fixes.
- User research through a behavioral science lens, enabling you to navigate its complexities and leverage diverse viewpoints for richer outcomes.
- Strategic uses of behavioral design tools like behavioral maps and behavioral personas, highlighting their unique advantages over traditional tools.
- Practical, systematic approaches to apply behavioral design principles to boost user engagement and satisfaction.
- The nuances of understanding user behaviors beyond what users can articulate—exploring the 'why' behind their actions, not just the 'what' they say or do.
This Master Class is crucial for anyone looking to significantly impact their design practice through the powerful lens of behavioral design. It's not just about adding new tools to your toolkit—it's about evolving your perspective to transform how you see and influence the world through your design choices.
Speaker
Samuel Salzer is a leading Behavioral Strategist and Habit Expert, applying behavioral science at the intersection of product, design, and AI. As the co-founder of Nuance Behavior, a behavioral science collective, he stands at the forefront of the emerging field of behavioral design and is deeply engaged in how we can design digital products and services that change behavior for good.
He advises numerous tech startups, predominately in digital health, sustainability, and fintech. Samuel is also the co-author of the book Nudging in Practice - Helping Organisations Make It Easy to Do the Right Thing and the founder of Habit Weekly, the largest global community for behavioral designers, with over 15,000 members.
As a frequent keynote speaker, he enjoys exploring topics like how to drive long-term engagement and designing for habit formation. Overall, his work aims to help product teams harness the best of behavioral science to achieve positive behavior change in the world, at scale.
You can learn more about his work on his website.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why are design skills so important right now?
Design skills are incredibly valuable for both you personally and for your company.
For you personally, design skills are important because:
Salaries for people who learn design are soaring, surpassing $200K in cities like San Francisco, with global job growth rates at 13%.
Many of your job competitors already possess design skills. When you enhance your design skills you can significantly elevate your personal brand and make you a more attractive candidate.
You learn skills that protect you from losing your job to AI.
You can ignite your passion through design and leverage it to make a meaningful impact.
For your company, design skills are important because:
Your design skills can help increase sales, keep customers loyal, and turn them into powerful advocates of your company. That’s because design is all about helping people reach their goals and meet their needs.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by a whopping 228%.
Design goes way beyond creating attractive visuals and aesthetics. When you possess design skills you’re equipped to revolutionize businesses, make technology more user-friendly, and innovate customer experiences and systems.
I’m not a designer. Why should I learn design and tech?
Design and tech skills can make you an indispensable asset to your company and open up career opportunities.
For example, if you’re in a field such as:
Marketing, Communication and HR
Software Development
Customer Service
Business
Psychology
Project Management
Architecture
Content Creation
Healthcare
Teaching
And other fields
Why can design skills make you valuable in all these jobs and industries?
That’s because design skills are incredibly valuable for both you personally and for your company.
For you personally, design skills are important because:
Salaries for people who learn design are soaring, surpassing $200K in cities like San Francisco, with global job growth rates at 13%.
Many of your job competitors already possess design skills. When you enhance your design skills you can significantly elevate your personal brand and make you a more attractive candidate.
You learn skills that protect you from losing your job to AI.
You can ignite your passion through design and leverage it to make a meaningful impact.
For your company, design skills are important because:
Your design skills can help increase sales, keep customers loyal, and turn them into powerful advocates of your company. That’s because design is all about helping people reach their goals and meet their needs.
Companies that invest in design outperform the S&P 500 Index by a whopping 228%.
Design goes way beyond creating attractive visuals and aesthetics. When you possess design skills you’re equipped to revolutionize businesses, make technology more user-friendly, and innovate customer experiences and systems.
How can design skills protect me from losing my job to AI?
AI is killing jobs in all industries. Humanity has never faced such a powerful force, developing at an exponential speed.
You can protect yourself by learning design: You’ll use the very fabric of being human, like empathy and intuition. AI never can never replace that. These skills are timeless and will stay with you forever.
Design is centered on human needs and goals. That’s why you can protect your future with the power of human-centered design. Mastering these skills can shield you from AI-driven disruptions.
We’ll even teach you how to use AI as your career helper, not your terminator.
Do I need any prior experience in design or tech?
Good news!
You don’t need any prerequisites or prior experience in design or tech. We’ve crafted the learning experience to ensure your success and real career outcomes, regardless of your age or background.
Will I receive a Certificate?
Yes! After you finish, you’ll receive an industry-recognized IxDF Certificate.
Use your IxDF Certificates to increase your credibility and salary potential. Your employer and clients will trust you when you can prove that you’ve learned from the best.
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That’s easy! You can use your IxDF Certificates to increase your credibility and salary potential. Your employer and clients will trust you when you can prove that you’ve learned from the best.
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We can help you in several ways.
Join meet-ups in your city: Join the regular meet-ups in your city in a nearby cafe or office building to have fun and learn with people just like you. You get full access to IxDF Local Groups where you can build your network, find your next job, enjoy yourself and learn from your peers. The meetings are completely optional and are spread across over 500 cities worldwide. Your network is your net worth.
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I just signed up for a live Master Class. What's next?
I just signed up for a live Master Class. What's next?
Wonderful! When you sign up for a Master Class, you’ll receive an email from Zoom with a link to join the live Master Class.
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Great news! You’ll also get an on-demand version of your Master Class a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page.
That way, you can view the Master Class on-demand at any time. As many times as you wish.
Will the live Master Class be recorded and become available on-demand?
Absolutely!
When you sign up for a live Master Class, you’ll automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you’re an IxDF member. If you’re not a member, you’ll receive your recording by email.
You can enjoy your Master Class on-demand at any time, anywhere. Watch it as many times as you want.
What if I can’t attend a live Master Class?
Great news! We’ve got you covered.
When you sign up for the live Master Class, you’ll automatically receive the link to the recording a few hours after the live event ends.
A few days later, the on-demand Master Class will show up on your private profile page if you’re an IxDF member. If you’re not a member, you’ll receive your recording by email.
You can enjoy your Master Class on-demand at any time, anywhere. Watch it as many times as you want.
What if I have more questions?
What if I have more questions?
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Reach out to us at hello@interaction-design.org or use the online contact form.