LivingSocial’s increasing focus on behavioral change

action design dc • january 15, 2013

scott stroud & liz odar

daily dealsescapes

fun & eventsshop

takeout & delivery

what is action design?

design to influence behavior

(behavior = a range of actions)

action design at LivingSocial

user research

what is user research?

“Providing insights into product users, their perspectives, and their abilities to the right people at the right time.”

Tomer SharonUX Research, Google

common questions

• what are users looking for?

• what do they care about?

• can they use this thing?

• why are they doing X?

• why are they not doing Y?

Contextual Inquiry

Usability tests

Diary Studies

Customer Service Shadowing

Un-moderated tests

research methods

lab

tools we use

recruit livingsocial.com/research

screen share

record Silverback

other

diary studies

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current process

» hypothesis » research» analyze» report » design» launch» measure

➜

we need a better framework to help user research

influence design

example: the redemption

problem

+

+

• flood of consumers at the beginning and end of redemption period

• consumers ask for refunds if they can’t get in before expiration

• merchants are overwhelmed by spikes

• merchants want returning, loyal customers

the problem

identify KPIs(key performance

indicators)

+

• reduce refunds by x %

• increase voucher redemptions by x%

• even out distribution over redemption period

• increase customer & merchant satisfaction

KPIs

identify goals, behaviors, & motivations

of each persona

consumers merchants

+

• don’t waste money

• find the merchant’s location

• have a good experience

user goals

given what we know about goals & KPIs,

what actions do we want to encourage?

or stop?

+

• use voucher early, but not during a spike

• find merchant without hassle

• give voucher as a gift to someone else

• redeem for paid value if expired

desired actions

how do we change behavior?

(first, understand what makes a behavior happen)

the behavior modelbj fogg (stanford university)

at the same moment

behaviors

motivations

abilities

triggers

=

core motivatorspleasure

hope

social acceptance

pain

fear

rejection

+

pleasure of experiencing the restaurant, spa, etc.

pleasure of checking it off to-do list

social acceptance of <going to a restaurant> with

someone special or a group

hope of finding a new favorite spot

fear of wasting money if I don’t redeem

motivatorswhat motivates me to redeem?

+

hope that the merchant won’t be slammed

social acceptance by the merchant when they are free to spend more time with you

fear that I’ll forget if I wait any longer

motivators... at a time that’s good for me and good for the merchant?

+

nothing (I forgot)

fear of not having someone to go with (see also: rejection)

fear of being part of the last-minute rush

fear of my own dissatisfaction

motivatorswhat motivates me to let a deal expire?

abilities(time/money, willingness, brain power,

social friction)

+

understanding how vouchers work, when they expire, and where to find the ones I own

knowing where the merchant is located and how to contact them if needed

knowing when the merchant is least busy (or vibrant)

abilitieswhat makes it simple for me to redeem at a optimal time?

triggers(do it! now.)

activation threshold(Fogg behavior model)

✔triggers succeed

✘triggers fail

motivation

ability

high

low

hard to do easy to do

choose types of triggers that match motivation and ability

types of triggers(Fogg behavior model)

signalfacilitator

motivation

ability

high

low

hard to do easy to do

spark

types of triggers(Fogg behavior model)

signalfacilitator

motivation

ability

high

low

hard to do easy to do

spark

+

memory that I own the voucher

reminder email from LivingSocial

app or site notification

mobile OS notification (e.g., apple iOS passbook push notif based on location)

triggerswhat triggers me to redeem a voucher at a good time?

behavior chains(trigger small actions first)

how do we prioritize?

1) what is the likelihood we’ll

change/create/stop the behavior?

2) if the behavior changes,

what is the relative impact to KPIs?

15 types of behavior change

(source: Fogg behavior model)

donew

behavior

dofamiliar

behaviorincrease decrease stop

one time

periodof time

from now on

find the right mix of triggers, ability, motivators

credit: flickr user rosa y dani

want to increase a behavior?

+++ motivators

make iteasier

+++ triggers

want to stop a behavior?

make itharder

remove triggersde-motivate

+design solutions

• use voucher early, but not during a spike

send reminder emails/notifications a few weeks after purchase, but stagger who gets them when

+design solutions

• find merchant without hassle

make it easy to find the merchant location (e.g., better mapping features on mobile app)

+design solutions

• give voucher as a gift to someone else

present gift options after purchase, especially in reminders

motivate with the pleasure of gift-giving

+design solutions

• redeem for paid value if expired

send reminders/notifications even after expiration explaining paid value

reissue a voucher for paid amount after expiration

educate merchants on how to redeem vouchers post-expiration

how do we know if our design

solutions actually changed behavior?

measure real world actions.

how do we know if changed behaviors

lead to desired outcomes?

measure KPIs.

our current world» hypothesis » research» analyze» report » design» launch» measure

our new world» define KPIs & user goals » define target actions» understand» design for desired behaviors » measure actions» measure KPIs

our new world» user research organizes findings according to b =

» product owners & designers have a mixing board

» focus on user actions that move KPIs

discussion