In, FOR, and of: behavioral systems design and applied foresight

is behavioral design optimizing itself out of potential impact?

In April, 2021 I had the pleasure of speaking to Harvard’s Behavioral Insights Group (BIG) about where the discipline of behavioral design might be heading, and how insights from systems design and foresight might help the field broaden its impact.

The discipline of behavioral design is currently at an interesting inflection point. On the one hand, the field has gained considerable ground creating “last mile” solutions to behavioral challenges, and is increasingly integrated within both civic institutions and commercial organizations through Chief Behavioral Scientist roles and embedded behavioral or “nudge” units. On the other, the continued emphasis on targeted problems, precise solutions, and individual users may be unnecessarily limiting the potential application of behavioral insights. So what might the future look like? Through an introduction and discussion of some current forces shaping the direction of the field — such as democratization and interdisciplinarity, increased application of AI and algorithms, and designing for resilience and adaptation — we will explore how applying the lenses of systems design and foresight might stretch what kinds of behavioral challenges get solved and how to solve for them.

Presentation and webinar recording available here