choice architecture
in their book nudge, richard thaler and cass sunstein bring us the term choice architect, someone who creates a system to guide people in a particular direction of choice. my favorite example of a choice architect is the genius who came up with the idea of etching flies near the drains of urinals in amsterdam, in order to nudge the men using the facilities in question to aim a little closer to the drain and cut spillage down by something close to 80%.
nudge yourself!
so naturally this got me to thinking, what sorts of choice architecture could we put in place for ourselves in order to direct us more easily toward our own passions and desires in life?
for example…
- what if i had to walk past my guitar to get to my computer?
- what if i put all the jars of pre-made foods down in the produce bins and placed the produce out where it is easy to see?
- what if i chained my bicycle up to the bumper of my car?
anyway…those are all off the top of my head and you get the idea. what sort of choice architecture could you set in place for yourself to get you moving down the path you keep saying you’d like to be moving down?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
James | Dancing Geek 02.02.09 at 5:10 pm
The urinal flies are such a cool idea. So is the produce, but making me unhook my bike to use the car? Not going to happen. I don’t have the willpower to then re-attach the bike when I park. I’d just have to make it as easy to use my bike as the car and as visible. And maybe as comfy cause it don’t have hurt in sensitive places! I suppose my thinking is that it needs to be a design that rewards good behaviour, rather than punishing bad behaviour. I’m not that much of a masochist after all.
James | Dancing Geek´s last blog post..How to design your perfect job when you haven’t a clue where to start
chas 02.02.09 at 7:27 pm
@james i knew the bike things was pretty out there…i just want to hear some better hacks in that direction! any choice architecture that you can share with us?
James | Dancing Geek 02.02.09 at 8:19 pm
I promise, I tried to think of some, but nothing comes to mind! *shame*
Oh, wait, how about have a plastic box with a lid by the sink to chuck any raw veg peelings into for the compost bin? Does that count?
I think maybe I need to know what I’m trying to create before I think about how to make it happen! Then again, it’s a good idea to try and get something happening whilst you’re working out the details. Aargh! Can you see why I get tripped up all the time?!
James | Dancing Geek´s last blog post..How to design your perfect job when you haven’t a clue where to start