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Behavioral Design Consulting
Behavioral design consulting applies behavioral science to the practical question of why people do not act, and what would help them. We diagnose the real barrier, design a targeted change and test it before it scales.
The problem behind the problem.
Organizations invest heavily in persuading people to act: to buy, enroll, renew, adhere, complete training or adopt a new tool. When the behavior does not follow, the usual response is more communication, more incentives or more features. These efforts often fail because they address the wrong barrier. A customer who is already motivated but finds the process confusing does not need another persuasive email. A patient who understands the benefit but forgets at the critical moment needs a prompt, not an education campaign.
Behavioral science offers a sharper diagnosis. The Fogg Behavior Model holds that behavior happens when motivation, ability and a prompt converge at the same moment. Behavioral economics explains why defaults, framing, friction and timing carry so much weight. Yet these ideas are frequently applied as a loose collection of nudges rather than as a disciplined design process. Effective behavioral design consulting starts with a precise target behavior, diagnoses the specific gap, and treats every intervention as a hypothesis to be tested.
How we deliver behavioral design consulting.
- 01Observe
Define the target behavior in context
We translate a broad goal, such as better retention or higher adoption, into specific behaviors performed by specific people at specific moments. Interviews, contextual inquiry and journey mapping reveal what those people are trying to accomplish, what competes for their attention, and where the current experience makes the desired action harder than it needs to be.
- 02Signal
Locate where behavior breaks down
Behavioral data shows where people stall, delay or abandon, and which behavioral types struggle most. We combine these signals with the qualitative findings to diagnose, at each critical moment, whether the shortfall is in motivation, in ability (time, effort, cognitive load, cost, routine), or in the presence and timing of a prompt.
- 03Design
Design the smallest effective change
We design interventions matched to the diagnosed barrier: simplifying steps, changing defaults, reframing choices, adding timely prompts, building commitment devices, or redesigning a service handoff. Each intervention is specified with the behavior it targets, the mechanism expected to work, and the predictive KPI it should move. Ethical review is built into the design brief.
- 04Test
Prototype, pilot and measure
Interventions are prototyped and tested with real users before launch, then evaluated through A/B tests or controlled pilots with guardrail metrics. We report effects by behavioral type, because a change that helps one group can leave another behind. Interventions that do not work are documented as learning, not buried as failures.
- 05Scale
Embed behavior change in operations
Successful interventions are built into products, processes, scripts and training, with ownership assigned and leading indicators monitored. We help teams adopt a behavioral design playbook and coach leaders to apply the motivation, ability and prompt lens in their own decisions, so the organization keeps improving without outside help.
Deliverables.
What changes.
Who engages us.
Our behavioral design consulting serves chief executives, chief marketing and experience officers, product leaders, health system and health plan executives, association leaders and public program directors. Organizations call us when a launch underperforms, when engagement or adherence has plateaued, when a costly program is not changing behavior, or when leadership wants a disciplined, evidence-based alternative to generic nudge tactics. We also advise founders building behavior change into a product from the start.
Industries
Beyond the balance sheet.
Behavioral design is most valuable when it helps people achieve their own goals: taking medication as prescribed, saving for the future, completing an education, using a tool that makes work easier. Customers face less friction, employees spend less effort working around poor processes, and communities benefit from programs that actually change behavior. We hold a firm line against manipulation, designing only interventions that people would endorse if they understood how they work.
Frequently asked questions.
What is behavioral design?
Behavioral design is the practice of applying behavioral science to the design of products, services, processes and communications so that desired behaviors become easier and more likely. It draws on psychology, behavioral economics and human-computer interaction. Unlike traditional design, it starts from a specific target behavior and a diagnosis of why that behavior is not occurring, then tests whether the design actually changes it.
How is behavioral design different from nudging?
Nudges, such as defaults, reminders and social norms, are one category of tool within behavioral design. Behavioral design is broader: it includes diagnosing the barrier, redesigning entire journeys and services, building skills and confidence, and changing the environment around a behavior. Nudges work best when they address the correct barrier, which is why diagnosis comes first in our process.
What does the Fogg Behavior Model add to the process?
The model gives teams a simple and practical diagnostic: behavior happens when motivation, ability and a prompt converge. When a behavior is not happening, it helps identify which element is missing. That prevents common misfires, such as adding incentives when the real issue is complexity. We use it alongside other frameworks, including self-determination theory and health behavior models, depending on the context.
How do you make sure behavioral design is ethical?
Every intervention passes an ethical review that asks whether it serves the person's own interests, whether it is transparent, whether people can easily opt out, and whether it would be acceptable if made public. We decline work that relies on deception, exploits vulnerabilities or creates hidden costs. Ethical design also performs better over time because it builds trust instead of eroding it.
Often paired with.
Persuasive Technology Design
Design apps and digital experiences that help people build habits and reach their own goals, with transparent prompts, ethical review and rigorous testing.
ExploreCustomer Journey Mapping
Map the real journey your customers, members or patients take, combining research with behavioral data to find the moments that decide outcomes.
ExploreExperimentation & A/B Testing
Design experiments and pilots that produce clear, trustworthy answers, with proper power, guardrail metrics and behavioral hypotheses, in digital and offline settings.
ExploreRelated insights.
The Fogg Behavior Model, Explained
A clear explanation of the Fogg Behavior Model, B=MAP, and how motivation, ability and prompts combine to explain why people act or fail to act.
Read
Nudge Theory in Business
How nudge theory applies to business decisions, from defaults and framing to choice architecture, along with its limits and the ethics of using it responsibly.
ReadReady to talk about behavioral design consulting?
Every engagement begins with a conversation. Tell us what you are facing and we will tell you, candidly, how we would approach it.
Start a conversation