Ethics in Behavior Design matter

OECD Behavior Science Ethics

It is NEVER ok to trick people into doing anything.

The purpose of behavior design is to help enable people (I am one of those people as well) to make the decisions they already wanted to make.

Sometimes things stand in the way of us doing things that are good for us - for me for example it is hard to eat well if my cupboard is filled with chips, so as a way to help myself, I don't buy them at the store (except on the weekend :) )

That also counts as behavior design (simplified version) - in this case changing the physical environment helped me succeed. Is that tricking me, no... did it help me achieve my outcome - yes.

Are there instances where I feel tricked? of course!

The question I ask is:

Was it intentional or not on the designer's part (I like to think that it was unintended in most of the cases)?

To avoid unintended consequences it is good to use tools such as APEASE or to follow a guide such as the one the OECD - OCDE created.

Some good practices from the guide:

>Consider those who are most concerned by the target behavior (s)
>Aim for choices that preserve personal autonomy, rights, and freedoms as much as possible
>Be as open as possible
>When appropriate, include vulnerable, underrepresented, or marginalized groups to ensure representation and diversity in problem framing, solving, and intervention design
>Anticipate and plan for unintended consequences

If you are curious to see the guide --> https://lnkd.in/e98DDPgp

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