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Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change
Behavior change design creates entrancing—and effective—products and experiences. Whether you've studied psychology or are new to the field, you can incorporate behavior change principles into your designs to help people achieve meaningful goals, learn and grow, and connect with one another. Engaged offers practical tips for design professionals to apply the psychology of engagement to their work.
320 pages, Paperback
Published March 3, 2020
121 people are currently reading
1024 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
March 16, 2020
This is a fantastic book that does an incredible job distilling down lots of scientific research, findings, best practices and more into a concise and easy to understand package.
This book was written to be used and its' principles to be applied. I very much appreciate that approach as someone who plans to use this material directly.
If you're working on products that help users change their behavior in any industry, you should considering reading this text right away. It will likely be very applicable. Especially if you're designing healthcare products.
I basically underlined this entire book from cover to cover. First time that ever happened!.
This book was written to be used and its' principles to be applied. I very much appreciate that approach as someone who plans to use this material directly.
If you're working on products that help users change their behavior in any industry, you should considering reading this text right away. It will likely be very applicable. Especially if you're designing healthcare products.
I basically underlined this entire book from cover to cover. First time that ever happened!.
March 28, 2020
Started off great but then looked more and more like most books in the genre. The book is filled with so many different formats: interviews, screen shots, hands in advice and mentions of academic studies. Could easily be 2-3 books instead of one.
December 26, 2022
Helpful to reflect on behavchange principles that can shape digital product design (context specifically addressed in this book), and reminded me alot of designing for how adults learn w/in org context, but mostly stressed/creeped me out about all the manipulative ways behavioral change is used for profit or to obfuscate (in govt context) 🤷♀️.. also alot of questions abt how much of what we define as motivational psych is based on western cultural/value systems idk..
May 26, 2020
Too basic to be very interesting to me. A few interesting points were a strong recommendation from the author to give the person autonomy in your digital behavior change experience (not common because it is hard to build a choose your own adventure product), give them feedback early, the 6 types of motivation (amotivation, external, internalized external motivation, 2 more then intrinsic motivation where you do it because it is fun and you love it).
September 22, 2020
As Amy Bucher points out, this book is written “…. for anyone who wants to apply behavior change science to the design and development of digital products.” I believe it will be an invaluable resource for readers from a wide range of professional backgrounds and experience levels. I'm a clinical psychologist with over 20 years of experience in developing digital behavior change applications, and I learned a lot from "Engaged".
The raison d’etre for this volume rests on the assumption that insights from behavior change science should inform all sorts of design goals - from teaching patients how to manage an illness to encouraging young adults to save money, or simply convincing consumers to purchase a particular product. Bucher starts by anchoring the reader in Self-Determination Theory, a well-researched model of human motivation and goes on in succeeding chapter to explore in magnificent detail how digital applications can leverage the basic human needs of autonomy, competence, and connectedness to enrich the user experience and facilitate behavior change. She systematically explains how design features can provide end users with meaningful choices, structured goals, and useful performance feedback, while building and maintaining an atmosphere of trust and support.
Bucher underscores the importance of carefully articulating the goals of an application in observable, behavioral terms, and shows the reader how. She is an unapologetic advocate for incorporating the voice of the patient/consumer from the outset of the design process. She offers a reader with a detailed blueprint for the role of measurement, not only of behavioral outcomes but also of “leading indicators”, steps along the way that signal progress towards a behavior change goal. She also describes how careful examination of the way in which end users interact with applications can guide development right from the beginning and identify problems in the user experience. Bucher spends considerable time on the assessment and mitigation of “ability blockers”, helping readers learn how to identify and address the factors that prevent people from changing their behavior.
This volume skillfully combines a deep understanding of the research on behavior change with a wealth of practical experience. The author provides dozens of visual examples illustrating the design principles she offers. She also ends each chapter with a conversation with an expert in a particular facet of behavior change. These conversations bring in additional viewpoints, adding to the richness of the volume. While Bucher conveys an optimistic attitude towards the role of digital applications in promoting behavior change, she never once intimates that the design and development process is easy. With occasionally self-deprecating humor, she models a design approach that incorporates risk taking, thorough measurement, and most importantly, rapid learning from failure.
This book could easily be the foundation of a one or two-semester course on digital design principles. It is so rich with information; it simply cannot be absorbed in one reading. Even readers with substantial knowledge of behavior change science will find themselves highlighting passage after passage for future consideration. Plan to use this book as a reference manual that you return to every time you begin a new project. And make sure everyone on your team reads it carefully!
The raison d’etre for this volume rests on the assumption that insights from behavior change science should inform all sorts of design goals - from teaching patients how to manage an illness to encouraging young adults to save money, or simply convincing consumers to purchase a particular product. Bucher starts by anchoring the reader in Self-Determination Theory, a well-researched model of human motivation and goes on in succeeding chapter to explore in magnificent detail how digital applications can leverage the basic human needs of autonomy, competence, and connectedness to enrich the user experience and facilitate behavior change. She systematically explains how design features can provide end users with meaningful choices, structured goals, and useful performance feedback, while building and maintaining an atmosphere of trust and support.
Bucher underscores the importance of carefully articulating the goals of an application in observable, behavioral terms, and shows the reader how. She is an unapologetic advocate for incorporating the voice of the patient/consumer from the outset of the design process. She offers a reader with a detailed blueprint for the role of measurement, not only of behavioral outcomes but also of “leading indicators”, steps along the way that signal progress towards a behavior change goal. She also describes how careful examination of the way in which end users interact with applications can guide development right from the beginning and identify problems in the user experience. Bucher spends considerable time on the assessment and mitigation of “ability blockers”, helping readers learn how to identify and address the factors that prevent people from changing their behavior.
This volume skillfully combines a deep understanding of the research on behavior change with a wealth of practical experience. The author provides dozens of visual examples illustrating the design principles she offers. She also ends each chapter with a conversation with an expert in a particular facet of behavior change. These conversations bring in additional viewpoints, adding to the richness of the volume. While Bucher conveys an optimistic attitude towards the role of digital applications in promoting behavior change, she never once intimates that the design and development process is easy. With occasionally self-deprecating humor, she models a design approach that incorporates risk taking, thorough measurement, and most importantly, rapid learning from failure.
This book could easily be the foundation of a one or two-semester course on digital design principles. It is so rich with information; it simply cannot be absorbed in one reading. Even readers with substantial knowledge of behavior change science will find themselves highlighting passage after passage for future consideration. Plan to use this book as a reference manual that you return to every time you begin a new project. And make sure everyone on your team reads it carefully!
February 17, 2021
Engaged is a resource to be used. If you want to apply behaviour change science to the design & development of digital products, then this is the book you want to read. As Amy Bucher says in the introduction; "there aren't many [books] that specifically apply the psychology of motivation to the design of digital products" and that the appeal of behaviour change is it puts people on a more positive life path - the potential it offers.
"Behavior change design helps ward off huge investments in programs that don't engage users or produce results for customers."
It's extensive and as well as the insights and instruction the text is dotted with tips and notes. The book is playful as well, with Amy Bucher referring to the playlist she listened to whilst writing and by using song titles for the chapter titles; 'It's a Kind of Magic' and 'It's My Life' are tasters of what's in store for you. Technical and behaviour science-specific terms are well explained and despite my concern at knowing close to zero about the subject before coming to the book it is extremely accessible. One of my judges of a book is if I have to go elsewhere to look something up (not good!) - suffice to say Engaged is open for business to newcomers interested in the subject.
"What psychology can do is increase the odds that products built with it's tools and insights will be effective at changing specific behaviors in the people who use them."
There is a great forward from Jeff Kreisler, editor-in-chief of Peoplescience.com (if you are the type who reads books forwards and intros) opening with the observation, "Behavioral science is having a moment...People of every station peer over at a field, wondering if it might be a fix for their personal, professional, and community challenges...[it] is becoming a vital tool for building the future."
Chapter-end interviews with other experts in the field that have been called on to give further insight on the chapter topic are a good addition. This casual chat approach to learn about real experience with product design keeps the subject light and lively rather than purely using technical theory and experiment results.
"When designing for behavior change; people are different...context matters...things change."
Amy Bucher wants people to be behaviour change enthusiasts and to "Be Glinda, Not Elphaba" referencing how behaviour change can be used for good as well as evil. On this subject; "I believe that being educated in behavior change design means having an ethical obligation to be alert to potential misuse of the science and to speak up if you detect it." It is also acknowledged that not everything will work or be successful but that every attempt is an opportunity to learn.
"It's not that workplace wellness programs can't change behavior. It's that [they] are designed and implemented without a firm basis in psychology so they don't work effectively for the way that human beings actually behave."
On the value of reading, Amy says "Never stop" and more specifically, outside your field, "Fiction builds empathy for people different than yourself. History teaches lessons about how past technologies were introduced and used. Science and science fiction offer different lenses of looking at the world and an invitation to imagine alternatives." Amen to that!
"Behavior change design helps ward off huge investments in programs that don't engage users or produce results for customers."
It's extensive and as well as the insights and instruction the text is dotted with tips and notes. The book is playful as well, with Amy Bucher referring to the playlist she listened to whilst writing and by using song titles for the chapter titles; 'It's a Kind of Magic' and 'It's My Life' are tasters of what's in store for you. Technical and behaviour science-specific terms are well explained and despite my concern at knowing close to zero about the subject before coming to the book it is extremely accessible. One of my judges of a book is if I have to go elsewhere to look something up (not good!) - suffice to say Engaged is open for business to newcomers interested in the subject.
"What psychology can do is increase the odds that products built with it's tools and insights will be effective at changing specific behaviors in the people who use them."
There is a great forward from Jeff Kreisler, editor-in-chief of Peoplescience.com (if you are the type who reads books forwards and intros) opening with the observation, "Behavioral science is having a moment...People of every station peer over at a field, wondering if it might be a fix for their personal, professional, and community challenges...[it] is becoming a vital tool for building the future."
Chapter-end interviews with other experts in the field that have been called on to give further insight on the chapter topic are a good addition. This casual chat approach to learn about real experience with product design keeps the subject light and lively rather than purely using technical theory and experiment results.
"When designing for behavior change; people are different...context matters...things change."
Amy Bucher wants people to be behaviour change enthusiasts and to "Be Glinda, Not Elphaba" referencing how behaviour change can be used for good as well as evil. On this subject; "I believe that being educated in behavior change design means having an ethical obligation to be alert to potential misuse of the science and to speak up if you detect it." It is also acknowledged that not everything will work or be successful but that every attempt is an opportunity to learn.
"It's not that workplace wellness programs can't change behavior. It's that [they] are designed and implemented without a firm basis in psychology so they don't work effectively for the way that human beings actually behave."
On the value of reading, Amy says "Never stop" and more specifically, outside your field, "Fiction builds empathy for people different than yourself. History teaches lessons about how past technologies were introduced and used. Science and science fiction offer different lenses of looking at the world and an invitation to imagine alternatives." Amen to that!
September 24, 2020
Amy Bucher's "Engaged: Designing for Behavior Change" is a consumable and engaging read that provides a broad overview of designing digital tools for behavior change. Regardless of your personal background or expertise, this book will provide you with something to add to your behavior change toolkit.
Throughout the book, Bucher explains foundational concepts and research from psychology and provides direct strategies for applying these to design. To illustrate these strategies, there are countless examples from familiar digital products and corresponding screenshots with a sprinkling of enjoyable commentary. When you go to purchase this book, I highly recommend buying a physical copy of the book given the screenshots and the physical layout on the page. (For the geeks like me, if you want to dig into all of the supporting research first-hand, you're not going to find that here but Google Scholar is great for that.)
As someone with extensive experience in behavioral science looking to apply what I know to the development of digital tools, this was a valuable and insightful introduction but as Bucher writes, "The learning is never done." This is a growing field and I will certainly jump at future opportunities to read more books by Amy Bucher (no pressure!).
Throughout the book, Bucher explains foundational concepts and research from psychology and provides direct strategies for applying these to design. To illustrate these strategies, there are countless examples from familiar digital products and corresponding screenshots with a sprinkling of enjoyable commentary. When you go to purchase this book, I highly recommend buying a physical copy of the book given the screenshots and the physical layout on the page. (For the geeks like me, if you want to dig into all of the supporting research first-hand, you're not going to find that here but Google Scholar is great for that.)
As someone with extensive experience in behavioral science looking to apply what I know to the development of digital tools, this was a valuable and insightful introduction but as Bucher writes, "The learning is never done." This is a growing field and I will certainly jump at future opportunities to read more books by Amy Bucher (no pressure!).
April 9, 2020
Just to be transparent, I'm a fellow Rosenfeld Media author and received a free copy of Engaged from the publisher. That said, I'm so glad to read this book.
Everywhere you look, digital experiences demand our attention and the people who design them are always looking for ways to engage you. Often, this leads to products that fight for their users' attention no matter what. It's unsustainable, and Bucher's book shows us a better way. By explaining the science behind behavior change accessibly and responsibly, Bucher's book equips designers and other decision-makers to empower users, not trick them. As Bucher says in chapter 1, "behavior change design is about helping people achieve _their_ goals, not yours." This responsible approach is a fresh take in a tech industry focused on adoption and growth at all costs.
The book is packed with detailed examples, case studies, and interviews. It's also clever and enjoyable to read. If this topic interests you, I'd strongly encourage you to buy this book. It's exactly the book the tech industry needs.
Everywhere you look, digital experiences demand our attention and the people who design them are always looking for ways to engage you. Often, this leads to products that fight for their users' attention no matter what. It's unsustainable, and Bucher's book shows us a better way. By explaining the science behind behavior change accessibly and responsibly, Bucher's book equips designers and other decision-makers to empower users, not trick them. As Bucher says in chapter 1, "behavior change design is about helping people achieve _their_ goals, not yours." This responsible approach is a fresh take in a tech industry focused on adoption and growth at all costs.
The book is packed with detailed examples, case studies, and interviews. It's also clever and enjoyable to read. If this topic interests you, I'd strongly encourage you to buy this book. It's exactly the book the tech industry needs.
August 16, 2021
This book introduces Behavior Change Design with a good balance of theory and actionable tools. I like how the author starts by building the idea that design in essence is behavior change and then introduces behavior change design as a way to do a better job by combining design with behaviour science and psychology.
The content of the book is well structured and easy to understand if you´re used to standard design processes. The book is also rich in examples, pictures, and talks from specialists in the field.
Since Behaviour change design is messing with people´s minds I love how the author makes me think about ethics, responsibility, and care.
If you design products or services and hope to make a difference in people's lives, reading this book may help you to do a better job.
The content of the book is well structured and easy to understand if you´re used to standard design processes. The book is also rich in examples, pictures, and talks from specialists in the field.
Since Behaviour change design is messing with people´s minds I love how the author makes me think about ethics, responsibility, and care.
If you design products or services and hope to make a difference in people's lives, reading this book may help you to do a better job.
December 30, 2021
Honestly I read this over too long a time period (practically the whole year) for me to have a well developed feeling about it. At the beginning of the year I picked it up because I was working on figuring out how to get patients in clinical trials to comply with their self-reporting regimen (ePro). I think I've imbibed the primary lessons from the book pretty well, but who knows. See notes and highlights for more
August 20, 2020
I read just portions of this book that were most relevant to my work, but it was easy to tell which chapters those were thanks to the clear and detailed table of contents and index -- I learned a lot and especially appreciated the overview of psychology and design and the importance of user trust.
March 28, 2021
Excellent guide ! Amy Bucher explains how behavioral science can be an essential part of your design toolbox. The book explains concepts, provides examples, and includes expert advice from others in the field. Great instruction that can be directly applied.
September 22, 2021
A great introductory book and quick reference to key topics. Concepts are explained well and with good examples. Definitely skews towards health contexts and could use more references to the source material, but overall really good.
January 3, 2021
Incredibly insightful and a delight to read
April 20, 2021
Es un libro sólido sobre diseño de aplicaciones web para cambio de comportamiento. Como ensayo no es muy entretenido.
October 30, 2022
Every designer should read.
February 26, 2023
Collection of essays by various authors and of diverse quality. Same goes for the many screenshots. Not a keeper for me.
December 15, 2023
Great summary to set strategies for behaviour change with digital products. The beginning of the book seems more substantial than the end. But I’m glad I read it.
January 29, 2024
Very good overview for beginners still learning the space. A couple of things I disagree with, but nothing earth shattering, and still consistent with mainstream views.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews