Designing spaces that nudge: The power of behavioral science

These goals often assume new ways of working that require people to change habits and behaviors that will, in turn, enable an elevated user experience. Integrating behavioral science with design can help to incentivize new behaviors that align with desired outcomes.  

Take the example of an organization that wanted to promote wellness in its workforce. They designed a well-equipped fitness center as part of their new headquarters and charged interested employees a fee to use the gym. But wait…those who used the facilities at least two times a week were reimbursed the fee. This is an excellent example of aligning individual and organizational incentives to obtain shared results.  

You’ve probably experienced similar nudges yourself. Maybe you’ve taken a bright, inviting staircase instead of waiting for an elevator hidden around the corner. Sometimes there’s even a sign spelling out the incentive: “Burn calories, not electricity.” Our surroundings shape our behavior more than we realize. Using insights from behavioral science, designers and organizations can leverage incentives and environmental cues to guide better choices. 

Behavioral science is defined as the study of human behavior and interactions to understand, predict and change actions, thoughts and decision-making processes. Given that we spend most of our time in the built environment, the incentives embedded into those environments can shift habits at scale. Let us take a look at how this can influence us in spaces where we deliver care, live, learn and work. 

Care in action: Healthier habits by design

Promoting health and hygiene in healthcare settings: The Cleveland Clinic repositioned sanitizer stations in the path of movement and used positive peer pressure to remind fellow caregivers to wash their hands. They crowd-sourced input from staff to decide on a code word/gesture to use to inconspicuously alert another caregiver to clean their hands at key times when they may be forgetting to do so. SNAP (which stands for Scrub Now and Prevent) is credited to have significantly increased hand hygiene compliance across the hospital. 

Improving maternal and neonatal care: At Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, NICUs were redesigned to allow families to stay overnight with infants to promote “kangaroo care” and quiet bonding. The design encouraged parental involvement and reduced both infant and caregiver stress. In the words of a parent, “During that time, we were able to have private time with our baby and actually be able to catch up on rest and healing ourselves. Working from the hospital was also an option because of these rooms, which gave us so much more time to spend with our child during those unplanned weeks in the hospital.” 

Living smarter: Designing for sustainable choices 

Leveraging social norms to conserve energy: OPOWER sent Home Energy Report letters to its residential utility customers, comparing their electricity use to that of their neighbors. This non-price intervention was shown to change consumer behavior, with an average reduction of energy consumption by 2%, and in some cases, of up to 6.3%.  

Encouraging sustainable transportation: The city of Vauban in Germany is one of the most sustainable city districts in Europe. In this car-free neighborhood, residents who chose not to own a car received enhanced access to larger units, premium bike storage and direct access to tram stops. These incentives led to roughly 70% of households living car-free, and 57% of residents chose to give up their car when they moved to Vauban. 

Learning through design: Solutions that motivate 

Visualizing energy use to incentivize behaviors: At Oberlin College, a real-time Environmental Dashboard provides students across campus with feedback on their consumption of energy and resources. The community can see how their actions affect each building and the overall use of resources across campus. Public display of performance creates peer pressure and social accountability, which motivates energy conservation. 

Gamification to conserve resources: The University of British Columbia spearheaded an energy-saving competition in student dorms and residence halls – Do It in the Dark – in which 40 American universities and colleges competed to see who could conserve the most electricity, with some winning dorms reporting upwards of 55% energy reduction over the previous year. Students picked up habits that resulted in efficient use of resources, including shorter showers, unplugging vending machines, sharing fridges, hanging their clothes up instead of using the dryer etc. 

Empowering students to tailor their learning environment: At Vittra Telefonplan in Stockholm, Sweden, traditional classrooms were replaced with a variety of spaces tailored to different learning styles. Students were taught in groups according to their preferred didactic approaches. By allowing students to actively shape and control their space, the design taps into their intrinsic motivation and gives them a sense of ownership with an aim to increase engagement, responsibility and better learning outcomes. 

Workplace well-being: Designing for performance and satisfaction 

Promoting healthy eating through cafeteria design: At Google’s cafeteria, behavioral consultants designed layouts that placed salads, fruits and water at eye level, while sweets and sodas were tucked away in opaque bins or refrigerator compartments. By using choice architecture and default bias, the company promoted healthier eating patterns. Further investigation indicated that Google was successful in reducing snacking by 23% for men and 17% for women. 

Enhancing physician experience at their workplace: The University of Colorado, Anschutz was experiencing operational inefficiencies. Their faculty and physician offices were underutilized, while the demand for clinical space kept increasing. With input from their physicians, they designed a faculty club that was conveniently located near the clinics and afforded its members amenities such as dry cleaning and notary services in addition to reservable offices and ample touchdowns. Members were incentivized to give up their private offices in return for a membership to this exclusive lounge – resulting in increased faculty satisfaction and improved efficiencies.  

By harnessing insights from behavioral science, organizations can embed powerful incentives and cues into the environments where people live, learn, work, and heal. Thoughtful design doesn’t just nudge individuals toward better choices; it aligns personal motivations with organizational and community goals, creating a ripple effect of positive change. When we move beyond surface-level solutions and intentionally craft spaces that inspire, empower, and sustain, we unlock the potential for individuals, organizations and entire communities to truly flourish.