On Jul 23, 2009, at 3:32 PM, Brad Nunnally wrote:
A few months ago, I asked the group if we, as designers, had the
right to
influence, or control, the behavior of another person. The feedback
I received was great and inspired me to take the discussion a step
further
by writing an article on the subject for Johnny Holland. Please
check it
out, and I look forward to your thoughts and feedback,
Brad,
I don't get this point in your conclusion:
It appears that we have painted ourselves into a corner. Having
direct control over another person’s behavior is wrong, as they did
with the watchclock.
Wrong is a strong judgement.
For years, dentists have been trying to convince parents to help their
children brush longer. Longer teeth brushing sessions directly
correlate to better oral health and fewer cavities. Yet, the dentists
failed to make any progress.
Then Dr. John's Products released a line of children's power
toothbrushes. (Subsequently acquired by Proctor & Gamble.) The battery
powered devices only have an On switch and automatically turn off
after 3 minutes. The 3 minute run time forces the child to brush the
entire period. Children who use the toothbrush regularly demonstrate
substantial better long-term oral health than children who don't.
The design of the toothbrushes explicitly influences the behavior of
the child, guiding them to better oral health.
Is that wrong?
Mint.com shows users their spending and investing habits in a way
that, for many users, changes their behavior to spend more consciously
and invest more savings.
Is that wrong?
Sacremento's Municipal Utility District found that when they put
smiley faces on the bills that of residents who outperformed 100 of
their neighbors in homes of similar size that used the same heating
fuel, those households reduced energy use by 2%. The design of the
bills influenced the energy use of those individuals.
Is that wrong?
I'm not getting how directly influencing behavior is wrong.
Jared
Jared M. Spool
User Interface Engineering
510 Turnpike St., Suite 102, North Andover, MA 01845
e: jsp...@uie.com p: +1 978 327 5561
http://uie.com Blog: http://uie.com/brainsparks Twitter: @jmspool
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