Nudging: How human behavior is affected by design

Abstract

A statement in this article expresses that there is no such thing as neutral design, and that the way something is designed will affect the person using it in one way or another. With a basis in this idea it becomes interesting to look at how design affects people in ways they do not necessarily recognize momentarily. Nudging, as a method, aims to create predictable behavioral outcomes through the premises of how the human brain perceives the world and makes decisions. This article presents this term and its theoretical background before placing it in a service design context. Alongside several different examples of public nudging, a case study is briefly mentioned to illustrate a project where nudging is beneficial to reach the intended goal. The article shows that there is an important ethical discussion related to this subject, and both the arguments criticizing and defending the method are presented before this is discussed further. The aim of the article is to highlight the importance of being aware of the effect design might have on people, and to encourage designers to reflect on their responsibility when designing new solutions.