Design for Behaviour Change: Theories and practices of designing for change

Design impacts every part of our lives. The design of products and services influences the way we go about our daily activities and it is hard to imagine any activity in our daily lives that is not dependent on design in some capacity. Clothing, mobile phones, computers, cars, tools and kitchenware all enable and hold in place everyday practices. Despite design’s omnipresence, the understanding of how design may facilitate desirable behaviours is still fragmented, with limited frameworks and examples of how design can effect change in professional and public contexts.

This text presents an overview of current approaches dedicated to understanding how design may be used intentionally to make changes to improve a range of problematic social and environmental issues. It offers a cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral overview of different academic theories adopted and applied to design for behaviour change.

The aim of the volume is twofold: firstly, to provide an overview of existing design models that integrate theories of change from differing scientific backgrounds; secondly, to offer an overview of application of key design for behaviour change approaches as used across case studies in different sectors, such as design for health and wellbeing, sustainability, safety, design against crime and social design. Design for Behaviour Change will appeal to designers, design students and practitioners of behavioural change.

Kristina Niedderer is Professor of Design and Craft at the University of Wolverhampton. Niedderer’s research focuses on the role of mindfulness and emotions as a means to engender mindful interaction and behaviour change through design.

Stephen Clune is Senior Lecturer in sustainable design at Imagination Lancaster, Lancaster University. Stephen is a sustainable designer, researcher and educator, his core research interest focuses on how design (and design thinking) can assist in the move towards a sustainable society.

Geke Ludden is Assistant Professor at the Department of Design, Production and Management at the University of Twente, The Netherlands. She studies how the design of products and services can support healthy behaviour or otherwise contribute to people’s wellbeing.