Designing for behaviour change? This is the ultimate cheat sheet 👇

TY Make it Toolkit / Massimo Ingegno

#behaviorchange #behavioralscience

Excited to share my latest accomplishment 🎉

I recently completed a Behavioral Science course that offered a deep dive into the laws of human behavior and the 15 strategies from the Make it Toolkit for driving behavioral change.

What I loved most about this course was how practical and versatile the strategies are, as they can be seamlessly applied across a variety of scenarios to design impactful interventions.

✨ My favorite parts of the course:
- The content used microlearning, breaking topics into easily digestible parts.
- The stories that illustrate the strategies were engaging and immersive.
- Case studies and real-life examples were cleverly used to provide unexpected insights, showcasing how the strategies drive behavioral change.

As someone transitioning into the Learning & Development field, this course has been incredibly insightful, especially for designing solutions that go beyond just delivering information. Thanks to Massimo for introducing me to this amazing course and Make it Toolkit. This has been an invaluable learning experience!

🧠 Mental models play a huge role in product design 🧠 and ultimately, in whether a product succeeds or struggles.

Since I was young, I’ve been fascinated by human behaviour → how people act, and more importantly, why.

That curiosity led me to UX, where I quickly realised: success doesn’t come just from designing beautiful interfaces, it comes from aligning what we build with how people think.

The more I study mental models, the more I understand how deeply they impact the way users evaluate new tools or features. Not just how they use a product, but how they judge its relevance, trust it, and decide if it’s worth switching to.

Let's use a social media management tool as an example ↓

One common mental model from potential users might be:
💭 “I already do all of this with an Excel sheet.”
🟣 This is known as a resistance to change challenge. The user doesn’t see enough added value to justify a change in behaviour. Their mental model says: "New = complex = risky" 💥

So, how do you shift this mindset? 🤔

Creating a new feature is not enough → you need to magnify the product value:
💼 Show real success stories from people who made the switch and gained back time or grew their audience.
🖥️ Invite users to a short demo where they can see the time-saving benefits firsthand.
💰 Emphasise what they’ll gain, not just what’s different.

Because once you shift their mental model, you open the door to adoption, engagement, and loyalty.

Design is about understanding how people think! Mental models help us empathise more deeply, design more intuitively, and ultimately, create products that feel like second nature to the people who use them 💜

PS: screenshot from a current mobile app I'm working on → product discovery with behaviour design (using Make it Toolkit cards - thanks Massimo Ingegno 🙌)

¿𝗤𝘂é 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝗶 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 (𝗽𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝘃𝗲𝘇) 𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘇𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼𝘀 𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼?

Sin NINGUNA duda, en el que acabo de certificarme:"𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝟯𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀" de Make it Toolkit, diseñado por Massimo Ingegno 🧠

Las cinco cosas más importantes que me deja (porque son por supuesto más, pero let´s Make it Easy😜):

𝟭. 𝗔𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼. El equipo de Massimo logra desarrollar cerca de 30 lecciones de manera sencilla, atractiva, corta pero de muchísimo valor.

𝟮. 𝗟𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮 𝗲𝗻 𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀 "𝗹𝗲𝘆𝗲𝘀" 𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲 𝗱𝗮 𝘂𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗼 𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗼 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗮𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘆 𝗹𝘂𝗲𝗴𝗼 𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗮 𝗼𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀.

➡️ El comportamiento es una función de la persona y del entorno (Lewin’s Equation).

➡️ Está influenciado por dos modelos de pensamiento: Sistema 1 y Sistema 2 (Kahneman).

➡️ Depende de lo que ocurre antes (antecedente) y después (consecuencia) (ABC Model).

➡️ Se explica con el BJ Fogg Model: comportamiento = motivación × habilidad × recordatorio/trigger.

➡️ Y combina motivación intrínseca y extrínseca para sostener cambios reales.

Es tener unos ojos menos miopes. Es en realidad poder observar, cuestionar y rediseñar decisiones de forma ética y aún más creativa 🤩 .

𝟯. 𝗘𝗹 𝗲𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗶𝗮 𝘁𝘂 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝗱.

Te enseña a pensar como diseñador/a comportamental: prototipar, testear, aprender y ajustar para luego escalar. Nada de vainas mágicas 😶🌫️ .

𝟰. 𝗧𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗼 — 𝘆 𝗮 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗹𝘂𝗶𝗿 𝗺𝗲𝗷𝗼𝗿.

Una de las cosas que más valoro es que no se trata solo de usar sesgos o nudges por usarlos. El curso deja claro que diseñar para influir debe hacerse de forma transparente y responsable, respetando la autonomía de las personas y evitando la manipulación. Esto conecta directo con lo que sigo aprendiendo con Dr. Robert Cialdini: la persuasión ética es la habilidad de comunicación más importante, porque bien aplicada construye confianza, moviliza cambios positivos y refuerza decisiones conscientes.

𝟱. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘇𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗮𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼 𝗲𝗻 𝗰𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗼𝗹.

Cierra motivándote a llevar todo lo aprendido a tus propios proyectos, con recursos prácticos como el Ideation Board y las estrategias para crear soluciones colaborativas, y sobre todo, te hace buenas preguntas. Y yo amo las buenas preguntas!😍

En fin, HANDS DOWN Massimo Ingegno 🧠

La idea de esto es compartir con otros. El conocimiento para uno solo no es útil. I´m at your service 🫡 🤓

Just came back from a super hands-on workshop: “Behavioral Design in Practice – The Make It Toolkit” 🙌

Big thanks to Nicole Li for sharing the event with me. I’m really glad I signed up!

It was an in-person session with a great mix of UX, UI, and service designers, all learning how to bring behavioral science into our design work in a really practical way.

My favorite part was using the Make It cards during group activities. They made psychological and behavioral change theories, concepts and frameworks like COM-B, MINDSPACE, EAST, and TDF, feel way more approachable. Super intuitive and fun to work with.

Also loved the real-world examples, like how a city in India tackled the honking problem by designing a system where the more you honk, the longer the traffic light stays red, and using driven by social proof and behavioral design at All'Antico Vinaio in Florence where it's famous for its long queues.

I'm currently learning behavioral design and insights at Temasek Polytechnic to add to my existing skillset so I can serve my clients better. Tools like this make it easier to connect theory with practice, and I can already see the potential in applying it to real projects with my future clients.

For example:
1. Taking stairs instead of the lift through visible prompts and friendly cues.

2. Signing up for volunteering by using social proof and default options.

3. Scheduling shorter meetings with preset durations and intentional agenda nudges.

4. Enrolling in employee benefits by framing missed savings and timing reminders well.

5. Speaking more respectfully at work by introducing micro-commitments and visual reminders.

‍

If you're curious about behavioral design or looking for fresh facilitation tools, it’s worth checking out (see comment).

Practical Behavioral Framework for Product Design. Thank you! 🥳🤩

Oravee Smithiphol Sutham Thammawong Massimo Ingegno 🧠

#GameChanger2025 #Opsta #makeittoolkit #Behavioralscience #gangconnect

This is one of the most practical and comprehensive behaviour change tools I’ve ever found:

The 𝘔𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘐𝘵 𝘛𝘰𝘰𝘭𝘬𝘪𝘵 is a real gem.

Massimo Ingegno has beautifully bottled behavioural science to share 15 strategies that you can use to influence behaviour.

And the idea is wonderfully simple.

When trying to influence behaviour, you simply ask:

➝ Can we make it <𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 15 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦>?

And this toolkit gives you:
↳ Real stories
↳ Sample tactics
↳ Tips on how to apply

… for every single one of the 15 strategies.

Honestly, I think it’s brilliant so I’ve started using it with my clients.

Plus, if you need even more support, you can pay for the bank of 316 tactics under the 15 strategies.

Massimo, amazing work. Thank you.

If anyone is looking to dive deeper into behavioral design, I highly recommend the Make it Toolkit Masterclass - Behavioral Science and Gamification for product and user experience design.

So many positives to this experience, and happy to share with anyone interested, but for now, I’ll keep it short:

The Make It team does a tremendous job of making Behavioral Science accessible, practical, and applicable. I guarantee you will not only have a better understanding of the drivers behind human behavior, but you will also have the tools to ethically design for behavior change.

Last framework in the #FrameworkTierList series! Time to review the Make It Toolkit.

What is the Make It Toolkit?
Created by Massimo Ingegno, The Toolkit consists of 15 strategies to consider when trying to change behavior, from “make it attractive” to “make it yours.” It offers an intermediate level of detail between abstract concepts like “motivation” and specific interventions like “social norms.”

Strengths
This level of description resonates with me quite a bit. Some frameworks dive into interventions too quickly, while others are too abstract, saying vague things like “increase motivation” or “persuade” without making it concrete how to do that. The Toolkit provides a consistent, intermediate level of analysis that’s easy to translate across frameworks and also between Behavioral Scientists and non-Behavioral Scientists.

It’s particularly effective for organizing projects. Each strategy, while broad, can be tailored to the specific project (e.g., making it meaningful…by providing immediate feedback that connects behavior to purpose). And while 15 strategies are too many for any one project, The Toolkit pairs well with the Opportunity Solution Tree (reviewed last week) to help prioritize strategies and link them to interventions.

Weaknesses
The Toolkit doesn’t feel fully comprehensive, so I often add my own categories like “make it rewarding.” I also tend to split “make it social” into more specific categories (e.g., make it a social experience, make it normalized, competitive, authoritative, or accountable), as “social” feels too vague. That said, too many strategies can become overwhelming and so I understand why the cut-off is 15 strategies.

I’m also not always compelled by the specific Behavioral Science interventions suggested under each strategy. I treat them as reminders of potential tools that might-maybe-could-potentially-possibly work rather than concrete recommendations.

Final Ranking
This is my favorite Behavioral Science framework. It strikes the right balance of detail, making it easy to coordinate with clients and integrate with other frameworks. While not comprehensive, it’s easy to add your own category as needed. And while it offers too many strategies for any single project, prioritizing and pairing it with the Opportunity Solution Tree resolves this issue. What’s not to like?

Final verdict: S-Tier. Not just in the top tier, but the best framework in the top tier. It is my preferred framework for organizing a behavior change project.

___

Coming soon: A review of what I’ve learned doing this series. Stay tuned.

What a great way to expand your Product Discovery toolkit and inject some behavioural science into an upcoming design sprint!

Hey peeps 🔥

Guess it’s about time I talk about this!

Many of those who work with me from The Catalyst or has been delivering learning experiences & boardgames do know about my infatuation with everything behavioral science & design.

Ugh I even watch series, shows & follow YouTube channels that do talk about those topics. I’m biased to say the least😅😌

Which was a no-brainer to get myself a structured understanding of everything related to behavioral design. Since reading books, using it in design & delivery wasn’t doing it for me.

Well, it all started with the Make it Toolkit  starter program & getting hands-on with the physical kit. Which fueled my desire for more learning…

Fast forward, I’ve just wrapped up a 24-hour deep dive into behavioral science and UX design with Make it and honestly, my brain may never fully recover… in the best possible way 😅😄

From cognitive biases to habit loops, gamification, onboarding flows, and ethical design… all done through self-paced programs, live sessions and many mind boggling assignments. I was continuously challenged 😏🤨
The program wasn’t your average theory dump. It was 24hrs of pure of light bulbs lighting up really. No joke.

Massive appreciation to those fine individuals:

🧠 Massimo Ingegno  – for unraveling behavioral science through “tinder”, stories, many practical examples that made your sessions special my brother. ⭐️

🎯 David McCann – for being the devil advocate in discussions, always challenging with your questions & instructions. You are one of a kind my friend. I’m going to miss that dearly 🥲😎

🕹️ Zac Fitz-Walter – for being a true gamer, not just another gamification designer. Your insights were spot on, plus I love how you used to push papers & references all the time to us during sessions 🤩

And a special shoutout to John Gusiff, the orchestrator behind the scenes, who made it all not just possible but smooth and with much supporting behavior. I highly do appreciate that 💙

Thanks again for the opportunity Makeit 💪🏻 and I’m going to miss you all fellow players Jason G.Juan Carlos Miguel Mendoza OLYLori FurmanVanessa Christina D.Nora Garbuno IñigoDon YoungBalakrishna Murthy, CCXPPeggy, Pei-Chun Hsieh Michelle Emery Purvi DesaiMary NolanJudy Bernstein Ming-Ming Chen Leo Alcalá Eleni Ierides

#BehavioralScience #UXDesign #Gamification #Behavioraldesign #learningexperiencedesign

Last month I got another behavioural design certification under my belt 🎗️

Keep an eye on Make it Toolkit, the course is wonderfully designed, packed with great examples and very actionable.

My next step > bringing all learnings into my work and facilitating a behavioural design sprint! ✨