As part of our new series, BI in the Wild, we’ll be showcasing real-world examples of behavioural insights, including both where BI is being used to help and where BI is needed!
Read on for our first installment and let us know what you think. We’d love to see your examples, too. If you’ve got a BI sighting to share, fill out this quick and easy form and you might see your example featured in a future post!
Dodgy Doors: a place where BI is needed
Submitted by: Lindsay Miles-Pickup, Acting Lead, BC Behavioural Insights Group
Have you ever gone to push a door to leave a building and found yourself walking directly into it? Well that happens to me on an almost daily basis due to a door that is in serious need of a behaviourally informed re-design!
On one of the doors leaving this particular building, there is a bright red sign that says "please use this door". While it sounds great that they have a visible sign, my System 1 brain sees the colour red and immediately associates that with something I should NOT do—think of a fire exit for example! If they either changed this sign to a more neutral colour, or put the sign on the opposite door with “please” exchanged for “don’t”, I might not risk breaking my nose on a regular basis!
Good Dog (Parks): a place where BI is being used to help
Submitted by: Steph Wilkie, Knowledge Translation Strategist, BC Behavioural Insights Group
I appreciate the behavioural signage used at Dallas Road Waterfront in Victoria, to direct different patrons to appropriate areas. Dog owners, who make up a sizeable portion, if not the majority of patrons, have for years enjoyed this busy stretch as a place to walk, play with, and socialize their pets.
Recently, cedar fencing and signs were erected along either side of the patches of grass that dogs play on in an effort to create greater comfort and division of space for both dog owners and casual strollers without dogs. These signs, whose main audience is dog owners, clearly mark which areas are okay to have dogs off leash in marked in green and areas where dogs are not permitted at all in red.
This clear and user-friendly map makes it easy and attractive for dog owners to adhere to the City of Victoria bylaw and though I am not aware of any testing done thus far, it appears that the signage (and fencing) are effective guides for bylaw compliance and, most importantly, patron enjoyment.
Il Parcheggio: a place where BI is being used to help
Submitted by: Kirstin Appelt, Research Director, UBC Decision Insights for Business and Society (UBC-DIBS)
Where I'm staying in Italy, parking spot lines are colour-coded! White spots are open to anyone without restrictions, yellow spots are restricted parking (e.g., residential permit or accessible parking), and blue spots are paid parking (i.e., find a kiosk and pay).
This takes the guess work out of parking. No more driving around looking for which sign applies to which spot!
Have you seen a good example of BI in the wild? Fill out this quick and easy form and your example may be featured in a future post!