Internal Playbook: Driving Behavior Centric Solutions
At Fractal, I identified an opportunity to amplify impact by creating an internal tool that integrated behavioral science to enhance client projects. This tool identified business and behavioral challenges, pinpointed pain points, and offered targeted solutions. To ensure widespread adoption, I led extensive training sessions and delivered presentations to senior leadership, facilitating the tool's integration across the organization.
Members
1 x Behavioral Scientist 1 x UI Designers
Role
Team Lead: Conceptualisation & Development of Tool
Year
2022 - 2023
Client
Fractal Analytics
“Behavioral science preaches simplicity yet often gets lost in its own complexity,”
noted a frustrated designer, struggling to translate its concepts into a client proposal
Problem Context
With a design team of 100 members but only 4 trained in behavioral science, we faced a significant challenge:
our behavioral scientists were stretched thin, striving to add value to every project. Efforts to democratize the field were falling short as designers and newcomers found themselves overwhelmed by the surplus information inherent in behavioral science.
Realising the dire need for solution, I pitched the Behavior Architecture Playbook
Components of the Playbook
Scoping Tool
A tool designed to identify problem statements by analyzing potential behavioral challenges during different business phases.
Barrier Tool
A tool designed to pinpoint frictions and pain points within each specific phase of a business process.
Intervention Tool
A tool designed to identify targeted interventions to address pain points encountered in each specific business phase.
Plan for developing playbook
Scoping Tool:
Identifying Consolidated
User Journey
A common user journey was identified, aligning with various verticals within the company, to serve as a foundation for mapping the three tools.
Wireframe of Scoping Tool
Finalized content of scoping deck allowing individuals to identify & align on problem statement based on behavioral phase, business phase and user journey
Barrier &
Intervention Tool
Through a facilitated client workshop, a list of barriers and interventions for each step of the user journey were consolidated, refined and prioritized into four main categories.
This was done to condense biases, heuristics, and other information into four simple categories.
Categories
Structural: barriers in the environment, outside the individual’s control, that hamper their ability to perform the desired task
Complexity: barriers that make it hard to comprehend and understand the given information
Value: barriers that fail to clarify the value proposition of the offering and fail in comparison to other offerings, internal standards and norms
Coping: barriers that hamper the ability to cope with the consequences of the new event arising from their decision
Each barrier is further linked to its corresponding interventions
Usability Testing
Procesure:
Provided a FigJam file for senior leadership, designers, and subject matter experts to review, utilize in their projects, and offer feedback.
The behavior and responses measured in the files were altered based on prior background in behavioral science
Drawback:
Despite our efforts to consolidate information into simplified categories, the playbook remained heavy on content.
We received low response rates as individuals were expected to explore the playbook on their own and apply it to their projects.
To overcome this hurdle, we had to schedule sessions and create a hypothetical case study to see how users would use the playbook (view more about Hack-A-Room below)
Design Phase
Visual Design to Reduce Overload
To reduce information overload, we decided to create a digital deck of cards that could be ticked, edited, and moved around during brainstorming sessions.
Using vibrant and aesthetically pleasing cards, we aimed to further minimize cognitive overload.
Preview of Playbook
Click on play to view detailed prototype
Hack-A-Room
Finally, learning from our previous experience with usability testing, we decided to gamify the process by creating Hack-A-Room, an escape room-themed hackathon. Participants registered to play the game, which allowed us to reach a wider audience and resulting in early adoption.
Click on play to view detailed prototype
About the Game:
Participants are told to unlock the three rooms using the brief and tools given to them before the timer runs out
Room 1: tested ability to arrive at a problem statement using scoping tool
Room 2: tested ability to identify barriers using barrier tools
Room 3: tested ability to identify interventions using intervention tool
Since the goal of the game was to test usability and efficiency, the actual answers were not tested and instead deception was used to grade answers and increase pressure to perform.
Hack-A-Room Closes for the Season
It does not end at just creating the playbook:
A key lesson learned was that developing the playbook was just a small part of the effort. The more critical aspect involved raising awareness and encouraging people to incorporate the playbook into their everyday work. To achieve this, we implemented creative campaigns and generated excitement to gain wider adoption.
This process also gave me the opportunity to interact with senior leadership, gaining valuable perspectives from them. It was an incredible opportunity for me to step up, showcase my capabilities, and manage both the event and the playbook independently.
Impact: The Hack-A-Room received a positive response, setting a benchmark for innovative ways to increase internal tool adoption at Fractal. The BA Playbook was recognized by senior management and utilized by consultants in both pitching and successfully completing client projects.
After 2 whole weeks of 11 Hack-A-Room Sessions,
Hosting 38 participants with 4 amazing volunteers,
Covering the Experience, Dimension, FinalMile, & CerebrAl team,
We have now concluded Hack-A-Room for this season!
Thank you so much to everyone who participated. We truly appreciate your time, feedback, and support to help us build an ambitious tool that can enable more effective client engagements, deepen our Behavior Architecture knowledge, and help position ourselves as thought leaders in infusing our process into the Fractal ecosystem.
While this is the end of one season, we hope to have many more in the future, so please stay tuned for more!
Please note for those in the EST and PST time zone, if you are still interested in participating, please contact us, and we’ll try to find a slot next week.
Until next time,
Team Hack-A-Room
Other Learnings:
Thinking outside the box: This project challenged my capacity to think innovatively and generate designs and games that were not only novel but also captivating. Moreover, whenever the project presented us with constraints, we adopted a positive mindset and endeavored to design without limitations, ensuring that we tapped into our creative minds. This approach not only allowed us to explore unconventional solutions but also fostered an environment where innovation could flourish despite any imposed restrictions.
Project Management: Since this was an internal project that I was leading independently, I had to quickly learn how to compartmentalize my time, delegate work, and lead the team. This often involved motivating and inspiring the team and resolving concerns despite the uncertainty and ambiguity that lay ahead of us.