This article presents various behavior change design theories, frameworks, and strategies to create a design solution that will motivate people to start recycling. The objective is to demonstrate that it is possible to create an application that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behavior scientifically, and behavior change design is key to that.

Authors: Mariia Nazarova & Tarja Keski-Mattinen

Behaviour change in waste management

One of the commonly used methods that promotes the issue of waste management is recycling (RTS 2020). Many countries have already incorporated waste recycling at the national level (The European Environment Agency 2019). Nevertheless, according to the Greenpeace survey, just 6% of the waste is recycled by Russia. The rest stays in the landfills. (Greenpeace 2019.) Even though Russia has not implemented the recycling procedure on the state level, many non-commercial and private organizations provide recycling services (Greenpeace 2020; Ecopromcentr 2019). Thus, the following question arises: Why Russian citizens do not recycle?

People can face various obstacles to their behavioral performance. For example, a person can not have enough incentive to recycle. It is also essential to have a solid understanding of the aspects that drive behavioral improvement. Behavior change design as a discipline may help define specific causes based on studies, theories, and frameworks (Bucher 2020, 3). For example, the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW) framework has been used effectively as a starting point for designing behavior change products or services.

The use of mobile applications to enhance behavior performance is becoming more popular (McKay et al. 2019). Today, more than 5.19 billion people use cell phones, with usage figures up by 2.4 percent over the last year (Kemp 2020). Building modern mobile applications that improve environmentally friendly practices, such as recycling, will dramatically sustain sustainable environmental change.

The objective of the article is to apply Behavior Change Wheel Framework into the process of application design. The application aims to reduce barriers that users living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, face when recycling. Besides, the effectiveness of the application design and Behavior Change Wheel Framework is measured.

Behavior Change Wheel

The primary aim of behavior change design is to ease the performance of the desired behavior. In particular, designers should evaluate whether it can be achieved or not by the target audience. Therefore, it is essential to examine the key obstacles people face to mitigate and resolve them successfully. (Bucher 2020, 94.) Amy Bucher (2020, 94) refers to the constraints that hinder people’s ability to conduct actions as ability blockers. Examples of ability blockers are lack of knowledge, skills, or motivation. (Bucher 2020, 95.)

Once the researchers identified the ability blockers, the propers framework should be chosen to process the ability blockers’ resolution. Using the Behaviour Change Wheel Framework (BCW) is one way to solve the ability blockers (Michie et al. 2011a). Before defining the BCW, the COM-B model is clarified as it is the basis of the framework. The COM-B model suggests that a particular behavior can appear at any moment as the outcome of an interaction between three components: capability, opportunity, and motivation. The capability can be either physical (e.g. eyesight) or psychological (e.g. knowledge). The opportunity can be either physical (e.g. person’s surroundings) or social (people who influence a person’s behavior). The motivation can be either reflective (e.g. person’s plans) and automatic (e.g. emotions, desire). The COM-B model helps define and organize the ability blockers to the root cause that stops the behavior from being performed. (West & Michie 2020.)

Figure 1 demonstrates the COM-B model, which lies at the green central layer of the BCW framework. After that, from its core, the BCW extends to the second layer with nine types of ability blocker resolution strategies classified as intervention functions. Intervention functions are likely to affect one or more COM-B model components (the green core). They state that the following intervention functions will enhance the behavior once implemented:

  • education
  • persuasion
  • incentivization
  • coercion
  • training
  • enablement
  • modeling
  • restriction (Michie et al. 2011a.)

Behavior Change Wheel

Figure 1. The Behavior Change Wheel (adapted from Michie et al. 2011b)

Design of recycling application

Before the actual design of the application, Mariia Nazarova conducted detailed research in her final Thesis to define the exact ability blockers of people living in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In the end, 6 ability blockers that citizens currently have were found (Nazarova 2020, 33-34):

  1. Lack of knowledge of the recycling points
  2. Lack of knowledge of the recycling guidelines
  3. Lack of simplicity to understand sorting guidelines
  4. Lack of time/transport to visit recycling facility
  5. Lack of motivation to do the recycling
  6. Lack of sorting container within a walking distance

After brainstorming, the multi-service was created to combine barriers’ solutions. In the following chapter, four services in one application are presented.

  • Map service enables users to find recycling points (Image 1)

Map service to recycling points.

Image 1. Map service (Nazarova 2020a)

  • Educational service provides guidelines and exercises in various subjects, such as eco-lifestyle living and recycling instructions. Moreover, the service contains information about existing organizations that provide recycling events and offer utilities. (Image 2)

Educational service screens.

Image 2. Educational Service (Nazarova 2020b)

  • Scanning service enables users to understand quickly which type of waste the packaging belongs to. (Image 3)

Scanning service screens

Image 3. Scanning service (Nazarova 2020c)

  • Waste collect service includes a list of the delivery firms available to pick up the bags of waste obtained from the customer’s home. (Image 4)

Waste Collect service screens.

Image 4. Waste Collect Service (Nazarova 2020d)

The training, education, and enablement are used as described in the BCW. After the creation of the application, it was tested with real users from Saint Petersburg. All of the survey participants liked the design of the application. Moreover, everyone appealed to the multi-service idea as it provides several services in one click. Some of the participants suggested that such a solution might become a first step towards improving the ecological situation in Russia.

Conclusion

The BCW framework demonstrates the effectiveness of applying behavior change tools. The tool helps generate evidence-based data to identify suitable solutions that affect behavior change. According to article discoveries, the Russian community faces many barriers that can be solved with online service.

References

Aunger, R. & Curtis, V. 2016. Behaviour Centred Design: Towards an applied science of behavior change. Health Psychology Review. Vol. 10(4), 425–446. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2016.1219673

Brown, R. A. & Combs PhD, T. D. 2018. Digital behavioral design. Venice: Boundless Mind.

Bucher, A. 2020. ENGAGED Designing for Behavior Change. New York: Louis Rosenfeld.

Ecopromcentr. 2019. Раздельный сбор мусора и ТКО: главное и детали. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://ecopromcentr.ru/razdelnyi-sbor-musora/

The European Environment Agency 2019. Waste recycling. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/indicators/waste-recycling-1/assessment-1#:~:text=In%202017%2C%2046%20%25%20of%20the,Liechtenstein%20and%20Norway%20was%20recycled.&text=In%202017%2C%20three%20countries%20recycled,more%20of%20their%20municipal%20wa

Greenpeace. 2019. Что делать с мусором в России? [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://greenpeace.ru/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/report-RUSSIA-GARBAGE.pdf

Greenpeace 2020. Recyclemap. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://recyclemap.ru/

Kemp, S. 2020. Digital 2020: Global digital overview. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-global-digital-overview

McKay, FH., Slykerman, S., Dunn M. 2019. The App Behavior Change Scale: Creation of a Scale to Assess the Potential of Apps to Promote Behavior Change. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. Vol.  7(1). [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://mhealth.jmir.org/2019/1/e11130

Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M. & West, R. 2011a. The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Sci 6, 42 (2011). [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42

Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M. & West, R. 2011b. The Behaviour Change Wheel. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42

Nazarova M. 2020. Design of a Digital Product to Encourage the Community to Recycle in Russia. Bachelor’s thesis. Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management. Lahti.  [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121829502

RTS. 2020. Ready for these? 10 recycling facts you need to know. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://www.rts.com/blog/ready-for-these-10-recycling-facts-you-need-to-know/

Stevens, E. 2019. Step Four In The Design Thinking Process: Your Complete Introduction To Prototyping. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://careerfoundry.com/en/blog/ux-design/design-thinking-stage-four-prototyping/

West, R. & Michie, S. 2020. A brief introduction to the COM-B Model of behaviour and the PRIME Theory of motivation. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: https://www.qeios.com/read/WW04E6.2

Images

IMAGE 1. Nazarova M. 2020a. Map service. In: Design of a digital product to encourage the community to recycle in Russia. Bachelor’s thesis. LAB University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management. LAB University of Applied Sciences. 44. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121829502

IMAGE 2. Nazarova M. 2020b. Content blog. In: Design of a digital product to encourage the community to recycle in Russia. Bachelor’s thesis. LAB University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management. LAB University of Applied Sciences. 45. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121829502

IMAGE 3. Nazarova M. 2020c. Scanning service. In: Design of a digital product to encourage the community to recycle in Russia. Bachelor’s thesis. LAB University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management. LAB University of Applied Sciences. 47. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121829502

IMAGE 4. Nazarova M. 2020d. Waste Collect Service. In: Design of a digital product to encourage the community to recycle in Russia. Bachelor’s thesis. LAB University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Business and Hospitality Management. LAB University of Applied Sciences. 48. [Cited 15 May 2021]. Available at: http://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2020121829502

Authors

Mariia Nazarova is a graduate Business Information Technology student of LAB University of Applied Sciences.

Tarja Keski-Mattinen is a Senior Lecturer of Business Information Technology at LAB University of Applied Sciences.

Illustration: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/200815 (CC0)

Published 8.6.2021

Reference to this article

Nazarova, M. & Keski-Mattinen, T. 2021. The use of Behavior Change Wheel framework in the design of the mobile recycling application for the Russian community. LAB Pro. [Cited and date of citation]. Available at: https://www.labopen.fi/lab-pro/the-use-of-behavior-change-wheel-framework-in-the-design-of-the-mobile-recycling-application/