Have you ever wondered why your microwave has a popcorn setting? Has it ever occurred to you that your own behavior, human behavior, is the forefront to that tiny but mighty design decision? Defined by the Nielson Norman group, “User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with the company, its services, and its products.” In the design space, when creating a product gathering as much information from users is key to producing quality user-centered designs. Basing our designs solely on preference makes them lack characteristics that users may need or want. This is where behavioral design comes in handy, or what we like to call the “5 W’s.” 

When approaching design, it is important to understand behavioral design, or the 5 W’s: who, what, when, where, why, and how. We know that the word “how” doesn’t start with a “w,” but bear with us, it’s still important. 

When creating user-centric designs, we as designers have to think about the user - not just one user, but all potential users. As we ideate, it can be helpful to think about behavioral design. T Dalton Combs Phd and Ramsay A. Brown, authors of “Digital Behavioral Design,” define this as “a framework for intentionally and systematically changing human behavior through persuasive modifications of the physical and digital environment.”

They referred to “persuasion” as not a form of manipulation, but a form of adjusting the digital space to benefit the user by understanding how they think and behave. When we provide the right path and cues for users, it gives them the motivation to complete their task, or follow through with their actions. As we learn more and more about how users approach problems, applications, and the world, we can broaden how we as designers approach solutions to these problems. 

As mentioned previously, the “5 W’s” (and one “H”) are frameworks that can allow us to break down behavioral design to its most simple form. The “who” is all current and potential users. The “what” is the information that the user needs to know, or be aware of. The “where” asks the question, “where is this user’s experience occurring?” Is it in the digital space? In the physical space? As for the “when” of this process, we have to consider when the user will interact with said design. A user can’t sign-in or send a payment without using dual authentication, similarly to a user having to close the microwave door before they can make the unit start. The two final steps in this sequence are the “why” and “how.” The “why” considers the importance of the design choice to the user, and its overall impact on their experience. Why does the user prefer the popcorn button on the microwave to just manually inputting the time? Why does the user prefer the microwave over the stovetop method? Then there's the how. How will adding a preset popcorn button make the users experience better? How will using the microwave as opposed to the stovetop benefit the user? It’s simple. The microwave method saves time, and the preset button is easy to use. 

All of these “W’s” impact the “how” for the designer. As designers, we consider all of the above. We go through countless ideation phases to reach our “how.” How can we take all of the information we have gathered and create something that benefits the user, meets their needs, and makes their life easier. This is where behavioral design and the “5 W’s” come together. When approaching the “5 W’s” of design, it is important to have an understanding of behavioral design, as it is the foundation of design. Behavioral design focuses on the users’ behavior and interaction in order to “predict how and why people behave the way they do.” When we utilize behavioral design thinking, we can create better systems, content hierarchy, and interactions that benefit the user and make their experience as easy as possible. So next time you use the popcorn button on your microwave to get that perfect pop, remember that you helped influence that solution, and enjoy munching!