How can you use design to promote healthy habits?

1 Design for nudging

Nudging is a concept from behavioral economics that refers to subtle changes in the design of choices that can influence people's decisions without forcing them or restricting their options. For example, placing fruits and vegetables at eye level in a supermarket can nudge customers to buy more healthy food. You can use nudging in industrial design to encourage healthy habits by making them more visible, accessible, attractive, or rewarding. For example, you can design a water bottle that glows when you need to drink more water, or a fitness tracker that vibrates when you reach your daily steps.

2 Design for feedback

Feedback is another powerful tool to influence behavior and motivate people to achieve their goals. Feedback can be positive or negative, immediate or delayed, quantitative or qualitative, and can come from various sources, such as yourself, others, or the environment. You can use feedback in industrial design to promote healthy habits by providing clear, timely, and relevant information that helps people monitor their progress, compare their performance, and celebrate their achievements. For example, you can design a smart scale that shows your weight, body fat, and BMI, or a toothbrush that tracks your brushing time and quality.

4 Design for social influence

Social influence is the effect that other people have on our behavior, attitudes, and beliefs, either directly or indirectly. Social influence can be positive or negative, and can come from various sources, such as friends, family, peers, experts, celebrities, or groups. You can use social influence in industrial design to promote healthy habits by creating products, environments, or systems that leverage the power of social norms, social proof, social comparison, social support, or social recognition. For example, you can design a wearable device that connects you with other users who share your goals, or a coffee machine that donates to a charity every time you use it.

5 Design for personalization

Personalization is the customization of products, environments, or systems to suit the preferences, needs, and goals of individual users. Personalization can increase the relevance, usefulness, and satisfaction of the design, and can also enhance the user's sense of identity, ownership, and agency. You can use personalization in industrial design to promote healthy habits by creating products, environments, or systems that adapt to your behavior, preferences, and goals, and that allow you to express yourself, choose your options, and control your experience. For example, you can design a smart watch that learns your habits and suggests personalized tips, or a pillow that plays your favorite music when you wake up.

6 Design for sustainability

Sustainability is the ability to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is not only an environmental issue, but also a social and economic one. Sustainability can affect our health and well-being, as well as the health and well-being of other people and the planet. You can use sustainability in industrial design to promote healthy habits by creating products, environments, or systems that reduce the negative impact on the environment, society, and economy, and that enhance the positive impact on the quality of life, equity, and justice. For example, you can design a reusable bottle that filters water, or a solar-powered lamp that provides light to remote areas.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?