Understanding Our Limits and How We Make Decisions

Today, we're going to talk about something really cool: how people think and make decisions, and why this matters a lot for those of us who create learning experiences, like courses or lessons. You see, knowing about how our brains like to take shortcuts and how we act without even thinking about it can help us make better lessons and courses.

Why is this a big deal? Well, when we make learning stuff—like videos, quizzes, and activities—we're trying to get people interested, help them remember things, and use what they learn in real life. To do this well, we need to understand how they think and what catches their attention.

We'll explore why people do things the way they do, how the place and situation they're in can change what they decide to do, and some smart ways we can use this info to help people learn better. It's not about tricking anyone; it's about making learning so good and fitting so well with how we naturally think that it feels easy and fun.

So, if you're making a new lesson, updating something you've made before, or just curious about how to help people learn better, you're in the right spot. Today's chat is all about giving you the secrets to making learning that sticks and really makes a difference. Let's get started and make learning awesome together!

We're All Limited

Let's start with a basic truth: we all have our limits. Our brains can only focus on so much at once - there's only so much time, attention, and energy we can give. Think about it: at any moment, there are countless things we could be paying attention to. But we can't focus on everything all at once, can we?

Shortcuts in Our Thinking

Because we're limited, our brains love taking shortcuts, which are like quick tricks to make decisions faster. These shortcuts help us a lot, but sometimes they can lead us to make mistakes or jump to conclusions too quickly. This happens because these shortcuts aren't perfect - they can lead to what's called biases, which are like errors in our thinking or actions that we didn't intend to make.

The Battle of Our Minds

When it comes to making decisions and acting on them, it's not just about what we consciously think. A lot of what we do is automatic, like habits we don't even think about. This means that sometimes, we're not fully "choosing" in the way we might think we are.

The Power of Context

What we decide to do and how we act is hugely influenced by where we are and what's around us. This can make our biases better or worse and can widen or narrow the gap between what we intend to do and what we actually end up doing. Everything from the design of a website to the people we hang out with and our everyday habits plays a role in shaping our actions.

Designing Better Decisions

Here's where it gets exciting: we can design the world around us to help people make better decisions and close the gap between what they intend to do and what they actually do. That's the heart of designing for behavior change. It's about creating an environment that guides us to make better choices without even realizing it.

Key Concepts in Decision Making

Sticking to What We Know

Often, when we're unsure and faced with too many options, the easiest thing to do is nothing at all. This tendency to stick with the familiar is called the status quo bias. It's like our mind's default setting to avoid risk.

Looking to Others for Clues

When we're uncertain, we tend to look around and follow what others are doing. This is known as descriptive norms. It's one of the simplest ways our brain helps us decide in a pinch - "Everyone else is doing it, so it must be okay."

Seeing What We Want to See

We naturally pay more attention to things that confirm what we already believe, known as the confirmation bias. It's like our brain is filtering the world to show us what we want to see, which can sometimes keep us stuck in our ways.

Focusing on the Now

Our brains have a thing for the present - we care a lot about what's happening right now, often at the expense of our future well-being. This present bias explains why we might choose instant gratification over long-term benefits.

The First Impression Counts

When we don't know something, like how likely an event is or how much something should cost, we start with a guess and adjust from there. But our first guess, or anchor, has a big influence on where we end up. This is the anchoring effect, and it shows how our starting point can shape our final decision.

Remembering the Memorable

We tend to think that if something is easy to remember, it must be important or likely to happen again. This is the availability heuristic at work. If you just heard about a rare event, like a school shooting, your brain might trick you into thinking it's more common than it is.

Valuing Our Effort

The IKEA effect is a quirky part of human nature where we value things more if we've put effort into them, even if our contribution is small. It's like when you build a piece of furniture and then love it not just for what it is, but for the effort you put into making it.

The Halo Effect

When we like someone or something in general, we tend to see everything about them in a positive light. This halo effect means if we think highly of a person, we might overestimate their abilities in areas we know nothing about.

Practical Tricks for Better Behavior

Simple changes can lead to big improvements in how we act. For example, putting a picture of a fly in a urinal can make a bathroom cleaner, and giving people smaller portions, like many little bags of popcorn, can help them eat less. It's all about clever tweaks that guide us to better behavior without us even noticing.

This newsletter is proudly brought to you by eLearning Universe. Ready to transform your organization's learning journey? Reach out to us today!

Credit: Designing for Behavior Change, 2nd Edition