Designing Interventions for Behavioural Change

A process-driven approach to finding solutions to behavioural challenges  

Module details

  • Offered to 3rd Year students in Autumn term
  • Thursdays 16:00-18:00
  • Planned delivery: On campus (South Kensington)
  • 1-term module worth 5 ECTS  
  • Available to eligible students as part of I-Explore 

This module is about scoping, analysing and developing creative interventions for behaviour change. Possible interventions include wearables to improve health, products for more sustainable consumption and policy to improve techenabled business models. There is a strong focus on design process within the module.  Students with a strong interest in creative design process, human behaviour, and hands on coursework will enjoy this module. 

You will be exposed to several creative behavioural frameworks that can be applied to the development of (digital and physical) product, service, event, policy and organisational interventions. Next, you will work as a team to analyse and develop an intervention of your own. Learning is enhanced through interactive workshops and discussions complemented by individual and group learning activities to translate your understanding into real-world contexts.  

Please note: The information on this module description is indicative. The module may undergo minor modifications before the start of next academic year. 

Accordian

By the end of this module, you will better be able to:  

  • Interplays (Masters K2: Creativity and Design, Masters K3: Enterprise Knowledge, Develops S1: Skills in Design Engineering):  
    • Analyse the interplay between human behaviour and environmental, societal, organisational and individual outcomes  
  • Opportunities (Develops S2: Contextual Evaluation):  
    • Identify, critically analyse and scope opportunities for behaviour change interventions  
  • Behavioural Interventions (Develops A3: Team Working, Develops S3: Creative Products, Services and Systems):  
    • Create, evaluate and communicate creative interventions for behaviour change  
  • Reflection (Masters A1: Reflection, Develops A2: Communications):  
    • Reflect on the intersection of creative interventions for behaviour change and ethics within and beyond your discipline  

This module takes place over 9 weeks with a two-hour face to face session each week. The module content can be divided into three main parts. In the first part of the module, you will be introduced to various frameworks for analysing and designing behavioural interventions. Frameworks may include behavioural settings, daily rituals, and psychological ownership. These will be presented through pre-reading and interactive workshops during scheduled class time. The workshops will teach theory through real-world examples worked out in groups. Individual assignments following each session will help you understand how you can apply your learning more broadly. In the second part of the module, student teams will work together to scope, analyse and develop behavioural interventions. Interventions may include: encouraging healthy eating and exercise, aiding refugee integration into a community, structuring interactions with IoT-enabled products, de-siloing organisations to improve innovation and policy for sustainable consumption. Supporting content will be presented during scheduled class time such as ethical considerations, exposure to broader approaches to behavioural interventions, and practical ways to make and test interventions. The third part of the class involves team presentations and structured reflections regarding how learning can be applied to your current and future endeavours. 

Contact time will mainly be interactive workshops or discussions grounded in real case studies. Outside class, you will:   

  • Individually show how what you have learnt can be applied to various contexts  
  • As a group, you will scope, analyse and develop an intervention in a structured project   
  • Self-study and engage in individual participation  

There will be formative feedback during workshops and throughout the group project. Written feedback and grades will be given during formal assessment, but students are encouraged to write down informal feedback given to them as well. All feedback will be given within 10 working days unless otherwise noted.  

  • There will be quizzes at the start of each week on prereading material (usually no more than about 10 pages). Quizzes are pass/fail with multiple attempts allowed. A failed quiz will result in deductions from the other assignments.  

Coursework:  

  • Behaviour comprehension (three individual tasks) (45%)  
  • Group project (55%);  
  • Requirements: It is compulsory to take an I-Explore module during your degree (you’ll take an I-Explore module in either your 2nd or 3rd year, depending on your department). You are expected to attend all classes and undertake approximately 105 hours of independent study in total during the module. Independent study includes for example reading and preparation for classes, researching and writing coursework assignments, project work and preparing for other assessments 
  • I-Explore modules are worth 5 ECTS credit towards your degree; to receive these you will have to pass the module. The numerical mark that you obtain will not be included in the calculation of your final degree result, but it will appear on your transcript   
  • This module is designed as an undergraduate Level 6 course  
  • This module is offered by the Dyson School of Design Engineering