1, 2, 3 : SET BEHAviour CHANGE
SET BEHAviour CHANGE is a practical example of how to bridge the gap between behavioural theory and the everyday realities of product development. It empowers teams to move beyond isolated interventions and toward sustainable, organization-wide application.
How can we improve decision-making by reducing cognitive bias?
How can behavioural sciences be leveraged to enhance product development?
How do we build the mindset and skills to manage biases and apply nudges effectively?
We advocate for a pragmatic, flexible, and ethically grounded approach to integrating behavioural science within product organizations. Rather than prescribing a single method, we encourage teams to adopt any proven and ethically sound framework that aligns with their structure, context, and goals. To ensure both effectiveness and integrity, we strongly recommend involving behavioural experts who can guide the appropriate application of these approaches and help embed them meaningfully into product practice.
WHAT IT IS?
It is a holistic, pragmatic, and modular three-part approach built around checklists and practical guidances. It is designed as a suggested structure for applying behavioral science within product organizations. By empowering product teams to mitigate and leverage cognitive biases, this framework facilitates the seamless integration of behavioral principles into existing digital product development workflows and organizational practices.
WHAT IT IS NOT?
​A groundbreaking new methodology to be strictly followed.
TARGETED AUDIENCE
Product teams working on digital product development, including software, hardware, and associated services.
“SET” the Stage for Clearer Team Decisions
SET is the foundation of the SET BEHAviour CHANGE approach, focused on improving decision-making by reducing the influence of cognitive biases. Designed as a flexible and practical checklist, it helps product teams identify and apply the most relevant tools and methods, tailored to their unique organizational context and challenges.
SET is built on two core foundations: the stages of Product Development and a typology of Cognitive Biases.
OBJECTIVES
Improve the decision-making process in product organization by mitigating cognitive biases
AVAILABLE SUPPORTS
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SET BEHAviour CHANGE Starter Kit: Includes a SET BEHAviour CHANGE Playbook with Cognitive bias Checklist and a short Guide of Supportive Methodologies.
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Biases Busters: Stories of common pitfalls caused by cognitive biases in product development - and how to mitigate them. Illustrated as cartoons to make them more engaging and accessible.
Enhance “Behaviour”
BEHAviour, the second pillar of the SET BEHAviour Change approach, focuses on ethically leveraging behavioural science and cognitive biases to improve product design. While we recommend involving behavioural experts - especially for first-time or tactical applications - this part of the approach, inspired by proven methods and frameworks*, serves as an example of how behavioural science is typically applied in practice to guide user-centered product design.
B - Behaviour Definition
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This initial step focuses on clearly defining the targeted outcome. It addresses several critical questions:
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What behavior is targeted?
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Who exactly should adopt this behavior?
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What does success look like, and how will it be measured?
E - Evaluate Barriers & Motivations
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Conduct Customer Research and map the Barriers, Blockers & Motivations
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What could effectively motivate or nudge the target behavior?
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What specific factors are preventing users from adopting the desired behavior?
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Are there any immediate missing rewards or significant pain points currently impacting user interactions?
H - Habit-Forming Intervention Design
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Designing an intervention that leverages cognitive biases in a positive and ethical way. The goal here is to create experiences that feel intuitive, engaging, and rewarding while aligning with the targeted behavior. Product teams should design frictionless interventions that make the desired behavior more appealing and emotionally satisfying.
A - Assess, Iterate, Scale
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The final step is about testing, refining and scaling the intervention. This includes assessing performance, running small-scale pilots, measuring success through defined KPIs, and scaling up only if the desired outcomes are validated.
Embrace “CHANGE”
CHANGE, the third phase of the SET BEHAviour CHANGE approach, offers a flexible, practical framework for embedding behavioural science into product team culture. It translates earlier stages into day-to-day practice, encouraging reflection, learning, and internal alignment. Designed to support both short-term interventions and long-term transformation, it also strengthens employer branding and fosters a product-led culture through ethical, behaviourally informed practices.
(C) Communication
Foster internal awareness and ethical adoption of behavioural science through clear communication, training, leadership support, and success stories, while ensuring external transparency and alignment with user-centred values.
Suggested Actions:
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Organize Training and Awareness sessions on cognitive and algorithmic biases.
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Leadership Communication. Empower leaders to highlight successes and promote a learning culture.
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Success Stories. Showcase behavioral wins in internal stories; align externally with brand for consistency.
Cognitive biases Leveraged: Social Norms Bias, Authority Bias
(A) Actionable
Apply the approach only when it adds value. If an existing framework or behavioral methodology is already being used effectively, there’s no need to duplicate efforts. Focus on what’s truly useful, adaptable, and aligned with current team needs.
Suggested Actions:
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Apply "BEHAviour" selectively where bias risks are high or behavioral impact is most valuable.
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Use daily micro-interventions, such as adding behavioral inputs to feature briefs or aligning with sales teams
Cognitive biases Mitigated : Status Quo Bias
(G) Guidance
The SET BEHAviour CHANGE approach is based on guidance and checklists, acting as a gentle nudge - not a rigid process. It offers direction and support, not pressure. Teams are free to adopt the elements that suit them best. It also encourages flexible integration of existing proven methodologies, adapting them to the specific context and needs.
Suggested Actions:
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Provide adaptable templates and toolkits (e.g., the SET checklist) for easy use.
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Support modular adoption by letting teams apply what fits.
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Frame guidance as inspirational “lighthouse documents,” not strict rules.
Cognitive Bias Mitigated: Reactance Bias
(H) Human First
Promote a human-centered mindset that positions behavioural science as a supportive, ethical tool for improving both user experience and team culture.
Suggested Actions:
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Present behavioral science as a support tool - not a control mechanism - during team training and onboarding.
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Leverage shared understanding of cognitive bias as an inherent human trait to foster a safe space for open dialogue, experimentation, and a trial-and-error culture.
Cognitive Biases Leveraged/Mitigated: Commitment Bias, Conformity Bias, Empathy Gap, Pygmalion Effect, Outcome Bias, Blind Spot Bias.
(N) Nudge
Promote and share nudge techniques within the organization to support gentle, ethical behavior change. Nudging requires empathy and is a great way to foster a customer-centric mindset and kindness among colleagues. Empower teams to act with purpose while respecting autonomy.
Suggested Actions:
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Build a “Nudge Library” of best practices and tips tailored to internal workflows and external user experiences.
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Promote low-friction nudges, such as default ethical reviews before product launches, to gently guide better decisions.
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Integrate nudges into team rituals - like using reminders, pre-mortems, or public commitments to support behavioral alignment.
Cognitive Biases Leveraged : Salience bias
(E) Ethical
Encourage the ethical use of behavioural science by embedding integrity, fairness, transparency, and accountability into all product decisions - especially those involving AI- to build trust and long-term responsibility.
Suggested Actions:
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Add an Ethics Checkpoint to the product lifecycle—especially for AI, nudging, and decision-impacting features—to assess fairness and unintended effects.
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Introduce a symbolic Ethical Commitment Charter, signed after training, to reinforce ethical use through visibility, social norms, and reciprocity.
Cognitive Biases Leveraged / Mitigated: Self-Consistency Bias, Reciprocity Bias.