User research and behaviour change

The Research Thing is back in 2022 with an event on user research and behaviour change. What exactly does that imply and how can we as user researchers use it in our work?

You will get an introduction to behavioural science and the tools and methods you can use as well as a glimpse into the experience of our two speakers and how they have used behavioural science in their work.

DETAILS
Zoom event; join us wherever you are!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85309055583
Passcode: 907340

— GMT: 6.30pm - 8.00pm
— CET: 7.30pm - 9.00pm
— EDT: 1.30pm - 4.00pm
— PT: 10.30am - 12.00pm

Talks are 20 mins, with 5 mins for questions. And follow us on Twitter, tweet and re-tweet: https://twitter.com/researchthing

Thanks to:
— Zebra People for sponsoring us: https://zebrapeople.com/
— UXPA (UK) for supporting us: https://uxpa-uk.org/

THE TALKS
Rosie Webster
@DrRosieW (@ZincVC)

Increasing your impact with behavioural science

As user researchers, we're in the business of understanding (and often trying to change) people's behaviour. While the research we do is an excellent tool for this, we can have even more impact if we stand on the shoulders of the academic giants who spend years trying to understand human behaviour. Behavioural science is the systematic study of human behaviour, and how to change it. It therefore provides us with evidence, theories, frameworks, and methods that can supercharge our user research. In this talk, Rosie will talk about some of these different behavioural science tools, and provide examples of their use in practice.

--
Rosie is a behavioural scientist with a PhD in psychology and extensive experience leading user research in digital health companies. While at large scale-up Babylon, she established their behavioural science practice, designed to enhance the impact of their health improvement work. She now works at Zinc, helping very early-stage startups to bring science, research, and evidence into their businesses.

Karina van Schaardenburg
@KvanScha (@Opower)

Saving energy (and money) with behavioural science
Opower combines design with psychology to nudge utility customers to make better energy choices, helping the planet, the grid, and their wallets. From small actions (like taking shorter showers) to big actions (like buying an electric car), behavioural techniques can encourage people to act. In this session, Karina will cover the best practices of behaviour change and give examples from her work.

--
Karina is currently the Director of Research at Opower (part of Oracle Utilities) after working previously at companies including Lyft, Twitter, and Foursquare. She’s lived in 8 countries, and currently makes her home in San Francisco, California.