An action that the user needs to take = the motivation they have to take the action + the ability to perform the action + the trigger that caused things to happen and drive the action.

If any of these elements are missing, the ability to change behavior or develop new behavior is compromised. The beauty of the theory is its practicality. It allows us to identify which task we are giving the user that they are not performing and why, whether it’s because the action is difficult, the ability is not practical, or there is no motivation to do it.

Thanks to the graph, we can explore and see where we need to make adjustments to provide the user with even a small amount of motivation to perform actions that will lead to behavioral change.

As the saying goes, KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid.

The common recommendation is to start small – an action that will be easy and simple for the user, and then gradually make the action more complex. It’s similar to the steps a baby takes to walk and eventually run. The smaller and simpler the actions, the more significant the changes we can bring about over time as our user gets accustomed to them – meaning the learning curve is steeper for simple actions than for a small learning curve with many complex actions to perform.

The user’s desire to perform a specific action. For example, when users have high motivation to achieve a goal, they can perform complex actions to reach it, whereas users with low motivation can only perform small, easy, and simple actions even if the trigger is strong.

• Physical Aspect – The feeling of pain or pleasure that motivates us to continue and do things, such as eating ice cream or running when endorphins are released and make us feel better.
• Emotional Aspect – Expectation – Feelings of hope or fear are the strongest emotional drivers that motivate us to take actions and want to feel part of something bigger or achieve a cherished goal, like winning an Ironman competition or an important prize.
• Social Aspect – Sense of belonging – When people feel they are part of something bigger and are surrounded by similar individuals, they feel they are part of something significant. The social aspect is the main driver of their motivation, the desire to be part of a community.

The user’s ability to perform the action that will lead to behavioral change, whether it is complex or simple.

• Time – When the time required is short and realistic for the user, they will perform the action. When the time is longer and more complex, the likelihood of performing the action decreases.
• Routine – People love routine and a lifestyle they are accustomed to. If the action does not fit into the user’s routine, the likelihood of behavioral change significantly decreases.
• Physical Effort – If too much physical effort is required, the chances of successful behavioral change decrease. The more realistic the effort required that matches the user, the more likely the change will occur.
• Money – The behavioral change needs to fit the user’s socio-economic status, including staying within their financial limits. If the investment exceeds these limits, the chances of changes occurring decrease.

• Social Norms – People like to be part of something, part of a group, and do not like to stand out in their environment. People usually prefer to follow social norms and be part of “something.” If the action we want to happen contradicts the social norms they believe in or is challenging to perform, the change will not occur.

  Cognitive Load – The lower and simpler the cognitive load, the more successful the behavioral change will be. When a user has to learn too much or overload themselves, the likelihood of behavioral change decreases.

  It is very important to maintain simplicity and ease to ensure behavioral change occurs.

We all need triggers to give us the energy and motivation to start taking action, like a diet or exercise – something that makes us say, “Enough, I’m fed up, I need a change here and now!” Only when we reach this peak do things start to happen, and we find the energy to make these changes and take responsibility for our behavioral change.

• Spark/Desire – An important factor, especially for users with low motivation – to give them the spark in their eyes to perform an action that is worthwhile for them. At that moment, their motivation will rise, like winning a competition or receiving a valuable benefit.
• Guidance and Instruction – When motivation fluctuates, it is necessary to provide the user with guidance and instruction to ensure that motivation remains and the user does what we want from them, such as daily progress updates in the app to keep them motivated.
• Direction – A clear action that will make users understand what they need to do to ignite the motivation within them. The clearer the guidance, the better the user will understand what they need to do, like onboarding.