EAST | Easy Attractive Social Timely(EAST)
Behavior Design Process / Heuristics • 2012
Owain Service, Michael Hallsworth, David Halpern
UK Behavioural Insights Team (BIT)
"The EAST approach is a mnemonic for remembering four essential elements of approaching behavior change in practice.
The authors provide further detail at for each of the principles:
Easy
- Harness the power of defaults
- Reduce the 'hassle factor'
- Simplify messages
Attractive
- Attract attention through high salience
- Design rewards and punishments for maximum effect or ROI (e.g. consider lotteries)
Social
- Cue social norms
- Leverage networks
- Encourage public commitments
Timely
- Prompt people when they're likely to be receptive
- Consider immediate costs and benefits (i.e. account for hyperbolic discounting)
- Help people plan their responses to events (i.e. encourage coping plans and implementation intentions)"
