Lecture 4b Notes

Lecture 4b: Using COM-B with Other Tools

Overview

  • Course: GPS2014 - Contemporary Issues in Psychology

  • Institution: Centre for Applied Behavioural Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic

Behavioural Personas

Introduction to Personas

  • Definition of Personas: Fictional representation of individuals based on real user data.

    • Purpose: Commonly employed in usability testing by User Experience (UX) designers.

    • Benefits: Helps to focus on user needs and reduces false assumptions.

    • Contrast: Facilitates comparison among different users.

Example of a User Profile - Alexandra Davis

  • Demographics:

    • Name: Alexandra Davis

    • Age: 32

    • Job: Travel agent at TravelSmart.com for the last three years.

    • Work Hours: 8 am to 7 pm (Monday-Saturday)

    • Education: B.A. in Literature

    • Location: Denver, Colorado

    • Income: $45,000/year

    • Technology Used: PC, 1024 x 768 monitor, T1 internet line

    • Disabilities: Wears contacts

    • Family: Married with 8-year-old twin daughters.

Hobbies and Goals

  • Hobbies: Enjoys planning trips and traveling.

  • Goals:

    • Plan trips with her family.

    • Double her productivity every year.

    • Travel to every continent at least once by age 35.

Work Insights

  • Describes herself as a "Workaholic" but values family time.

  • Enjoys travel perks from her job which positively influences her work ethic.

  • Quote: "Clients don't want to sit on the phone… I need that information with few keystrokes and all on one screen."

  • Asserts that travel agents provide critical services beyond simple bookings, stressing the potential pitfalls of self-service travel bookings.

Behavioural Personas Framework

Characteristics of Behavioural Personas

  • Traditional Use: Developed for usability testing/ideation in product/service design.

  • Emerging Need: Traditional personas often lack a behavioural component; therefore, the introduction of 'Behavioural Personas' caters to behavioural design and analysis projects.

Creating Behavioural Personas

  • Methodology: Utilize the COM-B model from the Behaviour Change Wheel to incorporate behavioural elements.

  • Once these elements are identified, they can be integrated into the scenario write-up.

Components of COM-B Model

  • Capability:

    • Physical: Unlikely to affect e-waste recycling behaviour.

    • Psychological: Insufficient knowledge regarding e-waste recycling.

  • Opportunity:

    • Physical: Might be influenced by available physical resources.

    • Social: Could be impacted by social support and norms.

  • Motivation:

    • Automatic: Positive feelings toward e-waste recycling does not present a barrier.

    • Reflective: Person generally motivated to engage in e-waste recycling activities.

Integration with Other Theories

  • Although COM-B is highly advisable for behavioural analysis, other frameworks like the Theory of Planned Behaviour can also be utilized.

User Journey Mapping

Purpose of User Journey Mapping

  • Definition: A visual representation of an individual's experience and interactions (product/service, agency, or program) over time and through various channels.

  • Utility: Assists in efficiently summarizing data collected from diverse sources like interviews, observations, and existing data into a coherent visual narrative.

Example: Customer Journey Map - Jamie Switching Mobile Plans

  • Scenario: Jamie is assessing options for a new mobile plan that can save money and maintain her usage limits.

  • Expectations:

    • Clear online information and helpful customer support.

  • Process Steps:

    1. Reviews current mobile plan.

    2. Defines parameters for a new plan.

    3. Watches advertisements for competing services.

    4. Researches offers via consumer reports.

    5. Utilizes her current carrier's website to compare options.

    6. Communicates with her current carrier about alternatives.

    7. Contacts competing providers for offers.

    8. Decides on a plan and transfers service.

  • Internal ownership & metrics:

    • Customer Support: Goal is to reduce average call time to 2 minutes.

    • Web Team: Implement features to enable plan comparisons on the website.

    • Marketing Team: Track competitors’ offers to build a competitive database.

Applying COM-B in User Journey Mapping

Importance of Behaviour in User Journey Mapping

  • User actions are a critical component of journey mapping; thus, applying the COM-B model will enrich the analysis.

Research Citation

  • Citing the work of Elizarova & Kahn (2018), which demonstrates the synergy of Customer Journey Mapping combined with COM-B analysis to better inform decision-making in design processes.

Steps for Application

  • Step 1: Identify target behaviour(s) corresponding to the journey maps.

  • Step 2: Pinpoint barriers to these behaviours through COM-B analysis, correlating them to potential opportunities within the map.

  • Step 3: Formulate solutions that intervene with the identified barriers and enhance facilitators, ensuring maximum effectiveness in design solutions.

Q & A Section

  • Final Reflection: Encouragement to ponder finding solutions, as highlighted in the phrase: "THE ANSWER, MY FRIEND, IS BLOWING IN THE WIND."