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oh dear, Dr Bloomfield needs better comms advice. this messaging is highly counterproductive.
strap in for a long thread about why this is an avoidable comms failure, and how it could be better.
strap in for a long thread about why this is an avoidable comms failure, and how it could be better.
the call to "stay on high alert" is revealing. it shows that the Ministry is relying on fear to drive motivation to keep up good behaviours.
that's unsustainable — fear, especially ambient fear, dissipates over time.
behavioural economists have a name for this: satisficing.
that's unsustainable — fear, especially ambient fear, dissipates over time.
behavioural economists have a name for this: satisficing.
instead, a more sustainable strategy is to help people form a habit of scanning QR codes. that is, not motivated by a fear-based driver, but some other reinforcement that makes it automatic.
habit-formation is hard, but possible. staying on high alert indefinitely is impossible.
habit-formation is hard, but possible. staying on high alert indefinitely is impossible.
when Bloomfield says "[w]e can't afford to get complacent", it shows a severe misjudgement of why people are not scanning, and what the role of the Ministry is to remedy it.
it's not complacency, it's mainly a lack of motivation caused by lack of capability/opportunity.
it's not complacency, it's mainly a lack of motivation caused by lack of capability/opportunity.
to address motivation, we return to the age-old question in behaviour change: "why should I do what you want?"
that's the default, hard-wired stance of every human. it's the job of the Ministry to answer that question.
that's the default, hard-wired stance of every human. it's the job of the Ministry to answer that question.
answering the "why should I?" question isn't just about reasoning, or moralizing, or appealing to conscious processes.
it's also about persuasion targeted at habit-formation, for the "animal brain" in us. fear is one such factor, but not the only one, and not sustainable.
it's also about persuasion targeted at habit-formation, for the "animal brain" in us. fear is one such factor, but not the only one, and not sustainable.
so how should Bloomfield message for habit-formation?
let's see why "scan, scan, scan", is terrible, and that will hint at what to do instead.
let's see why "scan, scan, scan", is terrible, and that will hint at what to do instead.
"scan, scan, scan", is a brow-beating message that names the goal behaviour, but none of the intermediate behaviours to get there.
I see why he's fixated on scanning. it's the only step of the process that makes any difference to his life. it's what's measured in spreadsheets.
but from the public's perspective, the goal behaviour of scanning how we relate to the whole process. there are potentially many other steps involved — initial steps, intermediate steps, and resultant steps.
Bloomfield needs to speak in terms of what's relevant to us in the specific play-by-play situation, not what's relevant to him (even if it is the view of the collective good).
which initial, intermediate and resultant steps apply to us will depend on our different situations on the habit-formation spectrum. let's see some examples.
suppose I'm a regular scanner who does it automatically these days. I post things like this on twitter: "it only takes a few seconds! I hardly think about! what's so hard??"
for me, not many steps are involved anymore — usually.
for me, not many steps are involved anymore — usually.
for regular scanners like me, our initial step in the scanning process is: I need to see and recognize a QR code poster from the Ministry.
that's the cue. it's an essential step. if I miss the cue, I won't scan.
that's the cue. it's an essential step. if I miss the cue, I won't scan.
the next step is, indeed, "scan, scan, scan". that's the action. if I miss the action, well, obviously I won't scan.
so to make me scan, as a regular scanner, I need the cue and the action steps to happen.
so to make me scan, as a regular scanner, I need the cue and the action steps to happen.
the only thing I can do about the cue, for my part, is to look for it. so Bloomfied can help: "look for QR codes and scan them". that helps target both the initial step and the action.
it also reinforces the association between the cue and the action. as a regular scanner with a habit, I have already made that association by training my "animal brain" to do it automatically. but reinforcing helps keep it up.
the next unspoken resultant step is the response — possibly an emotional response. early in my habit-formation, I needed to feel good about scanning to train my brain to make the association of cue-action, and to want to repeat it.
now that I have the habit, I no longer need those training wheels so much. I can make myself feel good internally without an explicit reward, without even thinking about it. I have internalized the belief that I'm doing a rewarding thing.
but I didn't start out that way. even if I was conscious it was a good idea to scan, I didn't start out subconsciously feeling it. it took some conditioning to internalize it — i.e. habit-formation.
this is where it gets more complicated: let's look at a non-regular scanner.
this is where it gets more complicated: let's look at a non-regular scanner.
a non-regular scanner has not yet made the association of cue-action-response in their automatic brain. they may agree with Bloomfield that scanning is important and all, but despite their best intentions, won't be able to keep up the behaviour. unless they can form a habit.
so Bloomfield and all of us should be part-time habit coaches helping each other develop the habit of scanning QR codes.
what does that look like?
what does that look like?
the initial step is cue recognition, so "look for QR codes" is helpful.
sidenote: not everyone knows how to recognize a QR code. I saw a Ministry ad on a bus shelter that didn't show what a QR code was, but told us to scan them.
sidenote: not everyone knows how to recognize a QR code. I saw a Ministry ad on a bus shelter that didn't show what a QR code was, but told us to scan them.
something else that should happen around this moment is to stop everything else and focus on scanning. that depends on my stress levels, preoccupations, and the like. it varies. but adding words like "take a moment" can help normalize doing that.
the next step after recognition is to bind it to specific actions. we could try, "if you see a QR code, pause for a second, take out your phone, open the app and scan the QR code".
the specific behaviour is important. if we don't specify it, we're leaving it to the user to figure it out on their own. it might sound simple, but it turns into a problem-solving, adding friction. and we're back to the "why should I?" question. the easier we make it, the better.
once we have established cue-action, we need to seal the deal with a response. upon scanning successfully, the "animal brain" needs a reward — a feel-good emotional snack.
this is essential to turning a series of conscious steps into an automatic habit.
this is essential to turning a series of conscious steps into an automatic habit.
the app could help by providing positive reinforcement. it doesn't take much. even just a compliment, like, "ka pai, you're helping to save time contact tracing!" with a smiling face.
but let's suppose the app continues to be useless.
but let's suppose the app continues to be useless.
Bloomfield can still manually state the response. "if you see a QR code, pause for a second, take out your phone, open the app and scan the QR code. give yourself a pat on the back as you'll be helping save time contact tracing".
it's long-winded (we can solve that later) but it is specific, targeted, and basically like a small computer program for the brain. it takes less mental effort to carry out this recipe than "scan, scan, scan".
as people repeat this series of steps, it will gradually become more automatic and require less conscious control. some of you have managed to do that already, so you're regular scanners. if that was easy for you, congratulations on your privilege.
there are barriers to habit-formation that most other people face, often due to socioeconomic or disabling causes. stress, preoccupation with competing tasks (bills, kids, etc), ADHD, are just a few examples. we need to be mindful and work with that.
the graph of COVID tracer app usage rates falling off is a graph of the distribution of access to the conditions enabling habit-formation: i.e. we have a massive deficit.
my favourite example of this is the recurring example of doctors and nurses in hospitals who routinely fail to wash their hands enough. you'd think they'd know better? they do!
not lacking in reason, belief or even opportunity (in the West, there are usually enough washing stations). what's missing is often a lack of self-regulation skills, which are core psychological skills we don't all have and aren't usually trained in.
most of us bumble through life figuring out habituation as we go. a rare few have had, by accident of birth and privilege, the education to help us with it. but I imagine most are self-taught, if at all.
so even doctors and nurses need coaching to form a hand-washing habit.
so even doctors and nurses need coaching to form a hand-washing habit.
even if you got good at QR scanning, you may not be good at every other habit. so this is not a character flaw people. those who aren't scanning QR codes habitually may be much better at other habits that are more important to their lives.
providers of systems — especially app developers — should take this into account. we may need to be part-time habit coaches, especially when we're asking people to take on new, routine habits.
providers of systems — especially app developers — should take this into account. we may need to be part-time habit coaches, especially when we're asking people to take on new, routine habits.
if you want people to scan more, the pragmatic answer is to help out with habit-formation.
cue-action-response is at the core of automatic habituaton. but there's more.
three things to make the response part more effective: repetition, variable reward and loss aversion.
three things to make the response part more effective: repetition, variable reward and loss aversion.
repetition is essential for the habit to stick. by chance, "scan, scan, scan" emphasizes repetition, so that's good. but the most powerful driver of repetition is to want to do it again for the reward, so making it a feel-good exercise helps.
variable rewards tie in because a predictable reward gets boring and diminishes repetition. again, the app can help — it could show a different compliment on each scan success (not the same "Visit recorded" screen always).
but in messaging Bloomfield can variously emphasize different positive outcomes: saving contact tracing time, protecting potential downstream contacts, protecting your bubble, etc.
loss aversion is a powerful motivator. we'd rather save what we have, than gain what we don't. bird in the hand, etc.
here's an obvious one: "don't miss your chance to scan QR codes".
ask your nearest salesperson for more ideas. they do it all the time.
here's an obvious one: "don't miss your chance to scan QR codes".
ask your nearest salesperson for more ideas. they do it all the time.
I've divided people into regular scanners and non-regular scanners, but that's a lie.
you regular scanners will benefit from the advice for specific habit instructions too. because there are times you will need it.
you regular scanners will benefit from the advice for specific habit instructions too. because there are times you will need it.
a habit isn't permanent. your brain needs to prioritize which habits to spend energy on in the long term. (we're back to privilege.)
so you can fall off the wagon. in that case, the specific advice is a good handrail to help you back into it.
so you can fall off the wagon. in that case, the specific advice is a good handrail to help you back into it.
habits can break down situationally, if you're used to a QR code cue looking consistent, but you find yourself in an irregular situation, you'll benefit from specific rather than vague advice. are you used to seeing QR posters in colour? ever come across a black-and-white print?
so cue-action-response habit-forming guidance is important if you really want people to scan more. what else?
modelling is a powerful complement. showing people scanning is very good at not only social proof (everyone is doing it) but how to actually do the specific behaviours we just saw.
while this video is more about a tech tip, I think the most important contribution is to show someone scanning a QR code. we need more like this, broken down into specific steps. https://twitter.com/medickinson/status/1345622307478228992
describing cue-action-response is long-winded. showing it is more natural. we can use videos and graphics.
a 1-2-3 how-to-scan ad in a bus shelter?
on social media: videos of people looking for QR codes, recognizing the cue, scanning, and getting rewarded?
a 1-2-3 how-to-scan ad in a bus shelter?
on social media: videos of people looking for QR codes, recognizing the cue, scanning, and getting rewarded?
there are other ways to intervene with even more specific capability deficits that underlie "complacency", such as lack of knowledge, or decision-making biases.
the app's design has huge potential to help with these. it's tragic that they won't even try.
the app's design has huge potential to help with these. it's tragic that they won't even try.
there are also ways to reduce friction in the opportunities for QR code scanning. again, the app is central to the effort, through its design. I described some of my pet peeves here (as someone with expertise on the subject): https://radhikalism.net/toward-a-better-covid-19-tracer-app-user-experience
there are more ways of addressing gaps in motivation. we cannot rely on a fear-based environment to drive usage. it's unreliable, it diminishes over time by "satisficing", and it produces reactions too late anyway.
years ago, Cialdini identified six factors of persuasion: reciprocation, commitment/consistency, social proof, liking, authority, and scarcity.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Influence:_Science_and_Practice
the app in particular can use these factors judiciously to help change behaviour towards habit-formation. it isn't even trying.
but so can the ads and official messaging, but they are also largely missing the point.
for example, they can use reciprocation by showing the hard work going on behind the scenes at the Ministry and by contact tracers — so now it's our turn to do them a favour (by scanning).
for example, they can use reciprocation by showing the hard work going on behind the scenes at the Ministry and by contact tracers — so now it's our turn to do them a favour (by scanning).
the possibilities are wide open. it's frustrating to see them abdicate their responsibility and give in to helplessness. the desperate appeals for people to meaninglessly "scan, scan, scan" are so disappointing. they can and should do better.
I don't know if it's because of a lack of awareness in the Ministry's COVID-19 group, or because of an ideological zeal for the politics of personal responsibility, or even a risk-aversion with trying something that seems too novel (given the app is already novel).
I don't know if public pressure can change things. but you should know that the Ministry is in the process of committing a grievous error, if they don't sort out their messaging and app design.
there are experts in these domains of behavioural design and behaviour change psychology (some at the Ministry, doubtless). they work on public health problems like smoking cessation. why their skills are not being applied here is inexplicable.
