Data, Behaviour, Decisions

We are starting to develop models of the data that could underpin some of our visualisations and digital experiences. This is the SWCTN Data Prototype, and ideas around data visualisation were one of our selling points in the pitch. The longer we spend on this the more we realise that just presenting data is unlikely to be persuasive in changing anyone’s framing, intentions, or actions. We need to think about the psychology of purchasing: including both the the needs actually met by buying something; and the rewards or benefits anticipated, whether promised by marketing or by our own expectations.

This is a wholly different kind of model than one accounting for the cumulative embodied harms, or circular credentials of a product. Yet, without it we will not reach people. The marketing industry is way ahead of us here, and we can learn a lot from the science or psychology and marketing practices which employ it. This is potentially dangerous ground for us. If we employ marketing techniques to ‘game’ audience behaviours towards sustainable choices, we lose any moral high ground. We would be manipulating rather than empowering citizens. Instead, we can build up from product data that can be interrogated, and build our experiences in a way that is informed by behavioural tendencies, and present citizens with truly informed, empowering choices.

Both data and behaviour models are going to get quite complex, and we will need to keep things simple for the purpose of our prototype. Can we do it? Check back here to find out.