THE ROLE OF “GOOD” BEHAVIOURS IN BEHAVIOURAL DESIGN

Interacting with a physical product is a continuous process where both good and bad behaviours co-exist and constitute the interaction. In Behavioural Design (BD), bad behaviours are also termed problematic behaviours (PBs). Correspondingly, good behaviours are termed non-problematic behaviours (N-PBs) in this paper. Designers focusing on BD have developed various methods to change PBs but neglected discussion on the functionality of co-existing N-PBs in a target context. This study explores the role of N-PBs in the domain of physical product-related behaviour design (PrBD). Through interdisciplinary discussion of the role of N-PBs, we put forward a hypothesis that N-PBs could serve as references to assist users in rationalising and understanding the changed structures in the target context. Accordingly, we conducted a tweezer-chopstick experiment with 16 university students, through which we found that, first, N-PBs, as well as corresponding physical structures, not only help users make sense of a redesigned product but also influence, even determine, their acceptance towards the product. Second, users preferred to choose a redesigned product that retained more elements in relation to its original shape.