Positive impact by design: The Wales Centre for Behaviour Change

Abstract

The Wales Centre for Behaviour Change is a research project that aims to integrate positive psychology with emerging technologies and behavioral science to promote prosperity and well-being. The behavioral focus emphasizes choice architectures and environmental triggers in their influence on positive change. This paper describes the background for this project, as well the theory and design of the center and its work. We review behavioral intervention technologies that the center is employing, or plans to employ, to augment the decision-making capabilities of its target audience. Technologies can be positioned in the behavioral stream to reduce complexity and distraction and in so doing help individuals make optimal decisions.

Keywords:

• nudge
• innovation
• intervention
• design thinking
• multidisciplinary
• well-being

Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge funding for this work provided by The Wales European Funding Office of the Welsh Government as well as Bangor University, the Happy Museums Project, and Colwyn Bay Heritage Initiative. We would also like to acknowledge the support of Bangor University and of CoLab and the TESLA, Enterprise by Design, and WCBC project team. Finally, we would like to thank the editor and reviewers for invaluable comments, edits, and suggestions in strengthening this paper for publication.