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Is nudging the next thing in UX?
Nudge is not just an intervention as we think. Here’s how products are using nudge to change habits.
They serve fruit salad every weekday, without fail, in our office. Of course, it is served for free. And to top it, they serve it directly on our desk. I eagerly wait for the salad to come. I relish it. The salad is usually well balanced with watermelon cubes, banana slices, apple cubes, papaya slices, few grapes and some other fruits. Guava cubes replace banana slices on some days. Being eco-friendly, we get toothpick to eat the salad with, instead of plastic forks. Also, toothpick makes more sense.
I was reading the book “Nudge” one day and was waiting for the fruit salad. It came on time as usual and I had the watermelon cube first as usual. While I was savouring the watermelon I had a sudden spark. “Why do I pick watermelon first and why do I do it every time?”
The answer lies in the toothpick. Every time the staffs serve the salad, it is the watermelon cube that has the toothpick on it. They do it to avoid losing the toothpick. And watermelon is an easy choice for them. And I being lazy to take the toothpick out to pick other fruit slice, always go with the watermelon.
