Overview of Behavioral Design

Behavioral design in a compliance context means using insights from behavioral science to create a habit that has a profound impact on a person's daily work behavior in terms of compliance.

Creating a Habit Through Positive Reinforcement

The idea is to create a positive experience for a person when they interact with compliance materials in any form. This usually means that a person can find the compliance materials they are looking for related to their particular job quickly, that they can understand how to apply the required steps, that they understand how the steps are relevant to their work, and then they can move on to other matters. It is helpful if compliance is seamlessly integrated into work processes. 

Another component of this is that he or she should see a link between doing better at his or her job; and therefore, more likely to advance, through integrating compliance-related tasks.If a person is frustrated by overly abstract or complex compliance materials that are not integrated into his or her work that are impractical, then they will likely turn away from compliance and not create compliant habits. It is important for compliance professionals to consistently keep connected with people who utilize compliance materials through conversations or interviews to obtain feedback so improvements can be made.

By creating a positive experience with compliance materials, and by linking compliance to work advancement, a person is more likely to create a habit through these positive reinforcements. 

Emotional Connection  

Even in compliance, people have an emotional connection to their work. Most people want to do well at their work, want to be recognized, and want to be promoted, which makes them have a positive emotional connection to the tools that help them do their work better.