Understanding Users' True Motivations: A Guide to Motivational Interviewing (MI) in Product Design
A guest post with Anna-Zsófia Csontos on the importance on Motivational Interviewing in Product Design.
Hi there, I’m Robert and welcome to my behavioral insights page. You will find posts about behavior, psychology and decision making to help grow products, innovate services and improve employee experiences.
To help us learn what Motivational Interviewing (MI) is and its place in Product Design, I’m happy to bring you a special guest post by Anna-Zsófia Csontos, a user experience researcher with a passion for understanding people and crafting engaging experiences.
She draws upon her training in health psychology and behavior change to inform her research. Beyond research, she's a dedicated educator, empowering others to harness the power of human-centered design principles through facilitating workshops and courses as well as training programs for improved stress management and communication skills.
An introduction from Robert before we start
There are many ways in which we can approach behavior change, and my goal is to start showing you different methods, theories and models, all grounded in an evidence based approach that will help both your customers and employees make progress towards better outcomes.
I believe that the Motivational Interviewing (MI) method, which Anna-Zsófia will explain to us below, is an interesting approach to help increase people’s internal motivation to change and a new tool for you to use in your work.
Before we start talking about Motivational Interviewing, it is important for me to explain what it takes for a behavior to get done.
The COM-B Model
Let me introduce you to the COM-B Model which was created by Susan Michie and colleagues at University College London (UCL). This model of Behavior Change helps us understand the things that are driving a behavior.
It is made up of three factors:
(C)Capability: The knowledge and skills to do a behavior
(M)Motivation: The the desire and reasons to act
(O)Opportunity: The resources and social support
When we have the Capability, meaning we know how to do a behavior and the Opportunity, meaning the resources to do the behavior, then our Motivation to do the behavior will increase and we will be more likely to end up doing the behavior.
Think about the products you build for your customers and employees, are you making them easy or complex, do your customers understand what they are meant to do in them(C)? Do you have the right features to make sure they feel like they are part of something bigger than themselves (O)?
If your research and testing finds no issues in the (C) and the (O)for your customers to use and engage with your products, then you may have a motivation challenge ahead.
Motivation
In the world of product design, understanding user motivations is essential for creating successful and impactful solutions. While UX research relies on established methods to gather valuable data, incorporating Motivational Interviewing (MI) techniques into your research toolbox can unlock a wealth of untapped insights.
We already know that motivation is the drive that propels us into action, that desire to act. Actions can then be prompted by many different things including both external factors (e.g., external pressure or being forced to do something) and internal ones - doing it because I want to do it.
When we design for motivation, we want to focus on the internal or intrinsic reasons to do something.
As we can see in the Self Determination Theory Continuum above, we basically want to support and design for the right side, where people are intrinsically motivated to change and are ready to use your product to achieve that change.
This design requires a different set of strategies and features, than the typical rewards (extrinsic) which most products tend to include to motivate customers and employees. Why, because we are looking for long term, sustainable change.
One example of this design approach could be including positive affirmations - here we want to reinforce the users autonomy and highlight the potential benefits of behavior change without creating a sense of obligation.
The image is taken from my upcoming course on Motivation Design.
I hope this brief introduction will help you understand the importance of approaching design for motivation in a more evidence based and scientifically informed way.
Ok, now over to Anna-Zsófia 😀
Defining Motivational Interviewing
Originally coined by clinical psychologist William Miller, MI is a client-centered counseling approach that helps individuals navigate behavior change by resolving ambivalence. Later, in collaboration with Stephen Rollnick, they developed a focused and somewhat directive approach to motivate clients in changing specific negative behaviors and eliciting new, desired behaviors.
While MI originated from Miller's work with alcohol use disorder patients, its applications have expanded to various settings, including coaching, education, and organizational culture. The versatility of MI's communication style has made it a valuable technique in diverse areas. However, its focus on empathy and understanding motivations also positions it as an ideal fit for UX research, particularly in the context of product and service design.
When adapting MI to product and service design, the primary goal is not to alter specific behaviors but rather to uncover the underlying motivations behind users' actions. By employing MI techniques during user interviews, designers and product managers can delve deeper and gain more accurate insights into what truly drives users' behavior.
This understanding enables them to identify key motivators and barriers, leading to the development of more user-centric and effective products and services. Instead of trying to change users' behavior directly, MI serves as a powerful tool for building empathy, forging stronger connections with users, and creating products that resonate with their true needs and desires.
The Intersection of UX Research and Behavioral Insights
In the pursuit of comprehensive UX research, gathering behavioral data is undeniably crucial. However, accessing unbiased behavioral data is not always possible, making self-reporting the primary source of information. Unfortunately, people's self-reports can be influenced by biases, leading to inaccurate or unreliable information. This is where MI becomes a valuable ally, especially when first-hand observable data is unavailable.
By employing MI techniques in interview settings, researchers can uncover and then confront biases and delve into the driving forces behind users' actions without judgment. This approach enables a deeper understanding of users' behaviors and motivations, helping to identify barriers and enablers that may not surface in standard semi-structured interviews of product or service design processes.
Four Pillars of Motivational Interviewing
The core of MI lies in four fundamental techniques, represented by the acronym OARS:
Open-ended questions: Embracing open-ended questions fosters natural conversation flows, encouraging participants to share their experiences freely. This approach builds empathy and emphasizes that the discussion centers on users' needs and perspectives.
Affirmations: Affirmative statements show recognition and respect for users' thoughts and experiences, creating an atmosphere of acceptance and trust. Non-verbal cues like nodding and eye contact can also affirm understanding.
Reflective listening: Reflective listening is the art of understanding participants' true emotions and intentions, even when they may not explicitly express them. There are different levels of reflective listening, ranging from the simplest to the most challenging techniques, such as repeating, rephrasing, paraphrasing, and reflection of feeling.
Summary: Summarizing the conversation at strategic intervals links users' statements together, providing valuable insights for the research process. Discrepancies and dissonances in users' statements may offer essential clues for further exploration.
Adopting Motivational Interviewing in UX Research
For product designers and product managers, integrating MI principles into research activities yields remarkable benefits, enabling them to:
Uncover deeper motivations: MI goes beyond what users self-report, providing profound insights into their decision-making processes and behaviors.
Addressing sensitive habits: The empathetic nature of MI encourages users to candidly share behaviors they might otherwise be hesitant to admit, resulting in more accurate data.
Understanding controversial products: For products and services with polarized customer opinions, MI helps users explore their feelings about usage, offering valuable context for product improvement.
Best Practices for Success
To ensure effective use of MI in user-centered research, consider the following best practices:
Be flexible: Allow conversations to flow naturally, guiding them without rigid interview structures.
Engage actively: Focus on genuine listening and understanding, rather than solely directing the conversation towards set goals.
Address discrepancies: Help users explore the gaps between their goals and behaviors, unearthing deeper motivations.
Conclusion
Motivational Interviewing is an invaluable technique that can add depth to research for product designers and product managers. By incorporating empathy, active listening, and reflective techniques, you can uncover the core motivations driving users' decisions. With the application of the MI approach to your qualitative research practices, you’ll find insights transformed into impactful design solutions.
Thanks for reading,
Robert and Anna-Zsófia
Resources:
Frost, H., Campbell, P., Maxwell, M. et al. (2018). Effectiveness of motivational interviewing on adult behaviour change in health and social care settings: A systematic review of reviews.
The Handbook of Behavior Change (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) Cambridge University Press
Villarosa-Hurlocker, M. C., O’Sickey, A. J., Houck, J. M., & Moyers, T. B. (2019). Examining the influence of active ingredients of motivational interviewing on client change talk.
Books:Michelle Drapkins’ Book (great book!)