How we incorporate behavioral design at Klaviyo

In a previous post, I highlighted the specialized toolbox of a behavioral designer. This toolbox includes:

📚 Knowledge base of behavioral tendencies;

🖼️ Behavioral frameworks, theories, and models; and

🗂️ Examples of behavioral interventions (which can serve as inspiration for analogous situations).

We use these tools as we endeavor to design experiences that reduce the gap between intention and action.

Read more to learn about how we apply these tools as we incorporate behavioral design at Klaviyo.

Identifying what we’re doing

What are we doing as designers to reduce the gap between intention and action? Right now, I think about applying behavioral design to enhance experiences — and reduce that gap between intention and action — at four different levels:

1. Make the target behavior (or action) easy.
2. Support the target behavior.
3. Facilitate the broader goal.
4. Connect to the individual’s why.

When I think about this, I visualize it as a pyramid, with level 1 as the base and level 4 as the peak. At the foundation of the pyramid is the work of fellow designers — design that makes the target behavior clear. The target behavior must be clearly communicated and quick to find.

Four levels of behavioral design, with strong design as its foundation.

Each level in this pyramid builds on the previous; without a strong foundation, the next level crumbles.

Exactly what this looks like is highly context-dependent. With that caveat out of the way, below are examples of what each level may look like:

1. Make the target behavior (or action) easy → the target action is 1-step, or low friction.
2. Support the target behavior → the target action is signaled as the recommended action.
3. Facilitate the broader goal → progress toward the goal is demonstrated throughout the experience.
4. Connect to the individual’s why → an individual’s motivation related to the ultimate goal is made salient at key moments.

The foundation of strong design creates an ideal canvas. The canvas isn’t too crowded and presents a clear target action. The next level, 1, facilitates ease for that clear target action — an action with low friction. Then, in cases where the action may need support, we provide it based on what customers may be seeking. Overall, each of these design decisions centers what we know about our Klaviyo customers. We connect our decisions to customers’ interim goals and how Klaviyo fits into their work.

Identifying how we do it 🧰

How we build each of these levels opens up the behavioral designer’s toolbox. Levels 1 and 2 incorporate a behavioral designer’s knowledge base of behavioral tendencies while levels 3 and 4 incorporate behavioral frameworks, theories, and models. Any level can draw on examples of behavioral interventions for inspiration.

1. Make the target behavior (or action) easy.
2. Support the target behavior.

→ 📚 knowledge base of behavioral tendencies

3. Facilitate the broader goal.

4. Connect to the individual’s why.

→ 🖼️ behavioral frameworks, theories, and models

Roughly speaking, each level grows in the level of effort and scope required by a behavioral designer. Levels 1 and 2 can be added on to existing experiences. Levels 3 and 4 often demand a behavioral designer is involved at the conceptualization phase of the design, and demand effort throughout the design process.

🤓 Behavioral designer nerd note

This range of tools and scope mirrors a recent description of the work of behavio(u)ral designers that explained, “behavioural designers utilise both design- and behavioural science-led methods ranging from framing a vision for the product to lists of behaviour change techniques”. (source) While it’s challenging to parse, framing a vision connects to enhancing experiences at what I’ve described as level 4, while lists of behavior change techniques connects to supporting the target behavior at level 2. Although behavioral designers work across a wide variety of domains, the methods we use overlap.

Building a fast, intuitive, inspirational experience

The Klaviyo design team values building fast, intuitive, and inspirational experiences. Behavioral design is one of many tools that helps us make these fast, intuitive, and inspirational experiences a reality. Broadly speaking, we see levels 1 and 2 as facilitating fast and intuitive experiences and levels 3 and 4 supporting inspirational experiences.

Building fast, intuitive, and inspirational experiences — together.

And of course, we’re still learning!

Like any behavioral designer, we use science as our process and test our designs and approaches. With testing comes learning — we’ll be sure to share our thinking as it evolves!