The Behavioral Strategy Playbook
Strategy is Selection. Success comes from choosing the right behavior for the user, not from “nudging” them to do the wrong one.
This playbook is organized by Behavior Market Fit. We do not start with tactics; we start with matching.
Phase 1: Behavior Selection & Matching (The Strategy)
These are the core plays. If you get these right, execution is easy. If you get these wrong, no amount of “design” will save you.
| Play | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Situational Survey | Map the hard constraints of the user’s environment (time, money, physical space). |
| Behavioral Audit | Inventory the user’s existing repertoire. It is easier to anchor to what they already do than to invent new habits. |
| Worldview Analysis | Map the user’s identity and beliefs. Select behaviors that confirm who they already think they are. |
| Problem Examination | Verify the problem exists in the user’s reality, not just in your business plan. |
| Behavior Matching | The synthesis move: identifying the intersection of User Capability, Motivation, and Business Goal. |
Phase 2: Behavioral Innovation (The Last Resort)
Use this only when no existing behavior in the user’s repertoire can solve the problem.
| Play | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Behavioral Innovation | Inventing a net-new behavior. Requires extremely high value leverage to justify the learning cost. |
Phase 3: Optimization (Finishing Moves)
These are not strategy. These are polish. Use them only after Fit is established.
| Play | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Context Engineering | Structuring the physical/digital environment so the behavior is the path of least resistance. |
| Value Realization | Ensuring the user feels the “win” immediately after the behavior (the “closed loop”). |
What We Reject (Anti-Patterns)
We explicitly reject “nudge-first” approaches that try to manufacture motivation for poor-fit behaviors.