1 of 31

1

Project Guide

2021

projects.better.sg

2 of 31

How do we help Singapore?

2

1. We grow the community of techforgood practitioners

2. We build and supercharge techforgood projects

3. We help organisations do more good with tech

Aging & Elderly

Community Building

Discourse & Media

Diversity & Inclusion

Education & Children

Employment & Livelihood

Environment & Animals

Gender & Sexuality

Health & Wellness

Safety & Justice

COVID-19

ISSUE CATEGORIES

3 of 31

So you want to start / join a project…

Here are our “guiding beliefs” for project work:

We help all people: we are here to help people through technology. We share our time, knowledge, and expertise with anybody who is keen to do techforgood (i.e. we are not “members only”)
Our teams are diverse and multidisciplinary: we strive to include people from all walks of life in our team if they are interested in the issue (i.e. we are not “techies only”).
Our volunteering model is scalable: we are all busy; you should devote as much or little time as you want to this. Volunteering should bring you joy and not stress (i.e. we do not impose demands on each other.)
Anybody can be a leader: we want every member to feel empowered to share thoughts, initiate projects, convene meetings, and lead projects in a collaborative manner (i.e. we want catalysts!)

3

Don’t

Panic.

(this guide will help you succeed)

See what we are working on and how you can help at https://projects.better.sg

4 of 31

Doing TechForGood, the better.sg way

4

1

2

3

4

PROBLEMS

STAGE

SOLUTIONS

STAGE

LIVE

STAGE

BUILDING

STAGE

(1) In the problems stage, our team jointly contributes problem statements, helps to understand the social issue, brainstorms what interventions could help, and thinks of ways that technology can make a difference. Our goal here is to identify the right problem that we want to tackle.

(2) In the solutions stage, we start to converge on a specific idea (or a few big ideas) that are high payoff. We then narrow it down to one specific digital tool that our team can build. The goal here is to identify the tool (key features, basic expected functions) and understand how it addresses the problem.

(3) In the building stage, we assemble the team with the right skills to build the project. We will have a “demo day” (either at a meeting or virtually) for all of us to “test drive” the tool first. The goal here is to build, fast, light, and simple, so that we can test the idea first.

(4) in the live stage, we focus on outreach to connect the tool to users (either directly, or via social media outreach, or through the relevant welfare organisations) for testing and feedback initially. We work with an identified recipient organisation for the tool, or find a way to keep the tool alive online on its own. We iterate and improve the product as well.

5 of 31

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM YOU WANT TO ADDRESS?

5

1

PROBLEMS

STAGE

Identify a problem to solve with tech

When a societal issue is raised, all better.sg members are encouraged to brainstorm how tech could change actions / behaviour / social outcomes. Unstructured brainstorming can be aimless and unproductive. It is helpful to guide the team in the brainstorming process so that there is clarity and focus (and leads to a conclusion!)

When dealing with a broad societal issue (e.g. Racism), you will first need to narrow down / focus to a more specific problem (e.g. racism in the recruitment market, or viral racist memes on social media, or racist attitudes among elderly Singaporeans, etc.). If you do not narrow down the focus to a more specific problem, you will have greater difficulty identifying potential solutions to the problem (e.g. solving “racism” is much harder than solving “viral racist memes on social media”). Specific problems can have specific solutions, which is our goal. We may not be able to solve the root cause always, but our tech tool could nudge behaviour and make a difference.

This process of identifying which specific problem is the right one for your team is not easy, and there are a few possible templates for you to consider: (a) 5 WHYs, (b) EAST, (c) COMB, (d) Problem Definition.

6 of 31

6

Research / Collect inputs.

Adopt a multi- disciplinary approach: be curious (listen & learn), inclusive, and open to ideas; connect with mentors and VWOs to find out more.

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Get to Know Each Other

Get to know your team and pace yourself.

Understand the issue from different perspectives before you start trying to solve it.

Don’t narrow down too early.

Think of unusual, innovative, bold ways in which the problem might be disrupted. Could you build a game? An “experience”? A platform? Should it address the victims or perpetrators or bystanders?

Grow the team.

Nominate the Project Manager(s) and prepare a “video pitch” that can be used to invite new members to your team. Record key insights, ideas, and decisions for newbies.

�The PM helps keep the project moving, and does not need to be a techie.

(Video Pitch template included)

(Mentor / VWO list included)

(Meeting guide included)

(Brainstorming guides included)

7 of 31

Your First Meeting

Tech suggestion: create a slack channel so new members can join it. Share that on the notion.

Tech suggestion: you should use notion.so to keep project information in one place. It is esp. useful for new members to read! We can set it up for your team at projects.better.sg and there are public (accessible to anybody on the web) and private pages(only better.sg members or only teammates).

Tech suggestion: we have access to paid Zoom accounts and other web services if you require it.

If you need a physical venue, we have paid access to shared meeting spaces. Contact us!

7

Your first meeting should cover:

Self Introductions: Get to know each member, why they care about the issue, why they joined, and what they think they might be able to add to the project.
What is the problem we want to address? Discuss what each of you understands about the issue, what your dream outcome is, and which segments of society you wish to target (ie victims, perpetrators, bystanders?) and why they need it. Think of the questions your team may want to ask/answer to understand the issue better.
Team Management: We suggest keeping in touch over whatsapp frequently but have a weekly / fortnightly group video call. It may be useful to “divide” up the work and follow up individually (eg research areas) then update the group later.

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

8 of 31

Brainstorming Guides

8

5 Whys

�Keep asking why until you hit a “tech- solveable cause”

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Motivational Psychology

Behavioural Interventions

Stanford Design Thinking

Behaviour What is the old behaviour we wish to stop / new behaviour we wish to introduce?
Capability What is holding back their ability to make change?
Motivation What is reducing their desire to change?
Opportunity What are the external triggers / factors supporting the old behaviour?

Make it Easy Harness the power of defaults. Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. Simplify messages.
Make it Attractive Attract attention. Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect.
Make it Social Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Encourage people to make a commitment to others.
Make it Timely Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. Consider the immediate costs and benefits. Help people plan their response to events.

Empathise Interview users. Understand their needs. Don’t judge.
Define Craft “personas”, understand their objectives / decisions / challenges / pain points.
Ideate Share ideas, diverge / converge, use “yes and” thinking.
Prototype Sketch how a person might use your idea to solve their problem.

(Link to details)

Observed Problem: Some people are overtly racist towards minorities
Why? Because they do not like minorities.
Why? Because they have heard bad stories about them.
Why? Because… / Why? Because… / Why? Because...

9 of 31

Video Pitch / Presentation template

Consider covering these areas in ~5 slides:�

Offer a short self-introduction: who are you?
What is the problem that you are interested in solving? Why does this problem matter to you?
Describe the problem, its impact, or the victims / perpetrators. Provide the draft problem statement, if you know it.
Describe what type of product or tool your team is exploring building. What do you hope to achieve with the tool? How are you thinking of “disrupting” the problem?
Who are your target users? How do you think this will change their lives / behaviour?
What types of skills, resources, or connections do you need for your project? What do you already have?

9

To grow your team, you should present your project as a “pitch” to the better.sg / techforgood community, to get the support (more volunteers, specific skills, connections to groups, etc) that you think you will need to move the project forward.

If there is a live/virtual meeting, the project lead can present directly.
If not, record a simple “video pitch” on your laptop. We can share this video with the community; it is more effective to hear the idea “from a human.”

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

10 of 31

Moving from Problems to Solutions stage

10

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

You should move from problems to solutions stage once:

Your team has a clear idea of the problem that you wish to tackle, and also have done some research on the social issue (e.g. interviewing some experts, reading papers, looking at available data, etc), and
Your team is able to put down in words or diagrams the problem statement, and
You are starting to discuss how the tool might look or work

There is no “perfect” amount of time, but we think that less than one month of intensively discussing the problem is usually enough before you can start thinking about potential solutions.

11 of 31

HOW MIGHT TECHNOLOGY NUDGE SOCIETY TOWARDS BEING BETTER?

11

2

SOLUTIONS

STAGE

12 of 31

Optional:

Describe the “User Journey”

A “User Story” is a way of explaining how you expect the tool to operate, from the perspective of a particular class of users. They are single- sentence statements, and ranked in order of importance (i.e. the most important core feature of the app is the top user story).

“As a user role/who, I would like to action/what, so that benefit/why.”

Be specific

The final problem statement should be written in two parts:

�(a) When this situation occurs, this target user is faced with this pain point which has this consequence.

�(b) The tool should achieve this outcome by changing this behaviour or enabling this action, such as through these means.

Describe how the Tool works

Draw a “rich picture” or explain in words the following:�

User Inputs – what data or inputs are expected from the user?

Other Data – what other data sources or database will the tool need to access?

Algorithm / Function – how will the tool make use of the user input and other data to compute the result/outcome?

Desired Output – What is the desired result to be shown to the user and/or admin?

Define clearly what you intend to build and why.

Optional:

Write a Product Statement

Write down clearly what your tool aims to do, and what it does NOT aim to do (the latter is equally important to clarify) and for whom.

12

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

(Link to details)

Examples in speaker notes

(Link to details)

Examples in speaker notes

(Link to details)

SPECIFIC PROBLEM STATEMENTS

Generally, we seek to build tools that are seek to change behaviour in a non-abstract way. That is, the behavioural nudge or desired action is something that is part of the tool.

Tools that take inputs, use data, process information in some way, and deliver output to a user to achieve that objective are preferred. The value of this tool is the way in which the tool processes information or intervenes to shape behaviour or outcomes. The content/data that it uses may also be valuable, but is only a part of the tool.
Tools that present static information to users (eg blogs) to raise awareness (for example) are not preferred, as the value of those tools depend more on the content than on the design of the technology tool. The content is the only thing of value here, which is not our core value proposition.

USER STORIES

“1. As EricTheLoner (a persona, whom you should describe separately), I would like to meet new friends online, so that I am not so lonely.”

“5. As ParanoidPeter, I would like to be able to fill in the form without being forced to create an account, so that I do not need to give away any personal data to an untrusted site”

“12. As an admin, I would like to be able to see the demographic background of all participants, so that I know which groups are using my tool.”

TOOL LOGIC

For a tax calculator: The user will enter their income information and country of residence; the tool will have a database of the income tax rates for various income levels across various countries; the tool will calculate the expected tax for the user based on their income and country of residence; the user will be shown the result of the expected tax that they need to pay for their income and country of residence.

13 of 31

“Problem Statement” example

13

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Generally, we seek to build tools that are seek to change behaviour in a non-abstract way. That is, the behavioural nudge / desired action is something that is part of the tool.

Tools that take inputs, use data, process information in some way, and deliver output to a user to achieve that objective are preferred. The value of this tool is the way in which the tool processes information or intervenes to shape behaviour or outcomes. The content/data that it uses may also be valuable, but is only a part of the tool.
Tools that present static information to users (eg blogs) to raise awareness (for example) are not preferred, as the value of those tools depend more on the content than on the design of the technology tool. The content is the only thing of value here, which is not our core value proposition or skillset, so teams would need to identify a credible content partner..

Problem statements should have two halves:

The problem: When this situation occurs, this target user is faced with this pain point which has this consequence.

e.g. When a teenager is bullied over prolonged periods on social media, the teenager may feel depressed and it could lead to lasting damage or self-harm.

The solution: The tool should achieve this outcome by changing this behaviour or enabling this action, such as through these means.

e.g. The NoBullyMe tool should reduce the longevity of bullying by giving the victim digital allies to stand up against the bullies, such as a “call for reinforcements” function which leverages on crowdsourced “allies” to “fight back”

The value of writing this is to “crystalise” the objective and intent of the tool and how it is achieved, so that all team members are aligned.

14 of 31

“Rich Picture” example

A “rich picture” helps everybody understand the way that you imagine the tool to be used. The more “richness” you add to it (in terms of input, process links, users, output), the better. These are some guidelines as to what should be included in the description so that a rich understanding of the situation is developed:

Structures
Processes
Climate
People
Issues expressed by people
Conflict

14

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Judy Oakden's video on Soft Systems Methodology: The Use of Rich Pictures in Evaluation

15 of 31

Moving from Solutions to Building Stage

15

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

You should move from the Solutions to Building stage once:

Your team is able to present a clear problem statement or (preferred) a rich picture to explain how the tool works
You are starting to discuss the specific user interface or the detailed functionality.

There is no “perfect” amount of time, but we think that two weeks of intensively discussing the problem is usually enough before you can start thinking about potential solutions.

Need Developers / Designers / Data Scientists?�

You will need to identify a team member with technical background to know who to bring in for the dev team.

Our team already has technically talented members. Browse our member directory and approach the most suitable ones for assistance.

If you are able to accept new developers (for non-complex tools), we can identify students (from university or coding schools) who may be able to help. Contact exco.

16 of 31

HOW SHOULD WE DEVELOP THIS PRODUCT?

16

3

BUILDING

STAGE

17 of 31

Four suggestions to build things the better.sg way

17

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Don’t overinvest

Focus on free tools / tiers first, or ask us for access.

Only pay if it saves you time, effort, and cannot be tried for free. We may have non-profit access to the tools, or can pay for it.

Don’t overbuild

Focus on the idea, not the product.

Use low/no code tools if possible: spend your limited dev time on the product logic, not CRUD / user signup!

Don’t overthink

Adapt / Use open source and plugins.

Better coders have already built what you want.

Don’t overcomplicate

�Focus on the needs, not wants.

Decide what is core, and focus on building the key functionality of the tool. Do not get distracted by fancy features or pretty frills.

In this stage, the Product Lead will gather and guide the dev team to build the tool.

While we may sometimes have to build bespoke tools (i.e. completely built from fresh, without the use of frameworks or templates), we should try to avoid this. Ideally, we should try to build quickly by using existing and adapting existing tools, frameworks, templates, or connecting various microservices (eg through Zapier) to create a simple, light, but viable product. The use of CMS tools like WordPress, JAMStack, Sheet2Site, Zapier, or other low-code options are perfectly fine. There is a list of resources available for developers / designers where better.sg has already paid for a subscription / access.

The goal of the development team is to build a minimum viable product that can be tested in a live environment. It should aim to do only two things: (1) put the business logic into code, and (2) fulfil the user stories that have been provided. Other good-to-have functions are not important. The tool need not be fast, or small, or efficient in its design, so long as it is functional and effective.

During the Launch stage, we will get feedback on whether the basic idea of the tool is correct, or whether it needs to be re-imagined. To avoid abortive effort, we focus on just an MVP first.

tools for covid - the essence is speed and simplicity. use sheet2site

visualaid - the focus is on communication; use printable images not fancy UI

better team suite - the focus is on community, not on features

okayornot - use codepen ; mediaspin - use wp + adapted plugins

Product hunt!

18 of 31

Example of a Task Board

18

19 of 31

Technical Lead Guide

19

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

Set up a Git Code Repository for the project

https://github.com/bettersg is our account. We can setup the repository and give access to your team. Use our team account on github instead of individual accounts.
Have a readme to explain the language / frameworks used and the deployment guide.
Create a skeleton structure for the project with placeholders.
Enforce good pull request review practices (instead of allowing devs to push directly to the “main” branch)
Consider having a codeowners file so the technical lead / primary dev is clear even if the team changes

Set up a kanban board for the project tasks

Notion (which we use and prefer), trello, airtable, or your own preferred tool are fine.
List your kanban tasks by user stories (preferred) and label them based on the system

Assign dev team members to work on specific parts

We suggest using a Model-View-Controller/Presenter framework as this is most widely taught.
If you have enough people, separate the front-end (UI/UX, views) from back-end teams (and within that, consider splitting up the model, controllers, etc). You can also consider virtual buddy-coding.

Encourage good coding

Code should be well commented and merge / pull requests / issues should also be clearly explained.

Schedule discussions at important code milestones

Most work can /should be done asynchronously via git. However, for major milestones (eg ver 0.1 release for project team testing), useful to schedule a project review discussion with the overall project coordinator/lead.

20 of 31

Design Resources

better.sg/team/designers

Developer Resources

better.sg/team/developers

better.sg has full access to:

sheet2site.com

Create your own website without writing code using only Google Sheets

Zapier

Automate workflows using APIs

Notion.so

Collaborate on project documents / KM

Google Firebase / Cloud
(just ask us if you need an account elsewhere)

better.sg has paid access to:

Figma
Miro
Typeform

20

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

21 of 31

HOW CAN WE MAKE THE PROJECT THRIVE AMONG USERS?

21

4

LIVE

STAGE

22 of 31

Live Projects Phases

22

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

	Phase 1 Proof of Concept	Phase 2 Proof of Market Fit	Phase 3 Proof of Scale
Objective	Does the tool address the problem?	Are users interested in the tool?	Can it address the problem at national scale?
$ Spent	Close to zero beyond basic hosting	Limited. Not more than a few $100.	Increase support to a few $1,000 (e.g. marketing and content)
External Partners	Likely none at this point in time	1-2 pilot partners.	Dedicated effort to expanding partner base.
Better.sg Team Effort	Guide, advise and connect	More effort. Clearer timelines and milestones.	More effort on business dev and marketing. Clearer timelines and milestones. Stronger media engagement.
Volunteer Group	More informal, less defined roles	Clear leads identified for key roles e.g. product, marketing and project leader.	Clear leads identified for key roles e.g. product, marketing and project leader. Expand volunteer base.

23 of 31

23

Stuck? Contact us.

Gaurav Keerthi, CEO

gaurav@better.sg

Chi Ling Chan, COO

chiling@better.sg

Dominic Soon, CFO

dominic@better.sg

Nikhil Choudhary, Tech Advisor

nikhil@better.sg

24 of 31

Appendix

24

25 of 31

“User Stories” example

25

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

LIVE

BUILDING

The User Story format is quite plain and short: As a [type of user], I want [an action] so that [a benefit/a value]�Here are a few User Stories examples for a taxi app:

As a driver, I want to block badly behaved passengers so they are never shown me again.
As a passenger, I want to link the credit card to my profile so that I can pay for a ride faster, easier and without cash.
As a driver, I want to add photos of my car in my profile so that I can attract more users.
As a passenger, I want several available drivers to be displayed so that I can choose the most suitable option for me.

Great User Stories are:

Independent – they can be developed in any sequence and changes to one User Story don’t affect the others.
Negotiable – it’s up for the team to decide how to implement them; there is no rigidly fixed workflow.
Valuable – each User Story delivers a detached unit of value to end users.
Estimable – it’s quite easy to guess how much time the development of a User Story will take.
Small – it should go through the whole cycle (designing, coding, testing) during one sprint.
Testable – there should be clear acceptance criteria to check whether a User Story is implemented appropriately.

26 of 31

Template 1(B): EAST (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely)

26

Define the Outcome	Understand the Context	Build your Intervention (how does your solution achieve EAST?)	Test, Learn, Adapt
Reduce racism online in discussion forums	Context ABC	Intervention: Victims should be able to use the tool to do XYZ
		Easy:
		Attractive:
		Social:
		Timely:

https://www.behaviouralinsights.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BIT-Publication-EAST_FA_WEB.pdf

If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely (EAST). These four simple principles for applying behavioural insights are based on the Behavioural Insights Team’s own work and the wider academic literature.

BEHAVIOURAL INSIGHTS - FOUR STEPS

1. Define the outcome

Identify exactly what behaviour is to be influenced. Consider how this can be measured reliably and efficiently. Establish how large a change would make the project worthwhile, and over what time period.

2. Understand the context

Visit the situations and people involved in the behaviour, and understand the context from their perspective. Use this opportunity to develop new insights and design a sensitive and feasible intervention.

3. Build your intervention

Use the EAST framework to generate your behavioural insights. This is likely to be an iterative process that returns to the two steps above.

4. Test, learn, adapt

Put your intervention into practice so its effects can be reliably measured. Wherever possible, BIT attempts to use randomised controlled trials to evaluate its interventions. These introduce a control group so you can understand what would have happened if you had done nothing.

With this in mind, the principles from EAST are:

Make it Easy

· Harness the power of defaults. We have a strong tendency to go with the default or pre-set option, since it is easy to do so. Making an option the

default makes it more likely to be adopted.

· Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. The effort required to perform an action often puts people off. Reducing the effort required can increase uptake or response rates.

· Simplify messages. Making the message clear often results in a significant increase in response rates to communications. In particular, it’s useful to identify how a complex goal can be broken down into simpler, easier actions.

Make it Attractive

· Attract attention. We are more likely to do something that our attention is drawn towards. Ways of doing this include the use of images, colour or personalisation.

· Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect. Financial incentives are often highly effective, but alternative incentive designs — such as lotteries — also work well and often cost less.

Make it Social

- Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Describing what most people do in a particular situation encourages others to do the same. Similarly, policy makers should be wary of inadvertently reinforcing a problematic behaviour by emphasising its high prevalence.

· Use the power of networks. We are embedded in a network of social relationships, and those we come into contact with shape our actions. Governments can foster networks to enable collective action, provide mutual support, and encourage behaviours to spread peer-to-peer.

· Encourage people to make a commitment to others. We often use commitment devices to voluntarily ‘lock ourselves’ into doing something in advance. The social nature of these commitments is often crucial.

Make it Timely

- Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. The same offer made at different times can have drastically different levels of success. Behaviour is generally easier to change when habits are already disrupted, such as around major life events.

· Consider the immediate costs and benefits. We are more influenced by costs and benefits that take effect immediately than those delivered later. Policy makers should consider whether the immediate costs or benefits can be adjusted (even slightly), given that they are so influential.

· Help people plan their response to events. There is a substantial gap between intentions and actual behaviour. A proven solution is to prompt people to identify the barriers to action, and develop a specific plan to address them.

27 of 31

Theory for Template 1(C): COMB (Capability + Opportunity + Motivation = Behaviour)

27

Capability	Motivation	Opportunity
What are the psychological or physical barriers that reduce capability? People may lack knowledge and/or skills to change behaviour. Coming to a new understanding of problems, of what maintains problems and of self-help approaches to dealing with problems, can change behaviour; learning skills in self-help/self-management approaches can also lead to new behaviour.	What are the automatic reflexes or conscious thought processes that reduce desire to change? People may not consider it worth spending effort to change, they may not believe change is possible or believe that it might be possible but not with self-help. Self-help can require carrying out tasks (exposure, behavioural activation) in face of powerful avoidance motivational processes acting against change.	Social, interpersonal and physical environment factors in peoples’ lives (all sorts of chronic adverse circumstances) maintain problems and make behaviour change difficult. At a practical level, they can also make it difficult to attend appointments and carry out self-help homework tasks. Changes/ improvements in adverse circumstances can lead to change in behaviour and amelioration of problems. Positive social environments and social support can encourage and support people in making changes

For a list of various social issue problem-solving theories, read https://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/theories_of_change or http://www.behaviourchangewheel.com/ for a more interactive “wheel” concept of behavioural change

Example: John is a young man who on assessment the Psychologist finds to be mildly depressed and to have moderate social anxiety. However, he does not see his social anxiety and avoidance as something that he needs help with or wants to change, insisting this is just how he has always been (motivation). The concern he has come about is insomnia, which he would like to improve (motivation). The Psychologist also learns he drinks four cans of lager a night (implications for motivation) which has contributed to him being in debt which he is not able to pay off as he is not working (opportunity). He is also rather socially isolated (opportunity). The Psychologist agrees to help him with sleep management as changing his sleep pattern is what he is keen to do (motivation) and discusses with him how drinking can both contribute to insomnia and interfere with attempts to change sleep patterns (motivation). They agree to work together on a brief intervention to reduce drinking and then for him to attend an insomnia group run by the service, which would mean he could get support from others in the group in tackling his insomnia (opportunity). The PWP also signposts him for debt advice and employment support (opportunity).

28 of 31

Template 1(C): COMB (Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour)

28

Behaviour	Capability	Motivation	Opportunity
(What is the old behaviour we wish to stop / new behaviour we wish to introduce)	(What is holding back their ability to make change)	(What is reducing their desire to change)	(What are the external triggers / factors supporting the old behaviour)
Racist behaviour towards minorities	Lack of awareness that racism is a problem	News articles that reinforce their racist stereotypes	Racist social circle that reinforces racism
Racist behaviour towards minorities	Racism is a way of life for elderly		Racism on social media

Possible to solve with tech?

29 of 31

Template 1(D): Problem Definition

29

What is the key issue you are trying to address and why is it important?	Who is it a problem for?	What social/ cultural factors shape this problem?	What evidence do you have that this is worth the investment?	Can you think of this problem in a different way? Can you reframe it?

This is particularly effective when trying to focus a team of people on the key problems at hand. This tool has been designed to structure the analysis of a particular problem in a way that makes good use of your time. It introduces a small set of key criteria by which an issue can be articulated and assessed, which makes the activity highly efficient. It also gives you a standardised way to compare several different problems which might seem to be very different on the surface.

https://diytoolkit.org/media/Problem-Definition-Size-A4.pdf�Go through the Problem Definition worksheet individually or in small teams and reflect on a specific issue you have identified, exchanging thoughts while writing down your notes. The key aim here is to capture, compare and discuss different viewpoints on the problem. You can then review the notes and discuss with your team members whether you are making the same assumptions, and whether you are framing things in the same way. This exercise may lead you to ‘reframe’ the problem you initially addressed – for example, what happens if you see older people as having capacities, rather than needs? Reframing problems in such a way can offer clues to how the solution can take shape. Working on a Problem Definition worksheet with not only your team members, but together with other stakeholders will usually bring up new contexts. For instance, working with service users, staff or volunteers may provide a slightly different angle to the tool than when working with managers or entrepreneurs. Feel free to experiment and rephrase questions in the worksheet to keep them relevant in such situations.

30 of 31

Template 1(A): 5 Whys

This is a simple but useful template. For every effect there is a cause. When looking to solve a problem, it helps to begin at the end result, reflect on what caused that, and continue asking what caused that cause until you are closer to the root cause.

Clearly this process could go on much longer, but once your team has arrived at a “cause-and-effect” that you think is specific enough to be tackled with technology, you can stop.

30

Observed Problem:		Some people are overtly racist towards minorities
1	Why?	… Because they do not like minorities	Not easily solvable with tech
2	Why?	… Because they do not have many friends who are minorities	Possible to solve with tech?
3	Why?	… Because their social circle lacks minorities	Possible to solve with tech?
4	Why?	… Because they are less comfortable speaking English	Not easily solvable with tech
5	Why?	… Because they did not complete formal education	Not easily solvable with tech

Source: https://www.adb.org/sites/default/files/publication/27641/five-whys-technique.pdf

Jeff Bezos and Root Cause Analysis

[The author explains how while he worked for Amazon.com in 2004. Jeff Bezos did something that the author still carries with him to this day. During a visit the Amazon.com Fulfillment Centers, Jeff Bezos learned of a safety incident during which an associate had damaged his finger. He walked to the whiteboard and began to use the Five Whys technique.]

Why did the associate damage his thumb? Because his thumb got caught in the conveyor.

Why did his thumb get caught in the conveyor? Because he was chasing his bag, which was on a running conveyor.

Why did he chase his bag? Because he had placed his bag on the conveyor, which had then started unexpectedly.

Why was his bag on the conveyor? Because he was using the conveyor as a table.

Why did he do use the conveyor as a table? Because he didn’t have a table.

And so, the root cause of the associate’s damaged thumb is that he simply needed a table. There wasn’t one around and he had used the conveyor as a table. To eliminate further safety incidences, Amazon.com needs to provide tables at the appropriate stations and update safety training. It must also look into preventative maintenance standard work.

31 of 31

Theory for Template 1(B): EAST (Easy, Attractive, Social, Timely)

This method is from the Behavioural Insights Team (UK). It has 4 steps as shown below, and “EAST” applies in step 3.

31

BEHAVIOURAL INSIGHTS - FOUR STEPS

1. Define the outcome

Identify exactly what behaviour is to be influenced. Consider how this can be measured reliably and efficiently. Establish how large a change would make the project worthwhile, and over what time period.

2. Understand the context

Visit the situations and people involved in the behaviour, and understand the context from their perspective. Use this opportunity to develop new insights and design a sensitive and feasible intervention.

3. Build your intervention

Use the EAST framework to generate your behavioural insights. This is likely to be an iterative process that returns to the two steps above.

4. Test, learn, adapt

Put your intervention into practice so its effects can be reliably measured. Wherever possible, BIT attempts to use randomised controlled trials to evaluate its interventions. These introduce a control group so you can understand what would have happened if you had done nothing.

Make it Easy	Harness the power of defaults. �Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. Simplify messages.
Make it Attractive	Attract attention Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect.
Make it Social	Show that most people perform the desired behaviour.�Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Encourage people to make a commitment to others.
Make it Timely	Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. Consider the immediate costs and benefits. Help people plan their response to events.

https://www.behaviouralinsights.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/BIT-Publication-EAST_FA_WEB.pdf

If you want to encourage a behaviour, make it Easy, Attractive, Social and Timely (EAST). These four simple principles for applying behavioural insights are based on the Behavioural Insights Team’s own work and the wider academic literature.

With this in mind, the principles from EAST are:

Make it Easy

· Harness the power of defaults. We have a strong tendency to go with the default or pre-set option, since it is easy to do so. Making an option the

default makes it more likely to be adopted.

· Reduce the ‘hassle factor’ of taking up a service. The effort required to perform an action often puts people off. Reducing the effort required can increase uptake or response rates.

· Simplify messages. Making the message clear often results in a significant increase in response rates to communications. In particular, it’s useful to identify how a complex goal can be broken down into simpler, easier actions.

Make it Attractive

· Attract attention. We are more likely to do something that our attention is drawn towards. Ways of doing this include the use of images, colour or personalisation.

· Design rewards and sanctions for maximum effect. Financial incentives are often highly effective, but alternative incentive designs — such as lotteries — also work well and often cost less.

Make it Social

- Show that most people perform the desired behaviour. Describing what most people do in a particular situation encourages others to do the same. Similarly, policy makers should be wary of inadvertently reinforcing a problematic behaviour by emphasising its high prevalence.

· Use the power of networks. We are embedded in a network of social relationships, and those we come into contact with shape our actions. Governments can foster networks to enable collective action, provide mutual support, and encourage behaviours to spread peer-to-peer.

· Encourage people to make a commitment to others. We often use commitment devices to voluntarily ‘lock ourselves’ into doing something in advance. The social nature of these commitments is often crucial.

Make it Timely

- Prompt people when they are likely to be most receptive. The same offer made at different times can have drastically different levels of success. Behaviour is generally easier to change when habits are already disrupted, such as around major life events.

· Consider the immediate costs and benefits. We are more influenced by costs and benefits that take effect immediately than those delivered later. Policy makers should consider whether the immediate costs or benefits can be adjusted (even slightly), given that they are so influential.

· Help people plan their response to events. There is a substantial gap between intentions and actual behaviour. A proven solution is to prompt people to identify the barriers to action, and develop a specific plan to address them.