BJ Fogg's Behavior Grid
"Help users save" is not one behavior. Opening a first savings pot, saving a little every day for a month, and giving up buy-now-pay-later for good are different problems that need different tactics. Before choosing a tactic, you need a precise name for the kind of change you want.
The rule
Pin the grid cell — kind of change and duration — before choosing tactics.
BJ Fogg's Behavior Grid sorts behavior change into 15 types: five kinds of change, each over three durations.
The five kinds, each with a colour:
- Green — do a new behavior, one the person has never done.
- Blue — do a familiar behavior, one they already know how to do.
- Purple — increase a behavior: more often, longer or more intensely.
- Gray — decrease a behavior.
- Black — stop a behavior entirely.
The three durations:
- Dot — once.
- Span — for a set period, such as 30 days.
- Path — from now on, as a lasting change.
Put them together and you get names such as Green Dot (try something new, once) or Black Path (stop something for good).
The cells differ a lot. A Green Dot mostly needs a good prompt and a very easy first step, because the person has never done it and does not know how. A Path needs the behavior to fit into daily life for months, which usually means a habit or automation. Black Paths — stopping for good — are generally the hardest, because an existing habit keeps pulling the person back.
The shortcut
Ask two quick questions: New, familiar, more, less, or stop? Then once, for a while, or from now on? The two answers name the cell.
"Create your first savings pot"
The user has never done it, and it happens once: Green Dot. Tactic: a clear prompt and a one-minute setup.
The trap is using one tactic for every cell: a Green Dot tactic such as a single friendly prompt will not end a long-standing habit.
Drills
Answer fast — trust the rule.
A user who has never tried Kosh's round-up feature is asked to switch it on once. Which cell is this?
In Fogg's grid, what does "Path" mean?
"Raise your monthly auto-save from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500 for the next three months." Which cell?
"Cut food-delivery orders from ten a month to five, from now on." Which cell?
Which kind of change is usually the hardest to achieve?
Remember
- Pin the grid cell — kind of change and duration — before picking tactics.
- Shortcut: new, familiar, more, less or stop? Once, for a while, or from now on?
- Trap: using a one-time prompt for a lasting change such as a Black Path.