What about individual nudges? Not all nudges affect a huge array of humans. Some nudges just affect a few. Just a small butterfly effect. Not a sociology experiment.
How do we know if we’re aiming our nudge in the right direction?
Are we accidentally shoving our friends off the cliff? When is a little push just enough to get moving?
How do we nudge towards goodness without hip-checking someone over our shoulder to the floor?
“The best teachers tell you where to look but don’t tell you what to see.”
Alexandra K.Trenfor
When we let the word “nudge” roam around in our noggin for a while, we picture it three ways.
One is depicted by Robert Thaler’s book of the same name.
Another is a physical maneuver.
Then there’s like … the proverbial nudge.
Which is mostly what we’re going for here at Dobedo. Via …
*insert fireflies flashing*
… the internet.
Firstly, let’s chat about the physical.
Book second. Then we’ll talk about what we do here at Dobedo.
How & why we choose to nudge people in the right direction.
That being the one that a person chooses for themselves.
So, what’s a physical nudge in the right direction?
A nudge is what your person does when you’re learning to ride a bike. A nudge could be doing a gear check for your first-timer friend. Jumping off the bridge first so your first-timer friend see that you make it to the other side okay. A nudge is holding hands on a quarter pipe even though it’s harder than doing it alone. A nudge is like the encouragement a child needs to do her first scooch down a big big water slide.
A physical nudge, as we know it— is a little maneuver of sorts.
Like a playful booty-bump toward the good stuff.
A friendly nudge in the right direction.
Like taking a quick dip, or doing a little dance.
Saying hello first or asking them out.
Whether we’re dancing or skating or climbing, a little well-placed nudge in the right direction is welcome.
Like a double-bounce on a trampoline when you’re expecting a double-bounce on a trampoline.
A nudge in this manner— a nudge in the right direction — is much softer than a hip-check.
A nudge is not intended to force anything anywhere. It’s not a powerful maneuver. It’s more of a helping hand. A little boost. A start.
Because inertia is the tendency of an object at rest to stay at rest. And also inertia is the tendency of an object in motion to stay in motion.
We’re going for the in-motion-inertia.
A nudge is — the choice architect’s maneuver to get you moving.
A nudge in the right direction is the catalyst to moving forward.
A nudge is a group of backcountry snowboarders and skiers.
A nudge is going out together because it’s not super wise to go alone.
Backcountry is something you’re nudged towards by friends.
Not a lot of forging out into the whiteout alone.
Secondly, we’ve got the whole Nudge book reference.
Nudge, the book, is about how some people have influence over the choices other humans make.
Sometimes nudges come with the job, but aren’t necessarily in the job description.
A nudge in the right direction is not necessarily easier than a nudge in the wrong direction.
You may not be trained how to nudge in the right direction but still, hold the power to influence decisions. Reluctantly, you may be an influencer of sorts. Stuff like that.
Basically, a nudge is a “better book title than Libertarian Paternalism is Not an Oxymoron”.
Robert THaler
That’s a quote from University of Chicago’s Think Better series with Robert Thaler.
The author of Nudge explains in painstakingly slow detail why Nudge is a good name for this book.
If you’re into that.
Obviously, I shared it at the video at the perfect spot to prove my point with the quote.
Not particularly into super slow & monotonous speeches to round out your afternoon?
Instead, stay tuned for my list of wonderful things you can do for free to make your internet life better (working title). Like speeding up your YouTube Videos!
The talk is slow. Maybe just check out the screenshot && move on.
If Robert Thaler got his way, Nudge would be subtitled:
“The Gentle Power of Choice Architecture.”
But choice isn’t always up to the chooser. Humans have two styles of brain-logic. A fast way of thinking and a slow way of thinking. We’re all persuaded by the side of us that makes quick decisions. Often, more often than we’d like to think. The quick-thinking system of our brain is not always looking out for what’s best for us. Sometimes it’s just trying to get on with it.
“We’re all Choice Architects.”
Robert Thaler, Author of “Nudge”
We’ll talk about that more later when we go over Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast & Slow. Though full of riveting material for nerds, it’s not the most exciting read.
Thaler explains that a nudge is a phenomenon because someone has influence over the choosers.
In a restaurant, the choice is a bit of the chef’s idea.
But a lot of the real choice, given human psychology— actually comes down to the graphic designer that makes the menu having a good amount of influence over the chooser, not just the chef.
Setting: I worked at a fancy t-shirt shop in a fancy ski town.
Part of how I hit my sales goals for 30 months in a row was by paying attention to “floor awareness”.
A nudge is how I “pushed” shoppers around the store floor with my— essence.
The client walks into the “foyer” of the store to look at a pretty cool T-shirt. Standard. The music and the ambiance draw them in. My smile. “HEY there!!” I’m waiting to pounce … at the right time. When you are far enough into the store that my movement doesn’t scare you out. I come in peace and with a purpose — to turn the t-shirt you looked at back around for the next client.
The T-shirt design is the hook that got you in here after all!
If you want to catch fish, you’ve got to throw bait.
So I says to myself as I pull my maneuver.
Tshirt shoppers generally do not display t-shirts well for the next client.
Shoppers put the t-shirt back with the small picture out.
But you didn’t walk INTO my store—
Sally
—to look at a tiny little pocket-sized image, now did ya?
Particularly, once you’re about 12% into the store — beckoned by my open-ended questions about your vacation and the better-than-average product—I come to the rescue, turning our best-seller back to face the next walker.
There is, after all—the correct way to hang a t-shirt in a t-shirt shop.
Design-out. Obviously, Sally!
To be honest, we’re using hardcore sales psychology to rev you up.
Not right now. Presently, we’re writing a blog.
This Jim Clement’s Oil Painting is SOLD for $425. But never fear. He has more western art available here. Click me! Click me!
We try to nudge you around in your email.
Not like bullies, like a friend!
It’s nudgey, not judge.
Why do we choose to nudge people in the right direction?
Well, because people tell us stuff. Little girls watch us do things. Dudes say stuff to us.
There’s more to it than that of course, but we can’t spill the whole story in one random blog. Are you kitten me? We barely understand how to get the double green dots from Yoast!
How do we choose to nudge people in the right direction?
Well mostly with stories about sweet stuff that’s neat.
We’re going to urge you towards curiosity.
The way we see it, curiosity is the right way to go.
So is this a 30-day challenge or 75 Hard? Nope.
It’s not Whole30 or a reset to zero when you mess up.
It’s not 90 Day Year or an 8-week Intensive Progam.
Dobedo’s signature program:
Try Something New Every Month is a reminder to try again.
A reminder to iterate & reiterate & reiterate again.
Presently, I’m playing out April’s goal of “Trying to publish a bunch of blogs.”
I came here knowing how to write emails, and stories. I can type pretty fast.
However, I’m not well-practiced n the SEO/Readability ratings with Yoast on WordPress.
I’m just learning this part. For me, practicing means trying trying trying trying trying trying so so so so much all at once, and then … well then— I’m going to take a big rest.
April, for me, is all about blogs. And then? Not quite sure! I don’t have all my months planned out. That’s the kind of stuff that kills my curiosity.
We’re trying to keep this cat wondering.
Otherwise, I like writing.
Are you versed in WordPress?
Does it get easier? Will I always ramble on and then fix everything or will I start to write as WordPress wants me to? Am I being trained? Processed? Is this Scientology? Or am I writing a blog?
We get curious in our emails and bring you along for the journey using little tricks we’ve learned from a lifetime in sales. Tips we’ve noticed after selling dozens of things to all types of … well, Americans, mostly. I was going to say “people” but yeah … mostly Americans.
Consider us classically trained in sales.
But we don’t want to sell knives or magazine ads or Christmas lights or ski gear or landscaping services or plant-inspired doodads or pretty dope bouquets.
We want to sell you a little bit of curiosity.
By way of a proverbial nudge.
We deliver our little push toward the good stuff right where it hurts — your boring ass email inbox.
Dobedo likes to nudge you by telling stories.
We tell stories that corroborate proof and make connections around & between curious things.
Likewise, we want to sell the idea of expanding our horizons. (Your horizons!)
Of widening our networks. Of catching more fish. Rather than preaching about doodads.
Is that what you want? Fish? Doodads? Or a bit of curiosity?
I’m not sure what you’re into yet.
Maybe you’re not either. That’s okay. We can help you find what you’re looking for.
