Building our Own Piano Stairs

I wish there were piano stairs that lead me from my house to the gym. Or-somehow- to increasing my retirement savings. Designing the equivalent of piano stairs that lead us from the status quo to ideal behaviors is one way to think about creating behaviorally informed social policy.

This interesting video looks at changing behavior by decreasing or changing tension systems. The people behind this project tried to change behavior not by force or fine but by rethinking the problem creatively and wondering, "Why aren't people taking the stairs? How could we make that action more palatable?" This is the same line of questioning that can help improve a variety social policies and programs-- why aren't people signing up for much-needed public benefits like children's health insurance (SCHIP)? What are the barriers? Could small things- like making that experience slightly more palatable- increase take up? Read more about a similar effort here. What other barriers might there be and what innovative ways can be used to replace those barriers with "piano stairs"?

Check out other interesting videos here.