How a NASA framework is inspiring a new approach in behavioral science

At TDL, we talk a lot about evidence-based decision-making. And when I say a lot, I mean A LOT. Huddled around our beloved coffee machine, we share insights on cool new research methods, surprising observations from user interviews, and evidence-driven ideas for digital products. We spend countless meetings (and emoji-filled Slack messages) determining how to best collect evidence, and how to apply insights to make important decisions across organizations, non-profits, research institutions, and regulatory agencies.

Suffice it to say, evidence is a core part of what we do. But, the evidence that we gather in a consumer research project varies drastically from the evidence created in a larger behavior change pilot. As we commune around our coffee machine, it can be difficult to concretely talk about different types of insights, and, importantly, what these insights mean for our partners and clients.

So, is there a better way that we can talk about behavioral insights? Can we better express when our work can reliably, equitably, and sustainability drive behavior change? Spoiler Alert: There is. And it’s inspired by a NASA-driven idea: The Technology Readiness Levels.