Diagnose Before You Design: How to Change Behaviour by Focusing on the Right Things
Ever launched a behaviour change intervention only to find that nothing really changed?
Poor results can occur for several reasons but, more often than not, it’s because people move too quickly from identifying a problem to designing a solution. Without properly diagnosing what is driving a behaviour, even well-intentioned interventions can miss the mark, wasting time, budget and effort.
In this workshop, participants will learn how to assess whether a behaviour is being shaped by behavioural factors, structural barriers, or both. Using real-world road safety examples, the session will introduce practical diagnostic techniques that help uncover root causes before decisions are made about what to do next.
Through discussion and applied exercises, participants will build confidence in identifying the right problem, asking better diagnostic questions, and matching interventions more effectively to the context. The workshop is designed to be practical and immediately useful for those working in road safety, highways, transport and behaviour change.
Participants will leave with a clearer framework for diagnosis, tools they can apply in their own work, and a better understanding of how to focus effort where it will have the greatest impact. They will use a bespoke diagnostic tool, developed by SoMoCo, an award-winning behavioural science company specialising in highways, road safety, mobility and transport.
Nicola Wass, CEO, SoMoCo
Nicola Wass is the CEO and Founder of SoMoCo. She brings the human perspective to the heart of policy, service, and intervention design.
Her clients include national and local government including National Highways, UK local authorities, Hospital Trusts and global NGOs.
Never afraid to follow paths that seem counter-intuitive, Nicola is valued for her ability to challenge conventional thinking, engaging clients, and contributors as willing partners on the journey.
Her work has featured on: Good Morning Britain, Radio 4 ‘You and Yours’, Wright Stuff, The One Show and also in national newspapers including the Times and the Telegraph.
Dr Holly Hope Smith, Head of Behavioural Science, SoMoCo
Dr Holly Hope Smith is Head of Behavioural Science at SoMoCo and a Research Fellow at the University of Manchester. Holly specialises in applying behavioural science methodologies to transport safety and urban mobility challenges.
She has led influential evaluation projects across the UK, pioneering methods to measure behaviour change and improve intervention effectiveness in real-world, high-risk settings.