Z-Files

Thanks to Tim Bradley of OZ for sharing an example of low-key behavioral science in action from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).The CDC has recently updated the Zombie Preparedness…

If you ask most consumers how much effect a logo design has on their purchase decisions, most of them would probably say, “Not much.”  However, whenever a brand changes a…

Maria Medem for Wired The humanities are sometimes derided as a useless frivolity of higher education. Why major in literature if your goal is to become, for example, a video…

Adweek discusses McDonald’s packaging revamp, which has already rolled out in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific and will be introduced around the world over the next two years.The executive…

Unsplash / Alvaro Reyes In the February Quirk’s, researcher Susan Fader discusses the overlap (and divide) between user experience researchers (UX) and traditional market researchers. Fader argues a lack of…

Want people around you to feel safe?  Wear a black mask.Via the OZ twitter feed….a Fast Company article on research into how people perceive you depending on what mask you…

Ben & Jerry’s this month introduced a line of frozen dog treats – which sounds like an April Fool’s joke but it is not April, and it is true.One might wonder…

We enjoy reading about politics, but we are tired of insurrections and impeachments.  So, let’s talk about Raphael Warnock’s dog.This analysis at the website 538 is almost like a mini…

Love this little BBC article about how brilliant design can create an entirely new category. The example: the Bic ballpoint pen.This is a device that most of us take for granted;…

Behavioral Scientist has announced its most read articles of 2020. This one, entitled “Why Triggering Emotions Won’t Lead to Lasting Behavior Change” by Christina Gravert from the University of Copenhagen,…

Radio is a difficult medium for which to write ad copy.  You have no visuals to fall back on. All you have are words and sound to create a story…

In the late 1970s, the Pittsburgh-based aluminum manufacturer, Alcoa, had a problem. The energy crisis had hit the US and Alcoa was living in fear of Americans discovering that it…