# S2 E5: Bit - Behavioural design in analytics.

> This is content from just-tim, the data-and-analytics channel by Tim Ngwena (formerly 'Tableau Tim'). Tim has 12+ years of hands-on BI experience and covers Tableau most of all, plus Power BI, Looker, Hex, SQL and data modelling, the analytics industry, and the craft of doing the job — always tool-agnostic and honest about the trade-offs.

- **Author:** Tim Ngwena (just-tim, https://just-tim.com/about)
- **Published:** 2024-04-22
- **Format:** Video · 51 min watch · transcript available
- **Topics:** Data visualisation, Analytics, Industry trends
- **Tools:** Tableau (dashboards, server)
- **Canonical:** https://just-tim.com/posts/s2-e5-bit---behavioural-design-in-analytics
- **Watch:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEUOnjAqUsg

In this Datum podcast episode I sit down with my co-host Ravi to explore behavioural design in analytics. We unpack the cue-action-reward model, draw lessons from Tinder, Fortnite and Flappy Bird, work through the levels of user experience, and weigh up the ethics of nudging people through dashboard design.

## Key takeaways

- The cue-action-reward (CAR) model explains why apps, games and good dashboards feel addictive, and Tableau itself succeeds because of its shallow learning curve and instant gratification.
- User experience sits on a hierarchy similar to Maslow's: safety and trust in the data come first, then utility, effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction and finally fulfilment, and most tools never reach the top.
- A reward is something unexpected and valued, whereas an incentive is a promised future payoff, and businesses kill rewards by turning them into expectations.
- Tableau Server's Postgres database lets you track who uses which dashboards and how often, which should guide where you invest maintenance effort rather than act as a whip.
- When users ask to export data or fixate on a small chart, treat it as honest feedback about what they actually need rather than a failure to appreciate your design.

## Chapters

- 0:01 Rebrand and champions follow-up
- 2:20 What is behavioural design
- 4:45 UX, gaming and the CAR model
- 9:30 A new concept in analytics
- 15:22 The framework and being deliberate
- 23:20 Information velocity and the science
- 26:53 Driving positive change
- 28:29 Ethics, trust and UX levels
- 35:00 Tracking usage and rewards versus incentives
- 41:48 Takeaways: product first

Watch the full video, read the transcript and use chapter deep-links on the page: https://just-tim.com/posts/s2-e5-bit---behavioural-design-in-analytics

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just-tim — Data and analytics, with a point of view. · https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7HYxRWmaNlJux-X7rNLZyw · https://twitter.com/TableauTim · https://www.linkedin.com/in/timngwena