Persuasion and Change often is associated as a design challenge and at first glance might not seem like something related to the creation of art. However, it can be useful to consider how fictional characters try to impact the world and what their behaviours would be which lead to more realistic portrayals. Likewise, the audience of an artwork can be considered through this lens and how they might act around such works.

Persuasion

The David Ogilvy quote “People don’t think what they feel, they don’t say what they think and they don’t do what they say.” is very important to keep in mind when trying to change behaviour. Persuasion is about meeting people where they are, understanding their motivations, and realistically working with human nature. There are some simple frameworks out there for looking at human behaviour, including the EAST framework that can act as a kind of compass when designing for behaviour, that can help you design experiences that work with people rather than trying to force or manipulate desired outcomes.

Creating change

When it comes to bringing about Change, there’s a lot of important work done by Damon Centola looking at how change actually occurs. Essentially through slow growth and wide bridges between diverse social groups.