Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
Learn how to build psychology-driven websites, apps & campaigns
Classroom & Online Training
Join our students from beginners to pros in top companies:
Build psychology-driven products
that are motivating, usable and engaging
This course will teach you the skills and knowledge required to build psychology-inspired websites, apps and digital campaigns.
We cover 50+ behavioral change principles, psychological design patterns and a step-by-step behavioral design process that you can bring back to the office and apply immediately.
The class includes examples from many fields and industries, but you’re invited to bring a challenge of your choosing so you can focus on applications specific to your work.
Our training will inspire you with new ideas, deepen your understanding of digital psychology and help you develop new skills in human-centered design.
We recommend this course as the starting point for most participants.
Skills and knowledge you’ll gain
By the end of this workshop, you’ll be able to:
Got a challenge? Bring it to class
A hands-on approach to behavioral design
To help you internalize the content, we’ve structured the course around a behavioral design process. We’ll take you through a step-by-step process, leading to a digital psychology-inspired product of your choosing. This will reinforce the lessons and ensure that you can translate psychology into digital practice.
You’ll develop skills in the overall process, which will touch hands-on skills in psychology-inspired software modelling, UX, information architecture, marketing, branding, and content strategy.
We’ve structured the design process across our two classes. DBC takes you through the process, ending with a testable lo-fi prototype. If you take EDP as well, you’ll extend your protype, and fine-tune it.
The classroom design process is intermixed with the lessons, while the online class design process happens during the LIVE tutorials.
Modules
In class or online, we’ll cover:
Day 1
- Using psychology in digital media
- A realistic look at digital influence
- Targeting the core drivers of behavior change
- Building behavioral segments & personas
- Psychology of human-computer relationships
- Brand/product credibility & user trust
- Behavioral science 101
- Behavioral design process
- Psychological wireframing
- Controlling user attention
- Boosting user comprehension
- Motivating users with emotional neuroscience
- Nudging users with decision science
- Pricing psychology
- Winning users’ trust & building confidence
Day 2
- Rapid persuasive design testing
- How users conceptualize virtual space
- Facilitating behavior change
- Behavioral processes & user flows
- Building intuitive navigational systems
- Motivating & training users to complete tasks
- Managing disengagement
- Journey mapping through stages of change
- Prototyping for behavioral design
- Media psychology & perception
- Digital social psychology
- Digital context psychology
- Psychological design audit
- Psychology-inspired strategy & design
- Behavioral science simulation game
Day 3
- Behavior insights software
- Behavioral insights report
- How to combine psychological principles
- Managing psychological backfires
- Building psychological architectures
- Motivation & efficacy design patterns
- Landing page psychology
- Data capture & storage strategies
- Personalized feedback psychology
- Feedback loop design patterns
- Coaching & gamification design patterns
- Architecting long-term processes of change
- Building multi-channel engagement sequences
- Reinforcing & shaping user behavior
- Behavioral science & creative design experiments
Classroom vs. online editions
We offer this course in both classroom and online editions.
It’s also available in team training too.
Here’s how our classroom and online editions work.
Classroom | Online | |
|---|---|---|
| Duration | 3 days | 15 hours of on-demand with 5-weeks LIVE-tutorials |
| Timing | 9:00–17:00 with 1 hour lunch and two 15 min breaks | Self-paced, but during the LIVE tutorial term, plan 4 hours of video lessons per week and 1.5 hours of tutorials |
| Instructional hours | 19.5 hours, based on 6.5 hours of instruction per day | 7.5 hours of the live ABD tutorials help you apply the lessons from DBC |
| Logistics | The workshop runs 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (but please arrive by 8:50 as we start at 9:00 sharp). There is a 15-minute break in the morning, an hour for lunch, and another 15-minute break in the afternoon. We’ll provide all the training materials, so you’ll only need to bring a pen, some paper, and, if you’d like to participate in our live polling, bring a smartphone or tablet. | We’ll grant you immediate access to the videos as soon as you register, plus access to the waiting room for the upcoming LIVE tutorials. You’ll have access to the lessons, and then we’ll start the behavioral design process during the LIVE training term. |
Here’s what you get
Classroom training kit
- Training guide
- Reference manual
- Behavioral design workbook
- Wireframe kit
- Cheatsheets
Online training resources
- On-demand video lessons
- LIVE tutorial recordings
- Wireframe kit (mini)
- Behavioral design workbook
- Closed community
- Cheatsheets
Prerequisites
This is our most popular class and the one we recommend as a starting point for most people who want to learn how to apply digital psychology.
This class is suitable for those who use digital media across a range of applications, from tactical hands-on builders to strategic planners.
Looking to decide whether it is at the right level for you or want more information? Check out our FAQ or give us a shout.
Certification
After completing all modules, covering 19.5 hours of instruction over 3 days in class, or 15 hours online, you will receive a certificate of completion.
If you wish, you may write the test to earn you “Digital Behavior Change Certificate (DBCC)”. Three attempts to pass are included.
Learn about your certification options.
Who this course is for
This class is suitable for:
- Usability and UI/UX professionals
- Graphic designers and interactive designers
- Digital marketing and advertising specialists
- Content strategists and web writers
- Product marketing managers
- Digital project managers
- Health promotion specialists
- Conversion optimizers & researchers
- Entrepreneurs
Industries that will benefit
Our training attracts an eclectic blend of professionals from:
- Technology firms, cloud services
- Digital agencies, creative firms
- Non-profit organizations
- Government, health sector
- Retail businesses, consulting services
- Financial services, insurance
- Media, gaming, entertainment
- Telecommunications, infrastructure
- Small businesses, freelancers, students
- Academia, behavioral science, psychology
How students describe our training
Brian’s workshop was great! Very informative and I look forward to any other workshops that will be coming up.
Excellent content. Applicable everywhere. Thank you.
Great workshop! … We will start implementing some of the ideas in our projects.
Meet your instructor
Brian Cugelman, PhD
With an extensive career running online projects and studies for industry, non-profit organizations, governments and the United Nations, Dr. Brian Cugelman has been working as an online behavior change specialist since 1997.
If you'd like to learn more, read Dr. Cugelman's bio or see what he has to say about the workshop in his own words.
Applied Behavioral Design (ABD)
FREE 9 week LIVE training with ALL online courses
To ensure you can apply everything covered in our training, we include Applied Behavioral Design (ABD) with all our training.
It's our coaching class where we’ll guide you step-by-step through the behavioral design process.
You'll learn how to translate psychological theories into digital products, as we go from planning to a final prototype.
For online training, it's a free 9 week LIVE coaching class. In the classroom, we weave ABD across the entire week.
How to use the online tutorials
ABD is for all students, in any course.
Tutorials 1-5 focus on applying psychological principles related to DBC.
Tutorials 6-8 focus on applying emotional design strategies related to EDP.
And finally, tutorial 9 is about using research to build high impact products.
Online students are welcome to join the full 9 weeks, or just the tutorials they prefer.
Get the most out of ABD
If you're joining us online, you'll get the most out of ABD, by starting on the video lessons first, then joining the next ABD term. In the classroom, we'll dive right in.
LIVE ABD Schedule (2022):
Join our next LIVE ABD term
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New self-paced ABD edition
(Summer 2022)
We're launching a self-paced edition of ABD in the summer of 2022.
Students who now enroll in any training package with ABD gain access to any LIVE ABD term, the new self-paced edition, and to recordings of prior LIVE terms.
We're starting consultations with students on the best format to provide open instructor time, feedback on students' projects, host interactive exercises, and cover new topics. We're also aiming to offer in-person support across ALL time zones.
There will also be new pricing. Self-paced classes will decrease in price, while LIVE in-person training will increase. HOWEVER, if you enroll now, you'll get all educational modes at our best tuition fee.
Have any questions? Reach out: team@alterspark.com.
Enroll in DBC Now
2022 Spring
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- ABD schedule: 21 Apr - 16 June 2022
- ABD timing: Thursdays (13:00-14:15 EST)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
2022 Fall
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- ABD schedule: 6 Oct - 1 Dec 2022
- ABD timing: Thursdays (13:00-14:15 EST)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
2023 Spring
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
- City: Toronto
- Venue: University of Toronto
- Dates: 17-19 Apr 2023
- Time: 9:00-17:00
- Instructor: Brian Cugelman, PhD
2023 Spring
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
- City: Vancouver
- Venue: Simon Fraser University
- Dates: 1-3 May 2023
- Time: 9:00-17:00
- Instructor: Brian Cugelman, PhD
2023 Spring
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
- City: San Jose
- Venue: ActionSpot
- Dates: 8-10 May 2023
- Time: 9:00-17:00
- Instructor: Brian Cugelman, PhD
2023 Spring
Psychology for Digital Behavior Change (DBC)
- DBC Completion
- DBC Mastery (optional test)
- City: Chicago
- Venue: DePaul University
- Dates: 15-17 May 2023
- Time: 9:00-17:00
- Instructor: Brian Cugelman, PhD
Considering Complete Training?
For a full learning experience, our Complete Training includes DBC and EDP plus LIVE tutorials.
The tuition fee is lower than both courses separately. You'll save $100 off online training and $150 off classroom training.
Plus, you’ll get an extra year of access, totaling 3 years.
Get 9 weeks of LIVE ABD tutorials
All online training includes 9 weeks of ABD tutorials. We hope you'll join us for the full 9 weeks.
However, if you just want to learn skills related to behavioral design or emotional design, here's when you should attend:
- Weeks 1-5: Behavioral design skills extending DBC lessons
- Weeks 6-8: Emotional design skills extending EDP lessons
- Week 9: Behavioral prototype testing
Visit the ABD page for tutorial scheduling info and to read about the skills you’ll develop.
Have questions?
Email: team@alterspark.com
Call: +1 (888) 977-2055
Online Enrollment
Our online training goes through Teachable. After enrolling, you’ll get instant access to the online classes and instructions for accessing the rest of our online training.
Classroom Enrollment
Our classroom enrollment goes through Eventbrite. After enrolling, you'll receive your ticket and all the logistics.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
We’re so confident you’ll love our training that we offer a 100% money-back guarantee to anyone who attends our classroom or online training and wishes to withdraw. For details, read our guarantees.
Secure registration
All online payments are securely processed by PayPal and Stripe.
Join thousands who’ve completed our training
From beginners to pros in top companies
Guarantees and Terms
All training come with our Guarantees and Terms. Please read these before enrolling.
