How a Smelly sofa became a lesson in ABS: Choice architecture?

The sofas in our house smelled of sweat.

Every day, after football practice, my two kids parked their sweaty selves on the living room couch.

Their excuse for not going straight into the shower? The geiser needed time to warm up.

(They made it sound like the water was set to boil on low flame.)

So, we made a rule, a change in sequence: enter the house, go directly into the shower. Stand there while the water warms up.

Simple.

For a few days, the kids stood there sweaty, with sore legs, which further made them cranky. But as days passed, they couldn’t take it anymore. This discomfort led to an emergence.

The kids came up with a plan.

Before they left for practice, they’d switch on the geyser. And just as they left, the geyser was turned off. This was enough time for the water to warm up.

When they got back, they went straight into a hot shower.

Clean kids, cleaner sofa :)

The sofa had regained its dignity. While the Applied Behaviouralist in me smiled.

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Applied Behavioural Science Perspective:

Choice Architecture\ Sequencing effect: The order of action matters. By changing a sequence, one can influence behaviour without additional enforcement.

Rearranging context often drives more sustainable behaviour change than adding motivation.