The MINDSPACE behavioural framework Tool
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
As some of you who follow me will know, I’ve recently joined the MAD//Masters customer behaviours training course run by the brilliant Rory Sutherland. I’m genuinely enjoying getting stuck in - its adding huge value to the way I think already.
If you know Rory’s work, you’ll know he has a rare ability to make behavioural science feel commercially useful instead of academically distant. Less “theory for theory’s sake”. More “here’s why humans actually do weird things and what to do about it.”
One of the many frameworks from the course - and one that I’ve already started using with clients is called "MINDSPACE" and I thought I'd share it with you here.
It’s simple. Practical. And importantly, it stops you defaulting to the lazy explanation for why people don’t buy, change, engage, adopt, or act.
Usually that lazy explanation is:
“People just want it cheaper.”
As Rory points out in the training, humans are brilliant post-rationalisers. We often invent neat logical explanations for behaviour after the fact. MINDSPACE forces you to look wider.
And that’s where the value is.
What Is MINDSPACE?
MINDSPACE is a behavioural framework originally developed by the UK Institute for Government and behavioural scientists to explain the main factors that shape human behaviour.
The acronym stands for:
Messenger
Incentives
Norms
Defaults
Salience
Priming
Affect
Commitments
Ego
The important thing is this: It’s not a linear process. It’s a checklist.
A way of asking:
“What else might be influencing behaviour here?”
That’s incredibly useful in strategy, marketing, customer experience, change management, leadership communication, and brand building.
Because behaviour is rarely rational and commercial growth often comes from understanding the non-obvious variables competitors ignore.
This kind of tool is so helpful in workshop situations to get people to think through a challenge.
Lets review each part:
M for Messenger
Who delivers the message changes how the message is received.
This sounds obvious until you realise most businesses obsess over what they’re saying while ignoring who should say it.
People respond differently depending on whether information comes from:
A founder
A peer
A celebrity
An employee
A customer
PR coverage
Word of mouth
An ad
Same message. Different messenger. Different outcome.
One of the smartest things brands can do is diversify messengers instead of relying solely on corporate communication.
I for Incentives
Incentives are broader than discounts. That’s a huge point.
People often assume the only lever is price reduction. But behavioural science repeatedly shows non-monetary incentives can outperform financial ones.
Recognition.Exclusivity.Status.Convenience.Belonging.Surprise.Progress.Access.
Sometimes the smartest commercial move isn’t making something cheaper.
It’s making it feel more valuable.
N for Norms
Humans are social mimics.
We look sideways constantly to understand what’s normal.
That means behaviour is heavily influenced by:
What other people appear to be doing
What people like us are doing
What we’ve done before
This is why social proof works.Why habits are hard to break.Why adoption often accelerates once something feels culturally “normal”.
A lot of branding is really the art of normalisation.
Making the unfamiliar feel socially safe.
D for Defaults
Defaults are one of the most powerful forces in decision-making.
Most people go with the pre-selected option.
Not because they’re stupid.Because friction matters.
Choice architecture matters enormously in business:
Subscription settings
Pension enrolment
Checkout flows
Product configurations
Booking journeys
Trial experiences
Good strategy often means designing the easiest path toward the behaviour you want.
S for Salience
If people don’t notice you, nothing else matters.
Salience operates at two levels:
Immediate salience
What grabs attention now?
Long-term salience
What makes you mentally available later?
This is where strong brands have an unfair advantage.
Distinctive assets.Consistency.Memory structures.Recognition.Familiarity.
The best brands reduce cognitive effort.
They become easier to choose.
P for Priming
Context changes behaviour.
What people see, hear, feel, and experience beforehand affects the decisions they make afterwards.
Good marketing often primes the problem before introducing the solution.
It creates relevance.
This is why emotionally framed storytelling, category reframing, or tension-building campaigns can be so effective. They prepare the brain to interpret what comes next differently.
A for Affect
Emotion matters more than most businesses want to admit.
People do not make decisions in a vacuum.
All influence behaviour.
A customer on holiday behaves differently to a customer paying bills at home.
A person buying for themselves behaves differently to a person buying in front of peers.
The emotional context surrounding the decision matters.
C for Commitments
Small commitments create momentum.
Once people invest something:
Time
Energy
Reputation
Emotion
Money
…they become more likely to continue.
This is why free trials work.Why deposits work.Why waitlists work.Why onboarding matters.
Behavioural commitment creates psychological ownership.
E for Ego
People want to feel smart, valued, respected, and important.
Threats to ego are surprisingly powerful.
Equally, small moments that reinforce identity and self-worth can have disproportionate impact.
Remembering names.Personalisation.Recognition.Status signals.Progress markers.
The best brands help people feel better about themselves. Period.
Why MINDSPACE Matters
What I like about MINDSPACE is that it pulls strategy away from simplistic thinking - but still makes it simple.
It stops businesses defaulting to:
“We need lower prices”
“We need more features”
“We need more ads”
“Customers are irrational”
Instead, it forces better questions.
What friction exists?What norms are operating?What emotion surrounds the decision?Who should deliver the message?What default are we accidentally creating?
That’s where smarter strategic moves emerge.
And often, the most valuable breakthroughs come from small behavioural adjustments rather than massive operational overhauls.
That’s Rory’s world really.
Understanding that tiny psychological shifts can create disproportionate commercial effects.
Final Thought & special offer
I’m only early into the MAD//Masters programme, but I’m already finding frameworks like MINDSPACE incredibly useful in real client work.
As a practitioner I love these kind of practical thinking tools for understanding human behaviour more intelligently. They can be used to help teams get unstuck. Powerful stuff. And in a world drowning in dashboards, optimisation, attribution models, and spreadsheets… that feels increasingly valuable.
I’m also excited to be partnering with MAD//Masters. Fancy joining me as part of the cohort on the training course?
As part of being in my network, you fancy becoming a student of Rory Sutherland too, you can get £200 off using the code MD200 at checkout via MAD//Masters.
Hopefully see you there!