Behaviour Audit

Find out what’s happening & where behaviour breaks.

• Purpose: Spot gaps between what should happen and what does happen.

• Focus:

  • Mapping the actual journey (intention → trigger → action → outcome).

  • Scanning context factors (individual, social, physical, structural).

  • Capturing evidence (data + quotes).

  • Surfacing patterns of friction or failure.

• Outcome: A diagnosis, “Here’s where behaviour breaks and why.”

• Use with: The Friction Fuel Map. Or on its own.

Think of this as a doctor’s exam. You’re figuring out what’s wrong.

Why run a Behaviour Audit?

When behaviour drifts from the plan, results suffer.
An audit shows what's happening when drift happens.

What to bring to the session

1. Kick‑off Scoping Card (see step 1)

2. Mini Journey Sheet (see step 2)

3. Triangulation Table (matches one finding to two sources)

4. Bias Cheat Sheet (ten common biases)

5. Barrier–Driver Word List (effort, risk, reward, etc.)

6. ROI Estimator (simple spreadsheet: lost users × CLV × conversion gap)

7. Three‑Slide Pack template for the share‑out

Keep all seven in one shared folder before you start.

STEPS

1 | Setup

Step 1: Fill the Scoping Card

Everyone should picture the same user, moment, and metric.
Take time to align before you begin.

• Who are we auditing?

• Which slice of the journey?

• What is the success metric?

Step 2: Build the Mini Journey Sheet

Create one row for each step. Do not fill it out at this point. Just set up the sheet ready for the audit:

1. Intention. What the person wants to achieve (e.g., “pick item fast”).

2. Trigger. The cue that starts the behaviour (scanner beep, email ping).

3. Thought. The split‑second judgment (“Is this right?” “Can I skip?”).

4. Action. What they actually do (scan, click, ask a peer).

5. Outcome. What happens next (item logged, error shown, nothing).

Tip: Fill out one row with a common activity the team does to get used to the setup.
E.g., making a pre-meeting coffee.

2 | Audit

Step 1: Set the Target Behaviour

1. Draft the sentence

   “We want [who] to [do what] in [moment] so that [business result].”
   Example: “We want warehouse pickers to scan every box during night shifts so that we hit 100 % stock accuracy.”

2. Pressure‑test it

   • Ask, “Could two strangers picture the same action?”

   • Use verbs you can see or hear.

3. Lock it in

   • Read it aloud as a team.

   • No one edits? Glue it to the top of every doc.

Step 2: Map the Behaviour Sequence

1. Build the Mini Journey Sheet
   Create five columns: Intention → Trigger → Thought → Action → Outcome.
   Leave ten blank rows.

2. Walk the real journey

   • Shadow one user. Fill row 1 live.

   • Note tiny thoughts (“Is this file outdated?”).

3. Fill more rows

   • Replay analytics, support logs, interview clips.

   • Each variant gets its own row.

4. Spot the biggest drop‑off

   • Circle the step where most journeys die.

   • Mark it “Break Point”.

Step 3: Scan the Context

Use four lenses. For each, ask the question, jot one insight, and link it to the Mini Journey Sheet.
A sign you have done this well is you can answer:
“In this context, the user is more/less likely to act because [lens insight].”

Step 4: Collect Evidence

1. Set up the Triangulation Table
   Columns: Finding | Source 1 | Source 2 | Notes.

2. Gather quant first

   • Pull funnel data, error logs, heat maps.

   • Note anything that touches the Break Point.

3. Layer qual next

   • Interviews (5-8 users), field notes, support tickets.

   • Snap photos/screens if allowed.

4. Log every finding

   • If a claim has one source, hunt a second.

   • If no second source, tag “Need more proof”.

Step 5: List Frictions & Fuels

1. Brain‑dump raw frictions and fuels on sticky notes. One item per note.

2. Use the Friction-Fuel word list (below) to spark more (Effort, Risk, Reward, etc.).

3. Score impact 1-5

   • 1 = small annoyance.

   • 5 = stops the behaviour cold.

4. Keep the top three barriers; box them in red.

Step 6: Spot Your Bias & Blind Spots

1. Grab the Bias Cheat Sheet (below)
   Read each bias aloud. Ask, “Did we fall for this?”

2. Run the outsider test

   • Show the Triangulation Table to one uninvolved colleague.

   • Ask them to poke holes.

3. Rewrite or delete shaky findings

   • If evidence is weak, mark “Assumption: needs test”.

   
   

Step 7: Estimate Business Impact

1. Open the ROI sheet
   Formula already set: Lost users × CLV × conversion gap.

2. Plug rough numbers

   • Use ranges if unsure (e.g., £20-30 k).

   • Note source beside each figure.

3. Write the weekly cost
   “Every week we leave Barrier 1, we lose £X.”

Step 8: Assign Owners & Deadlines

1. Create the Action Post in the team channel.
   Format: Barrier - First Fix - Owner - Date.

Step 9: Write the Audit Sheet

Collate all your key insights and chosen action plan into one sheet.

Include:

1. Top 3 Behaviour Gaps

   • Gap, evidence, £ impact

2. Root Causes

   • Quotes, numbers

3. Action Plan

   • Barrier → Owner → Deadline → First step

Resources

Friction Fuel Word List

Use these words in your discussions

• Effort - clicks, steps, physical strain

• Time - delays, wait, speed

• Risk - money, status, social face

• Clarity - instructions, feedback, certainty

• Reward - payoff, progress, pleasure

• Social - approval, norms, expectation

• Identity - “people like me do this”

• Ease - automation, shortcuts, defaults

• Trust - security, transparency, reliability

10 Cognitive Biases

1. Confirmation - we notice evidence that proves us right.

2. Default - we stick to the status quo.

3. Sunk cost - we stay because we invested before.

4. Recency - last event feels biggest.

5. Availability - vivid stories outweigh data.

6. Anchoring - first number shapes later judgements.

7. Social proof - “Others do it, so it’s fine.”

8. Framing - wording changes decisions.

9. Overconfidence - we think we’re above average.

10. Loss aversion - losses hurt more than equal gains feel good.

Common questions:

• “What counts as a behaviour?”
  Anything observable that moves (or blocks) the goal: clicks, steps, words, choices, delays.

• “How deep do we go?”
  Deep enough to see motives, moments, and friction. Shallow audits hide the truth.

• “Do we need new data or can we repurpose analytics?”
  Use what exists, but assume gaps. Qual + quant together tell the real story.

• “How long should an audit take?”
  2–4 weeks for a solid mid‑size product. You CAN do this in a 1 hour block, but only if you have a strong understanding of the challenge you face and want shallower insights. Longer ≠ better.

• “Who should run it?”
  Cross‑functional pair: a behaviour lead + a domain insider.
  Outsiders see blind spots; insiders know context.

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