Aim For Behavior/How To Design For Engagement

Self-Paced Master Course

Design For Lasting Behavior Change

Learn the exact psychological frameworks used by behavioral scientists to create experiences people actually stick with — addressing both conscious decisions AND unconscious drives.


The Problem Most Organizations Face

Even great products and initiatives fail because of poor engagement. Users and employees say they want to use your solution, but most don't follow through.

  • Users abandon products within days of starting

  • Millions spent on features and systems people don't consistently use

  • Traditional engagement programs create temporary spikes followed by inevitable drop-offs

  • Education and information alone rarely drive sustainable behavior change

Why Traditional Engagement Strategies Fail

Most approaches address only half of what drives human behavior, leaving critical engagement barriers untouched.

The Traditional Approach

  • Focuses only on conscious motivation (what people think they should do)

  • Relies heavily on information, education, and incentives

  • Creates temporary compliance rather than lasting engagement

  • Ignores the unconscious drivers that often override intentions

  • Confuses habits with routines, applying the wrong strategies

  • Treats all users the same despite different motivation types

The Dual Motivation Approach

  • Addresses both reflective AND automatic motivation

  • Based on evidence-based frameworks (COM-B, SDT, PRIME)

  • Creates sustainable engagement by satisfying core psychological needs

  • Designs for both conscious intentions AND unconscious drives

  • Distinguishes between habits and routines, applying appropriate strategies to each

  • Provides a systematic approach to diagnosing and solving engagement challenges

Master Three Powerful Frameworks

Learn the science-backed models that will transform how you design for engagement.

Self-Determination Theory

The architecture of intrinsic motivation that drives sustainable engagement

  • Satisfy the need for Autonomy (choice and control)

  • Build experiences that develop Competence (mastery and progress)

  • Create Relatedness (connection and belonging)

  • Transform \"I should do this\" into \"I want to do this\"

PRIME Theory

The hidden drivers that determine whether behavior actually happens

  • Design for Plans (implementation intentions)

  • Shape Reflections (identity alignment)

  • Tap into Impulses (emotional drivers)

  • Address Motives (wants and needs)

  • Work with Emotional responses (hardwired tendencies)

Our Engagement Model

Our proprietary engagement framework that combines key insights from multiple theories

  • Motivational Interviewing

  • Personalization

  • Gamification

Case Studies You’ll Learn From

Learn how behavioral frameworks are applied to real-world challenges — and how to do the same

Healthcare

Getting Radiologists to Use AI

Challenge: Resistance to AI decision support tools despite known benefits.

You'll learn to:

  • Diagnose motivational barriers

  • Find the psychological needs

  • Use PRIME to target unconscious resistance

  • Apply the engagement model to design a motivational journey

  • See real examples

Workplace

Introducing AI in Hiring Without Backlash

Challenge: Improving efficiency with AI while protecting team autonomy and trust.

You'll learn to:

  • Map autonomy threats using Self-Determination Theory

  • Design engagement without triggering loss aversion

  • Balance speed and psychological safety in implementation

Who This Course Is For

Whether you're building products, shaping behavior, or designing for change — this course gives you the tools to do it effectively.

Product Designers & UX Professionals

Who want to increase user retention by designing experiences that align with human motivation.

HR & Change Professionals

Leading organizational transformation and responsible for behavior change initiatives.

Innovation Teams

Responsible for driving adoption of new tools and technology within complex systems.

Healthcare Technology Implementers

Facing challenges in clinical adoption of digital or AI-powered solutions.

Course Structure

PART I - Theory

1. Introduction to motivation in behavior change

2. How do social norms motivate behavior?

3. Understanding motivation using the COM-B model

4. Using motivation theories to drive engagement (PRIME Theory & Self-Determination Theory)

5. Generate your initial ideation

6. Designing for lasting motivation and engagement

PART II - Practice

Motivation and engagement in practice

1. Case Study I: Adoption in a radiology

2. Case Study  II: Adoption in an HR firm

Bonus: Prototype Examples

Corporate & Team Options

Looking to upskill your team or bring behaviorally-informed engagement design into your organization? We offer tailored options for teams and enterprises.

  • Team Licensing Packages

    Provide full access to your design, product, or innovation teams with reporting.

  • Custom Implementation Support

    Get expert help adapting the course frameworks to your specific industry or internal engagement challenges.

  • Enterprise Pricing Options

    Discounted rates for large teams with invoicing support.

  • Bulk Enrollment Discounts

    Save on per-seat pricing when enrolling 5 or more participants at once.

  • Corporate-Specific Training

    Includes team implementation guides, onboarding toolkits, and customized learning pathways.

What Makes This Course Different?

Evidence-Based Approach – Go beyond surface-level engagement tricks with scientifically-validated frameworks that address the full spectrum of motivation factors driving sustainable behavior change.

Dual Motivation Framework – The only course that addresses both reflective AND automatic motivation—the key to sustainable engagement that most approaches ignore.

Practical Behavioral Design Tools – Unlike courses that just explain concepts, we provide the Motivation Diagnostic Matrix, Engagement Audit Tool, and implementation templates to identify and solve specific motivation barriers.

Expert Instructor with Real World Experience – Learn from Robert Meza the founder, who regularly applies these frameworks with real organizations to transform resistance into enthusiastic adoption.

Self-Paced with Real-World Application – Apply these frameworks to your products or workplace initiatives immediately while learning at your own pace, with 1 year access to all case studies.

Comprehensive Step-by-Step Case Studies – See exactly how to apply what you're learning with detailed examples from healthcare and workplace contexts, showing the exact process from analysis to implementation.

Ready to Create Lasting Engagement?

Join hundreds of professionals using behavioral science to drive real change in products, teams, and systems.

  • Full access to the Design for Engagement course

  • Immediate, 1 year subscription

  • Detailed breakdowns of COM-B, PRIME, SDT, and engagement models

  • Real-world case studies from health, workplace, and tech

  • Prototyped examples

  • 14-day refund (if no lessons and/or modules have been opened or completed)
    *Most people expense this course as part of their learning and development budget

Try Before You Buy: Free Engagement Assessment

Not sure if your product or initiative has motivation design issues? Take our free Engagement Assessment to identify specific barriers affecting your users or employees.

  • Pinpoint where engagement is breaking down

  • Understand whether the issues stem from reflective or automatic motivation

  • Get initial insights into which frameworks might help solve your challenges

  • See firsthand how our approach to motivation design works

After completing the assessment, you'll receive personalized insights—developed with the frameworks and tools available in the full course.

Certification

After you have finished all the lessons in the How To Design For Engagement course, you will get a certificate to show that you have completed the course.

Each certificate comes with its own unique ID, the name of the course, and the date it was awarded.

Trusted by Professionals Across Industries

👨‍🏫 Meet Your Instructor: Robert Meza

Robert Meza is the founder of Aim for Behavior, a leading consultancy in behavior change, innovation, and design. With years of experience working globally with startups, corporations, and governments, he specializes in turning behavioral science into practical, real-world design strategies.

Join Thousands of Professionals Using Behavioral Science to Drive Real Change

Whether you're designing products, leading teams, or rolling out new systems—this course gives you the frameworks and tools to create lasting engagement.

  • Full access to the Design for Engagement course

  • Immediate,1 year access

  • Detailed breakdowns of COM-B, PRIME, SDT, and engagement models

  • Real-world case studies from health, workplace, and tech

  • Prototyped examples

  • 14-day refund (if no lessons and/or modules have been opened or completed)
    *Most people expense this course as part of their learning and development budget

Good to know

  • This is a self-paced video course

  • There are no prerequisites

  • There is no pre-work for these sessions and no homework

  • I will be providing some short lectures and during the course I will be sharing my screen to walk you through examples to teach you how to successfully apply motivation theories and frameworks when designing your products, services and experiences

  • Full refund after 14 days if no lessons and/or modules have been opened or completed