I devote about 50% of my time to Stanford and 50% to industry innovation. For me, working in both worlds makes sense: My Stanford work makes me better in industry. And what I learn in industry improves my Stanford research. I’m always eager to help other innovators. (see how to book time with me)
- To experience how behavior change works, join my “3 Tiny Habits” program. It’s simple and free.
- To stay current on me, follow me on Twitter.
- To learn my methods in behavior design, attend my Persuasion Boot Camp.
At my Stanford lab, the Persuasive Technology Lab, we focus on methods for creating habits, showing what causes behavior, automating behavior change, and persuading people via mobile phones. Over the years, improving health has become a theme. This includes my work in directing a series of conferences at Stanford on Mobile Health.
I use what I learn at Stanford to achieve outcomes in the real world.
(I teach at Stanford part time. I’m not a full-time professor as text overlay on the video suggests.)
Fortune Magazine listed me as one of “10 New Gurus You Should Know.” I’m sure many people deserve guru status more than I do, but I appreciate the nod. So thanks, Fortune.
You can see my innovation page for specific topics of expertise. I like to speak and teach on these topics. Most recently, I launched my Persuasion Boot Camps, two-day events at my guest home, hidden away on a river in Northern California. If you want to apply for one of the camps in 2012, email me.
To learn the foundation of my work, check out my book: Persuasive Technology: Using Computers to Change What We Think and Do. My team and I have created a shorter book that also breaks new ground: Mobile Persuasion: 20 Perspectives on the Future of Behavior Change. Summary: Mobile phones will become the #1 platform for persuasion. The book explains why. If you’re into health promotion, you should make a note.
At Stanford, I never teach the same class twice. One year, I taught about online video to persuade people. Another year, my class focused on how social media can promote world peace. And in yet another year, my class was about Facebook apps, and our students' projects persuaded more than 16 million people to install the apps they created. (See the New York Times article.) In 2012 I’ll teach a new class on the theme of “baby steps for big results.” As always, I teach students how to create tech systems that change behavior. (For example, Instagram has influenced the behavior of over 30 million people. The co-founder was a student of mine.)
The other pages here explain more about my work. I should warn you: Not everything here is up to date. The demands on my time have gotten intense, and I’m trying to take some vacation (which is tough, because I like working). In any case, you’ll also learn more about my work by viewing this (somewhat outdated) list of resources.