behavior-design

Behavior Design System

Transform goals into actionable behavior systems through decomposition, habit design, and review.

Usage Template

Prompt

Use behavior-design for this goal. Decompose it into minimum habits, triggers, SOPs, review cadence, and failure handling.

Use Case

• Converting a goal or intention into a behavior system the user can actually repeat.

Expected Result

• The agent creates a habit plan with trigger, minimum action, environment design, review metric, and fallback.

Output Example

• A behavior card with goal, trigger, 15-minute action, cue, reward, review metric, and fallback.

Verification Case

• The first action takes 15 minutes or less and has a concrete time, place, trigger, and success criterion.

Verified Effect

• A vague goal becomes a repeatable behavior loop with a trigger, minimum action, review metric, and fallback.

Success Metrics

• Plan defines a concrete trigger, a minimum action of 15 minutes or less, a success metric, and a fallback.
• First repetition can be attempted today without buying tools or redesigning the whole environment.
• Review cadence and failure handling are written down.

When to Use

• User says "I want to build a habit of X"
• User has a goal but hasn't broken it into actions
• User wants to change a behavior pattern
• User is reviewing why a habit didn't stick
• User wants to understand their relationship with AI tools

Core Architecture

Goal → Habits  → Cues → SOPs → Review → Reward
           ↓
     Identity narrative: "I am the kind of person who..."

Human Agency Scale (HAS) — Stanford Framework

When designing behavior systems involving AI tools, use the HAS framework to determine the right level of human involvement:

| Level | Description | When to Use | Example | |:-----:|-------------|-------------|---------| | H1 | AI handles entirely, no human | Routine, low-stakes tasks | Auto-lint, auto-format | | H2 | AI needs minimal input | Tasks with clear success criteria | Code review, data entry | | H3 | Equal partnership | Creative/analytical work | Research synthesis, design | | H4 | Human drives, AI assists | High-stakes decisions | Investment analysis, strategy | | H5 | Human essential, AI supports | Relationship/empathy tasks | Coaching, conflict resolution |

Key insight from Stanford research:

• 45.2% of occupations prefer H3 (equal partnership) as the dominant level
• Workers generally prefer higher human agency than experts deem necessary
• Skills shift: from information processing → interpersonal competence

Apply to behavior design:

• For habits involving AI: Choose the appropriate HAS level
• For skill development: Focus on H4/H5 skills (interpersonal, strategic)
• For automation: Start with H1/H2 tasks, gradually expand

Workflow

B1: Define the Goal

Answer:

• Why is this important?
• What identity does it build? ("I want to be someone who...")
• What does success look like in 3 months?

B2: Decompose into Minimum Habits

Break the goal into 3 minimum habits — actions so small they can't fail:

| Habit | Minimum Viable Action | Trigger | Frequency | |-------|----------------------|---------|-----------| | 1 | ≤2 minutes | After existing habit X | Daily | | 2 | ≤5 minutes | When situation Y occurs | 3x/week | | 3 | ≤15 minutes | At time Z | Weekly |

B3: Define SOPs

For each habit, write the execution SOP:

WHEN [trigger]
THEN:
1. [step 1 — what to do]
2. [step 2 — what to do]
3. [step 3 — what to do]
AFTER: [immediate reward]

Barrier removal: [what prevents doing this?]

B4: Set Up Review

• Daily: check off habit completion (≤30 sec)
• Weekly: review completion rate + resistance patterns
• Monthly: adjust habits + upgrade minimum bar

B5: Reframe Identity

Instead of "I want to read more" → "I am a reader." Instead of "I want to exercise" → "I am someone who moves daily."

Behavior Design Principles

1. Minimum start (< 5 min) — if it takes willpower to start, the habit won't stick
2. Trigger binding — attach new habit to an existing routine
3. Friction removal — prepare the environment to make it easy
4. Immediate reward — the brain needs dopamine within seconds, not months
5. Identity narrative — lasting change comes from identity shift, not goal completion

Quality Gates

• [ ] Goal framed as identity, not outcome
• [ ] 3 minimum habits defined (≤2/5/15 min)
• [ ] Each habit has a clear trigger
• [ ] Friction removal identified for each
• [ ] Review schedule set