OGILVY CHANGE / NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT AGENCY
Background
The last decade saw food wastage in Singapore reach an astounding record. Of the many different sources of food wastage, one the most evident ones are through catering services for buffets. NEA needed to find ways to reduce individual food wastage as the first step.
Project Goals
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A generative, creative approach to reduce food wastage in buffets
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Empirical findings about human behavior during buffets that can support policy goals to reduce food wastage in Singapore
Research Goals
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Assess and define challenges. Identify the gap between intention & action
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Formulate hypothesis and design experiments
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Test solutions for sustainable scaling
Research Methods
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Audit on global solutions tested on sustainable behaviour change
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Barriers to Behavior change exercise & Empathy mapping
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Workshop- inc Design Challenge Sector, Brain writing with Be Sci Principles, Analogue thinking, Nudge cards
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Post workshop- Concept writing, How-Now-Wow Exercise, Assumption mapper & experiment cards
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Experiment Design: collaborate with Research science team to define, track and optimize success matrix
Behavior Chhallenge Focus
Dalberg's Integrated HCD & Be Sci Approach
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From the research audit on sustainable behaviour change and empathy mapping, the team arrived at top opportunities at buffets to introduce interventions that ranged from pre-eating points (like buffet design), at the buffet queues (like plate sizing) and after serving food (at the table).
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Analysis of Singapore's buffet data guided us to focus on opportunities at the buffet queues and after serving food
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with the focused opportunities, workshop was facilitated with NEA team, designers, catering partners and thought leaders to formulate:
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Behaviour Challenge Statements and
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Hypothesis for design interventions using Mindspace and C-factors framework of Behavior Science Principles
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Opportunity & Challenge Exercise
Tools used for hypothesis formation
Experiment Cards & Prioritization
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Hypothesis ranged from a wide set of behaviour change principles from game theory, priming, personal investment, subjective norms to perceived behavioral control. This was followed with a second phase of literature review to find tests and links between our hypothesis and food consumption studies or research papers
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Each hypothesis guided experiment cards and design. Using How-now-wow matrix, the team prioritized top 2 experiments to test.
Criteria: Feasibility of an experiment, Potential to form a habit (attaching to existing behavior, Scalability of the intervention
Example:Experiment Design &
Nudge Cards
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When studies from the Harvard Business School suggested that instagraming your food makes it taste better, we wondered if the power of personal investment through taking a picture and uploading would get people to value their food more and waste their food less?
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This hypothesis was put to the test: To use instagram as the modern day ritual that can help reduce food wastage in buffets.
Experiment Results
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We invited 50 Singaporeans for a buffet lunch, and calculated the amount of food wasted. The next day, we invited them again- the same people, the same arrangement, even similar dishes, with only one difference- nudges (like actors, signs and pictures) that encouraged the guests to instagram their food before eating.
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On day 2 quite rightly as Harvard established, guests marked higher satisfaction and tastier food scores. But even more surprising, the amount of food wasted reduced by almost 70%. The power of personal investment and its correlation to reduction in food wastage proved that instagram can definitely be used as the modern day ritual in order to address food wastage at individual levels.
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If one buffet can save us from wasting 70% of the food, imagine the number of meals we could feed hungry Singaporeans with the food they love so much!
Testing Hypothesis- Case Study
Research Impact
Strategic Impact
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Policy strategy influenced by research and behavioral insights.
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This track of work left a strong legacy, and a comprehensive playbook not just for NEA, but other government agencies to leverage with Ogilvy Change.
Stakeholder collaboration Impact
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Designed new strategies and company-wide processes in XFN stakeholder collaboration.
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Behavioral consulting had became a strategic partner of NEA team.
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We championed collaboration between research and other functions that are not traditionally impacted by research (Creative, NEA partners & Data Science).
Program Impact
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Research results handed over to the NTU Be Sci & Social Change Department. We collaborated with the team to scale it nationwide and publish a paper
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5 more Sustainable Behavior Research projects commissioned within 4 months