Reducing anti-social behaviour

Nobody dropping gum on a pavement is waiting for a stirring lecture about civic virtue. They are holding a sticky nuisance and want rid of it now.

The Preston boards were clever because they entered that exact moment. Disposal became easy, visible and slightly playful. The design did more work than another laminated scolding from the council ever could.

We see the same principle in cigarette bins that let smokers vote with their butt, trolley deposits that turn return into a tiny financial loop, and bottle-return machines that make packaging feel temporarily valuable rather than instantly disposable. None requires a personality transplant. Each gives the existing impulse a better landing place.

This is where a lot of behaviour-change work goes wrong. It begins with the noble attitude people ought to possess, then creates a campaign asking them to possess it harder. Meanwhile the bin is fifty metres away, the form takes twelve minutes, or the sensible option is hidden behind “Other”.

Start with hands, feet and timing. What is the person carrying? Where are they when the choice appears? What can be made easier, nearer, cleaner or more satisfying? Morality may explain why the outcome matters. Design decides what happens before the speech has finished.