Nudging as a Service: An Open Source Infrastructure for Generating, Optimizing, and Analyzing Smart Nudges

Abstract

Since 2008, the practice of influencing behavior change via nudging has been extensively studied. Many new and improved forms have been developed as well, with most recently the inception of smart nudging. Smart nudges are nudges that are context-aware and personalized. How- ever, creating a smart nudging system is not a trivial task. There are many categories of nudges, user profile design choices and user profile learning algorithms to choose from. To help nudge theory researchers and developers navigate this challenge, this research project presents a design for a versatile Smart Nudging Engine (SNE), applicable in any digital environment. This project follows the design science research method to construct an artifact in a problem space. Through a literature study, ex- pert interviews and surveys, the requirements for the SNE were elicited, validated and evaluated. Thus, the engine’s design and evaluation are rooted in both literature and expert knowledge. The resulting artifact is a working prototype ready to be extended and customized for any digital nudging environment, both in research and industry.