Uncover the hidden drivers of human behaviour to better understand and serve your customers and strengthen the success of your asset, with the largest and most-awarded behavioural science team in the healthcare MR space- HRW Shift.
HRW Shift
Understanding the deeper motivations, thought patterns and biases influencing decision-making makes pharma strategy development much clearer.
HRW Shift, our team of behaviour change experts, shine a light on the hidden factors at play through the multidisciplinary and evidence-based lens of behavioural science — which can give you and your team that fresh “spark” in seeing how to tackle problems; promote your product; or understand your stakeholders.
Most importantly, we go beyond simply explaining to provide evidence-based recommendations on strategies and “nudges” to change behaviour in the face of your unique challenges. We take behavioural insights from the theoretical to the tangible: delivering measurable strategic change that shows up on the bottom line.
Market shaping and belief journey work
How to create opportunities for your brand by understanding habits, spheres of influence, and psychologies at play.
Understanding physicians on a deeper level
Including brand differentiation and brand image.
Patient work
Providing patients with the tools to optimize their health behaviours, adhere to their treatment regimen, understand the nuances of their conditions, and navigate the healthcare system.
Campaigns/Communications research
How to communicate in a compelling and resonant way by tailoring the content and visuals to your target audience.
Behaviour change challenges
Which nudges and behavioural change techniques are mostly like to help you achieve the desired HCP or patient behaviour.
Intervention confidence
Your most effective path of action to increase customer satisfaction, improve adherence, or boost revenues.
1. Research Design
Identifying possible behavioural elements and consulting on the most applicable methods
2. Kick-off Meeting
3. Fieldwork
Attending research to identify on psychological themes and guiding questioning/test hypothesized interventions
4. Analysis
5. Debrief
Consulting on validated behaviour change tactics and strategies to ‘nudge’ customers along the ladder of behaviour change
Case-studies
When evaluating materials for a direct to patient/ consumer campaign, the most preferred concept had a positive emotional profile (dominated by ‘hope’), however it lacked a link to motivate uptake.
We identified his ‘hopeful’ tone as a hallmark of the optimism bias meaning this messaging could actually inhibit action.
The Optimism Bias: the tendency for people to believe that they are at a lesser risk of experiencing a negative outcome compared to others
Framing considerations – people react more strongly and emotionally to moments of loss rather than gain, if appropriate, messages that generate a sense of urgency yield greatest impact on behaviour.
Episodic future thinking– making your ‘future self’ tangible helps overcome inclinations to procrastinate taking action
Result
Our client went against the concept customers ‘liked’ the most and selected the recommended concepts from behavioural science. The campaign resulted in a 12% increase in people being screened.
A client was developing a new ‘paradigm changing’ oncology diagnostic that physicians described as ‘futuristic’ and seemed to not fully understand.
HRW Shift identified the hallmarks of the ‘worldview backfire effect’: in that it’s not really an issue of them not understanding the facts, but that the offering is challenging to their worldview and threatens some elements of their model of reality. If this occurs, instead of accepting the new information, there is a high risk that customers dig in their heels and reinforce their existing beliefs.
Our client commissioned HRW to map the COVID-19 stakeholder landscape to explore the needs for their asset in development.
We conducted online bulletin boards with key HCPs (to give flexibility to contribute to the research on their own schedule) and used behavioural science analysis to understand the cognitive mechanisms driving behaviour.
Although the focus of the research was very functional, the emotion of the ongoing pandemic was having a heavy toll on HCP perspectives. HRW Shift recognised this emotion as an important factor:
Brain regions involved with emotion and threat (amygdala) inhibit learning, memory, and complex decision-making ability.
The environment in which HCPs were forming their behaviours to manage this disease was having an impact on their abilities to perform their jobs.
The behavioral science lens allowed provide tangible ‘nudges’ and tactics for our client to build their strategy for their asset, including:
Katy Irving
Rhiannon Connolly
Kiran Pawar
Jennifer Vos
Jeremy Koloski
Oliver Day
Nina Zeiske
Dana Al-Juburi
Peter Tompkins
Rory Mitchell
Millie Morgan
Tony Jiang
Kate Thornton
Samyukta Kumar
Saket Rao
Katy is the founder of HRW Shift. She has an MSc from the London School of Economics and is an active member of the London Behavioural Economics network. In addition to applying behavioural understanding on projects for clients, she attends and presents at global conferences about behavioural economics in pharma market research.
Rhiannon has a master’s degree in Social Cognition, undergraduate degree in Psychology and Sociology and expertise in Neuro-Linguistic programming (NLP) and is ideally placed to consult and provide behavioural insights and support the core project team by paying close attention to language-based clues to shed further light on cognitive biases and heuristics.
Kiran has an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master’s degree in health psychology, including key constructs of the HCP/Patient relationship. She joined HRW after completing her master’s degree and consults regularly as a core part of the Shift team to ensure validated constructs in health psychology are applied.
Jen has a strong academic background in linguistics, psycholinguistics, and discourse analysis (psychology of language processing and cognition). She has experience investigating language patterns, styles (tense/style/framing) to extract a deeper understanding of perceptions, feelings, and concerns.
With a BA in computer science and an MSc in behavioural economics, Jeremy straddles the clear-cut, algorithmic sphere of technology and the murky, shifting terrain of behavioural science. Thinking across traditional academic partitions is Jeremy’s forte—he therefore enjoys injecting concepts from a wide range of disciplines into his work.
Oliver holds a Master's Degree in Behaviour Change and an undergraduate degree in Human Geography, both from UCL. He also draws on a diverse career – from facilitating behaviour change workshops to capturing customer voice – to deliver creative, evidence-based insights tailored to the business context and underlying social psychological processes.
With an undergraduate degree in psychology and a master's degree in health psychology, Nina has always shown a very strong interest in understanding the reasons behind certain behaviours and what drives behaviour change. Nina supports the Shift team with applying these concepts within our research.
Studying an interdisciplinary degree in Human Sciences, which spanned psychology and anthropology, instilled a curiosity in Dana for human behaviour in a healthcare context. Dana extended this interest to her dissertation on vaccine hesitancy in a COVID-19 climate, to look at humans’ relationship with uncertainty and trust, and how science communication can leverage these biases to shift mindsets and improve vaccine uptake. As part of the HRW Shift team, she is particularly interested in the underpinnings of human wants, fears, needs, and ultimately, choices.
Peter has always had a keen interest in behaviour and the influence of attitudes and perceptions. He gained his Master's degree in Sport Psychology; spanning his studies from the training of optimising performance in pressure situations, to understanding human behaviour in a range of preformance-based contexts. Peter continues to apply the behavioural-science concepts within research and as a part-time member of the SHIFT team.
Rory developed a passion for behavioural science while studying Biological Psychology and Biological Basis of Behaviour during his degree in Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter. After graduating, he worked at a research agency called Mindlab where he gained experience in uncovering the unconscious drivers behind consumer decisions. During a project into consumer perceptions of plant-based foods, Rory was introduced to "Nudge" psychology and became fascinated with the topic. When the pandemic hit, Rory took a job at the Jersey Recovery College, a mental health charity. Here, he used his knowledge of behavioral science to design and deliver courses for the community on mental health habits such as running, keeping a gratitude diary, and meditating. At HRW, Rory continues to apply his expertise in behavioral science as a researcher and part-time member of the Shift team.
Millie has a bachelor's degree in Linguistics from the University of Cambridge and a master's degree in Psychological Sciences from University College London. She has experience in applied discourse analysis as well as natural language processing used to access implicit and explicit attitudes, and is particularly interested in the way social media can provide insights into the behaviour of the masses.
Tony has a Master’s degree in Behavioral Economics from the University of Nottingham and a bachelor’s in Economics. He is fascinated about understanding the how and why behind decision-making, and applies this knowledge to the unique challenges of the healthcare industry. Prior to joining HRW, he worked for behavioral science consultancies in Europe and Australia, conducting research and developing solutions for clients in finance, technology, and government.
Kate has always been interested in the intricacies of human behaviour, particularly the interplay between biological, social and cognitive factors. She pursued this interest through an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience and a Masters in Behaviour Change - where she gained expertise in aspects such as theories and models of behaviour change, intervention development and the application of behavioural insights across a broad range of areas. Since graduating she has worked in behavioural science teams at charities and a social research agency where she continued to hone her skills in understanding and influencing behaviour and decision making
Samyukta holds master's degrees in Clinical Psychology and Behavioural Science, reflecting her profound interest in the intersection of human behaviour and healthcare decisions. Her research background includes in-depth studies on the drivers of preventive health behaviors, with a notable focus on understanding the behavioral aspects of antibiotic consumption in the patient community. Eager to apply her expertise, Samyukta is excited to contribute valuable insights as a member of the SHIFT team, leveraging her blend of psychology and behavioural science knowledge.
Intrigued by the intersection of human behaviour and decision-making, Saket graduated with an MSc (distinction) in Behavioural Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science. His fascination for human behaviour and health is evident in his dissertation, which focused on applying linguistic analysis to differentiate linguistic markers unique to suicide ideation. Skilled at behavioural diagnosis, research design, and quantitative research, Saket has applied behaviour science principles to solve complex behavioural challenges. In his spare time, Saket likes to visit chess parks across London, strum the ukulele, and enjoy game nights with his friends.
Blogs, News, and Insights
Implicit Bias: The Hippocampus and Pattern Completion
The hippocampus is a part of the brain that is involved in memory formation and retrieval, spatial navigation, and emoti...
Battle of the Bots: Which AI Gives the Best Behaviour Change Advice?
Recommendations from generative AI tools like ChatGPT are always just a few clicks away. But should we give into temptat...
Novelty Bias
To help us survive, humans have evolved to quickly identify changes in our environment, aiding us in avoiding danger and...
Behavioural Science in the Wild: HRW Shift Book Club
Academic research into the value and efficacy of using behavioural science to encourage positive behaviour change has sh...
Getting to the Heart of it: Lessons from Two Books on Overcoming Tricky Biases in Customer-Centric Research
We all know that understanding and meeting customer needs is key to business success, but what are some of the obstacles...
Behavioural Science FAQs
Do you wonder why people make certain decisions? Still getting to grips with how behavioural science can impact your bus...
Bridging the Gap Between Patients and HCPs with Behavioural Science
In the sixth session of our 3rd Annual Celebration of Behavioural Science webinar series, Jeremy Koloski, Senior Behavi...
Non-Conciously Oncology
Oncology is a unique and specialised area; often facing life-and-death decisions in an increasingly complex treatment la...
Unmasking Our Mental Blindspots: A Day in the Life of a Patient
By harnessing the power of behavioural science, we can gain valuable insights into the drivers behind patient behaviours...
Beyond Guesswork: Three AI Tools for Changing Health Behaviour
With so many new, predictive algorithms, Ai tools and technological developments, it’s impossible not to miss atleast ...
Episode 35: Antibiotic Resistance Communications
HCPs can sometimes lack confidence in their ability to diagnose, and prescribe antibiotics as a ‘safe’ option, howev...
Episode 31, Part 3: Language and Suicide Ideation
In the final segment of our 3-part podcast series, Saket Rao, Behavioural Scientist, shares findings from his master’s...
Episode 33: Agony Aunt
Ever wonder why people make certain decisions? Still getting to grips with how Behavioural science can impact your busin...
Episode 32: Vaccine Hesitancy
During the launch of the COVID-19 vaccine, a significant amount of content circulated expressing skepticism about the re...
Episode 31, Part 2: Anti-fat Bias
Harvard data shows that over the years, implicit bias against race, sexuality, age, and disability have all decreased. H...
Between the Lines: A Thematic and Linguistic Analysis on Cognitive Impairments Associated with Bipolar Disorder
Cognitive impairment associated with bipolar disorder exerts a profound and far-reaching impact. To explore the intricat...
Increasing Condom Use and STI Testing: Creating a Behaviourally Informed Sexual Healthcare Campaign
Getting people to engage in preventative sexual health behaviours (condom use, STI testing) is always a challenge. Last ...
Passive Mobile Tracking: Use of apps for health behaviour change
App Use for Health Behaviou… by HRW Healthcare...
Poster: Passive mobile media tracking for real-world view on use of apps for health behaviour change
Poster presented at the University College London (UCL) Centre for Behaviour Change Conference 2020. The conference them...
How to Save Lives and Not Alienate People: Gold Magazine
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“Converted the sceptics. The behavioural science gave a completely fresh view of the market. We loved it!”
Global Insights Director
“This is the most exciting research I’ve been on in my whole career.”
Senior Business Insights Lead
“I religiously go back to the report. We’ve used [the behavioural science] language specifically to talk about why we need to change things, and it has given me confidence about our next steps.”
Director, Global Sales Excellence
“This is very high quality [behavioural science advice] and has enormous actionability. Genuinely might be one of the most actionable pieces I’ve seen.”
Market Research Manager
“Behavioural insights bring an additional dimension and scientific weight to findings… nobody can argue against the behavioural insights”
Global Strategic Insights Manager
“[the behavioural science] is really of out of the box thinking: fresh and new ideas, some quick wins and some for longer term. It’s valuable and useful.”
Global Brand Lead
“These are the most tangible recommendation I’ve ever seen from a market research partner.”
Global Insights of Flagship Brand
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