Calling DIBS

Piyush Tantia, Chief Innovation Officer at ideas42. Piyush Tantia is the Chief Innovation Officer at ideas42, one of the first and best applied behavioural science consulting organizations in the world with over 250 projects completed and 28 million lives improved. Piyush shares ideas42’s journey, a few of his favourite recent projects, and insights about how the field has grown over the last deca...

Jiaying Zhao, Associate Professor of Psychology and the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability. For our final episode of the semester, I’m joined by Jiaying Zhao, who is a co-founding member of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS) and an amazingly productive researcher at the forefront of applying BI to pressing societal challenges. In sharing some of her fa...

Lisa Zaval, Behavioural Scientist Consultant. As an applied behavioural science consultant, Lisa Zaval has worked with an impressive client portfolio across sectors and domains. She shares research stories from her time in academia and her time in the private sector, and illustrates the similarities and differences between them. Lisa also talks about the importance of working across divisions with...

Sarah Smythe, Service Design Specialist with the BC Ministry of Citizens’ Services. Sarah Smythe is formerly a Knowledge Translation Strategist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG), currently a Service Design Specialist in the BC Ministry of Citizens’ Services, and always a really strong communicator. Sarah shares tips for how to communicate about BI with different audiences; she also t...

Kate White, Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Science at UBC Sauder School of Business. Kate White is another amazing co-founding member of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS); her work is a great example of conducting Behavioural and Decision Science research that combines theoretical innovation with real-world applications and impact. Kate tells us how to use the “SH...

Dave Hardisty, Associate Professor of Marketing and Behavioural Science at UBC Sauder School of Business. As a co-founding member of UBC Decision Insights for Business & Society (UBC-DIBS), Dave Hardisty is a great example of the intersection that we call BI — he conducts Behavioural and Decision Science research using rigorous experimental methods and data analysis to tackle pressing problems...

Dilip Soman, Professor of Marketing, Canada Research Chair in Behavioural Science and Economics, and Director of Behavioural Economics in Action at Rotman. Dilip Soman has been instrumental in advancing the practice of BI in Canada. He shares his journey to behavioural science, how he’s encouraging people to distinguish good and bad uses of BI, how academics and practitioners can work together, an...

Christine Kormos, Senior Behavioural Scientist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG). Christine Kormos may be the most well-rounded BI practitioner in BC! Christine started her career as an academic pursuing a PhD in psychology and is now a behavioural scientist with BC BIG. Along the way, she’s worked as a BI consultant and as a BI project client. Christine shares the inside scoop as sh...

Tobin Postma, Director of Intergovernmental Relations and Strategic Partnerships at the City of Vancouver. Thanks to Tobin Postma’s championing of BI, the City of Vancouver was one of the first, if not the first, city in Canada to test using Behavioural Insights. Tobin gives a firsthand account of the unique challenges of using BI in a local government setting. There are useful takeaways for every...

Julian House, Behavioural Scientist at the Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit. The Ontario Behavioural Insights Unit (BIU) was the first provincial “nudge unit” in Canada and Julian House has been involved since his days as a PhD student at the University of Toronto. Julian and I talk about how the BIU started, how they use their MIST framework in problem scoping, and how they pair BI with other to...

Isabelle Andresen, Behavioural Insights Consultant. Having worked with organizations like the Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) and the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG), Isabelle Andresen has a very impressive resume and well-honed BI skills. In our conversation we talk about project scoping, exploratory research, and obstacles and strategies for BI projects. It’s highly relevant to our Projec...

Mikayla Ford, Methods Specialist with the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG). To continue exploring the value of user research, I reached out to Mikayla Ford, who is a qualitative methods whiz. Mikayla and I reminisce about a BC BIG project where we used interviews and exploratory surveys to gain insight into why snowmobilers sled in areas that are closed to protect endangered mountain caribou...

Kerri Buschel, Director of Experience, Marketing, and Insights at WorkSafeBC. With a storyteller like Kerri Buschel leading the charge, it is no surprise that WorkSafeBC is a leader in innovation when it comes to qualitative research. From online discussion boards to interviews to focus groups, Kerri talks about how WorkSafeBC uses qualitative research to understand the problem, the population, an...

Heather Devine, Head of the BC Behavioural Insights Group (BC BIG). BC BIG has played a major role in the development of UBC’s Advanced Professional Certificate in Behavioural Insights as well as almost every other BI initiative in BC. There’s quite literally no one better to talk to about BI in BC than Heather Devine. Heather and I also chat about how BIG started and how BI works as part of a lar...

Sasha Tregebov, Director of BIT Canada. The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT) is the original “nudge unit” and Sasha Tregebov has overseen a number of BIT projects, from “What Works Cities” to the creation of BIT Canada. “Calling DIBS” couldn’t ask for a better first guest. To kick this series off, Sasha and I talk about about the value of BI and the challenges of problem discovery.