What Type Of Person Thrives In The Behavioral Science And Design Industry According To A Senior Behavioral Designer At A Behavioral Design Firm
Marisa, a Senior Behavioral Designer, identifies empathy, emotional intelligence, and curiosity as key traits for success in behavioral science, whether working in a specialized firm or within a larger organization. The ability to blend creativity and research skills, depending on the specific role (design versus research focus), is also crucial for thriving in this field.
Empathy, Emotional Intelligence, Curiosity, Creativity, Data Analysis
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Marisa Nowicki
Senior Behavioral Designer
Behavioral Design Firm
University of North Texas
Carnegie Mellon University: Masters in Public Policy and Management (MSPPM), 2019
Medical, Sciences & Related, Psychology
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management, Nonprofit, Foundations & Grantmaking
Consulting
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Empathy and emotional intelligence are crucial for understanding people and their behaviors.
2. Curiosity about people and the world is essential for effective behavioral design.
3. Creativity and innovation are highly valued, especially for the design aspect of the work, while research skills and quantitative skills are important for the research side.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in this industry?
To be specific about my industry, I work for a behavioral science and design firm. Within this ecosystem, there are firms that specialize in behavioral science, which is what I do.
You also have nudge units, which are behavioral science teams within non-behavioral science organizations. Then there are specialists, perhaps just one person who really knows the field and coordinates with others who don't. That was more the role I had in my previous job with Biodiversity International.
I would say you need slightly different, but for the most part similar, traits to thrive in these roles. For example, people who really thrive are very empathetic and emotionally intelligent. They spend their entire day talking to people and trying to understand them.
You do need a certain level of emotional intelligence and empathy for that, although you don't need to come fully formed. I think everyone is always learning and growing in that space. Curiosity is incredibly important. Being curious about people and the world around you is very important.
A certain level of creativity is also incredibly important. If you're focusing more on the research side, you could get away with more research and quantitative skills. Someone who is quite logical, can collect data, and can analyze data would do well.
If you want to do more of the design work, creativity and innovation are incredibly important. I do a bit of both, so I think both are great. If you feel strong in one area, either research or innovation, you could lean more into that direction.