Behavior Design System
Transform goals into actionable behavior systems through decomposition, habit design, and review.
Usage Template
Prompt
Use behavior-design for this goal. Decompose it into minimum habits, triggers, SOPs, review cadence, and failure handling.
Use Case
- Converting a goal or intention into a behavior system the user can actually repeat.
Expected Result
- The agent creates a habit plan with trigger, minimum action, environment design, review metric, and fallback.
Output Example
- A behavior card with goal, trigger, 15-minute action, cue, reward, review metric, and fallback.
Verification Case
- The first action takes 15 minutes or less and has a concrete time, place, trigger, and success criterion.
Verified Effect
- A vague goal becomes a repeatable behavior loop with a trigger, minimum action, review metric, and fallback.
When to Use
- User says "I want to build a habit of X"
- User has a goal but hasn't broken it into actions
- User wants to change a behavior pattern
- User is reviewing why a habit didn't stick
- User wants to understand their relationship with AI tools
Core Architecture
Goal → Habits → Cues → SOPs → Review → Reward
↓
Identity narrative: "I am the kind of person who..."
Human Agency Scale (HAS) — Stanford Framework
When designing behavior systems involving AI tools, use the HAS framework to determine the right level of human involvement:
| Level | Description | When to Use | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 | AI handles entirely, no human | Routine, low-stakes tasks | Auto-lint, auto-format |
| H2 | AI needs minimal input | Tasks with clear success criteria | Code review, data entry |
| H3 | Equal partnership | Creative/analytical work | Research synthesis, design |
| H4 | Human drives, AI assists | High-stakes decisions | Investment analysis, strategy |
| H5 | Human essential, AI supports | Relationship/empathy tasks | Coaching, conflict resolution |
Key insight from Stanford research:
- 45.2% of occupations prefer H3 (equal partnership) as the dominant level
- Workers generally prefer higher human agency than experts deem necessary
- Skills shift: from information processing → interpersonal competence
Apply to behavior design:
- For habits involving AI: Choose the appropriate HAS level
- For skill development: Focus on H4/H5 skills (interpersonal, strategic)
- For automation: Start with H1/H2 tasks, gradually expand
Workflow
B1: Define the Goal
Answer:
- Why is this important?
- What identity does it build? ("I want to be someone who...")
- What does success look like in 3 months?
B2: Decompose into Minimum Habits
Break the goal into 3 minimum habits — actions so small they can't fail:
| Habit | Minimum Viable Action | Trigger | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ≤2 minutes | After existing habit X | Daily |
| 2 | ≤5 minutes | When situation Y occurs | 3x/week |
| 3 | ≤15 minutes | At time Z | Weekly |
B3: Define SOPs
For each habit, write the execution SOP:
WHEN [trigger]
THEN:
1. [step 1 — what to do]
2. [step 2 — what to do]
3. [step 3 — what to do]
AFTER: [immediate reward]
Barrier removal: [what prevents doing this?]
B4: Set Up Review
- Daily: check off habit completion (≤30 sec)
- Weekly: review completion rate + resistance patterns
- Monthly: adjust habits + upgrade minimum bar
B5: Reframe Identity
Instead of "I want to read more" → "I am a reader." Instead of "I want to exercise" → "I am someone who moves daily."
Behavior Design Principles
- Minimum start (< 5 min) — if it takes willpower to start, the habit won't stick
- Trigger binding — attach new habit to an existing routine
- Friction removal — prepare the environment to make it easy
- Immediate reward — the brain needs dopamine within seconds, not months
- Identity narrative — lasting change comes from identity shift, not goal completion
Quality Gates
- Goal framed as identity, not outcome
- 3 minimum habits defined (≤2/5/15 min)
- Each habit has a clear trigger
- Friction removal identified for each
- Review schedule set