By Nacho Parietti, author of The Behavioral Startup

Design it.
Then fix it.

This is where the method lives: the models to design a product around what people will actually do, and the strategies to fix it when they don’t.

Read chapter 1 free →See the two books

Move your cursor. They are watching.Tap the page. They scare easily.

One method, two books

The Behavioral Startup
Available now

The Behavioral Startup

Design it.

The ANVERSO models, step by step: who your product is for, what it promises, how people notice the value, and which behaviors lead there. Written for founders and experts without a tech background.

5.0 on Amazon · Kindle US$ 4.99

Get it on Amazon →También en español: La Behavioral Startup
The Behavioral
Handbook103 strategies to get people to actually use your productCover in progress
Coming December 2026

The Behavioral Handbook

Fix it.

They told you they loved it. So why won’t they use it? Find the barrier, flip to its chapter, pick a strategy. The book you keep open on the desk while you work.

Read chapter 1 free →

When people don’t act, one of four things failed

The Handbook is organized around four questions. Answer them in order and you know which chapter to open.

Did they notice?Triggering
  • Saliency
  • Decoding & Trust
  • Opportunity
Could they?Ability
  • Cognitive Ability
  • Physical Ability
  • Resource Ability
Did they want to?Motivation
  • Existence
  • Relatedness
  • Growth
Did they see it worked?Value evident
  • How to Make Value Evident

Plus three more parts: driving a behavior the other way, system and time, and how to measure it.

Inside The Behavioral Handbook

Fifteen chapters. Each one opens with a question and gives you strategies to try this week. These are the working names of the strategies; the full text is in the book. It’s the working list: some will merge before the book comes out.

Part I · Triggering

01SaliencyFreeCan they notice it above the noise?
ContrastAlerts, and the channels they rideEnvironmental and ambient cuesKnow your user, and use what they already carryBorrow what the brain can't ignoreSwitch senses, and protect the channel
02Decoding & TrustCan they instantly understand it?
Anchor to what they already knowGet specificMind the signal budgetDo the work for them, in contextResignify a signal they already react toMake lying expensive (the handicap)Share the downside (skin in the game)Borrow third-party credibilityTurn single signals into reputationStay coherent, and admit the flawsLoad trust into the wrapper (meta-signals)SkeuomorphismIcon + label pairing
03OpportunityIs the ability + motivation pair above the line right now?
Signal: when nothing needs movingSpark: when the will is missingFacilitator: when the power is missingKnow when not to fireRe-diagnose at every step

Part II · Ability

04Cognitive AbilityIs it mentally easy: low knowledge, low thinking?
Free the benchOffload it to the worldSpell out the procedureChunk itRecognition over recallOne thing at a timeSet a sane defaultReuse the library, don't rebuild itScaffold and train, build the user upProtect the autopilot, and build one on purposeAdd friction where the mistake is expensiveOnboarding as first-value pathTemplates & presets / "taste of power"Simulations & safe practiceChoice reduction
05Physical AbilityIs the bodily action easy: low dexterity, few steps?
Fitts itPut the skill in the object: affordancesMake the wrong move impossible: constraintsForgiving targetsCut the movementsDesign for the body in contextBuild the apparatusPhysical friction as a guardAccessibility / inclusive designDelegate to device sensors
06Resource AbilityDo they have the time, money and tools at the right moment?
Need lessProvide the resource directlyHelp them get itBring the behavior to the resourceSpread cost over timePooling / sharingRent vs. ownZero-setup

Part III · Motivation: the promise of value

07Existencesurvival, stability, security, money, time, certainty
Promise it with certaintyFrame it as a loss avoidedSell the certainty itselfShow the projectionShow the gain against a referencePromise continuityLet them hold it firstScarcity and urgency, only realMoney, with careReduce uncertainty / increase predictability
08Relatednessbelonging, status, esteem, recognition, connection
Show others doing itShow who's waitingPreview the stageShow the roomGive firstLet them commit in publicCompare them to their neighborsMake the invitation a giftProtect them from the audienceAuthority & validation
09Growthmastery, progress, achievement, purpose, self-actualization
Give them a tasteShow the ladder, sell the next rungStart the count above zeroShow someone like them who made itPromise what they'll do, not what they'll getMake the purpose concreteMake trying cheapKeep the challenge just above the skillOpen a loopGamification / ludificationStreaks & consistencyVariable rewardsCompletion & closureSelf-image alignment

Part IV · Value evident: the realization of value

10How to Make Value EvidentDid they notice it worked?
Close the loopDeliver it fastPay in kindBuild a value-evidencing behaviorReport the third-party landingShow the before against the afterDeliver it where they already areGive an honest proxy while it cooksMake the win loud, and tell it as a story

Part V · Driving behavior the other way

11Friction & DeterrenceHow do I make a behavior less likely?
Silence the triggerDefault it to offMake it impossibleAdd a deliberate pauseCharge a tollLoss-frame the act itselfRemove the audienceStarve the loopLower the salienceRequire effort or a reason (type DELETE)Strip the automationRelocate the pathDecouple the false promise

Part VI · System & time

12System SimplificationRemove the behavior instead of optimizing it.
Delete the behaviorMerge and chunkResequenceAutomate a whole sub-flowSubstitute the chainRemove dependencies and actorsMove the work off the userCritical-path focus
13Sustaining vs. InitiatingTurn a behavior into a habit.
From external trigger to internalRepetition, protectedStack it on a routineBuild the identityStreaks, with a safety netVariable rewards, on a leashKeep the receipts comingShrink the decisions, hold the contextDesign the recoveryRitualization
14Chaining & Self-Triggering SystemsOne behavior triggers the next.
Completion as triggerReward, then promptLeave a loop openCarry the stateHand off across actorsUse the fresh startsLet momentum lower the bar

Part VII · Measure it

15Measure ItHow do you know a strategy worked?
TriggeringAbilityMotivationValue EvidentDirect metricsProxy / surrogate metricsProxy-validity checkLeading vs. lagging indicatorsFunnel / step metricsCounter-metrics / guardrailsThe minimal experimentQualitative proxiesSaid vs. didThe "hidden barrier" checkTrust is the spine

Read chapter 1, free

Saliency: can they notice it above the noise? It’s the first barrier, and the one where plenty of good ideas die without anyone noticing. Leave your email and read it now. When the Handbook comes out, you’ll be the first to know.

No spam. It’s the same list where I share a behavioral design case every so often.

Where it started: the 8 models

In 2021 I published these eight models to design an MVP around behavior. They grew into the ANVERSO method of The Behavioral Startup. They’re still here, free, with their templates.

01Product & lifeThe most important question to answer is what behaviors to design for. Products are living things, so let's use life's processes to discover… 02Actors RequirementsDifferent actors fulfill different roles on your product. Sometimes the one that gets more value out of it is not the one getting paid, or the user… 03Type of needsTo provide value is to solve a need or show the potential to do it. With this model, you will explore the different needs your product can help… 04Target Behaviors Definition"My kingdom for a horse!" This model will help you determine who is getting the better deal of your product and prioritize those behaviors… 05Design EffortHow long should it take to design my product? Spending too much time in one feature is one of the largest pit traps that lay in your way to launch. 06Target Behavior FunnelTarget behaviors are often preceded by many steps. This model will help you map the required behaviors to get an actor in a position to receive value. 07Funnel optimizationOptimizing the steps required to get value out of your product is one of the most cost-effective practices. 08Features that Drive behaviorsHow to design features to drive behavior? This model will introduce you to a new way of thinking of behavior design and classify your target…
Nacho Parietti

Nacho Parietti is a behavioral designer and programmer based in Montevideo, Uruguay. He also offers behavioral design consulting and talks.