Each and every week the Square Holes team are deep in the bowels of a number of projects, working to mine all of the insights that we can to help grow businesses and support thriving cities.

These insights are used by businesses and organisations to innovate their offerings, move into new markets, track their impact and hone their products and output. Each week we will be sharing a broad insight that we have learnt for you to use in your own work.

Let us know what you find valuable!

Dylan: Well designed prompts

Last week I wrote an article on Nudge Theory, which made me think about how often we focus on changing people’s attitudes when the real barrier may be the environment around them.

People can understand what they should do and genuinely intend to do it, yet still be held back by habit, complexity, poor timing or small points of friction. Sometimes the most effective intervention is not more information, but a simple change that makes the desired behaviour easier, clearer or more obvious.

The lesson for me is that good behaviour change starts with understanding the moment a decision is made. Nudges are not magic, and they cannot overcome deeper barriers such as cost or distrust, but when people are already open to acting, a well-designed prompt can help turn good intentions into action.

Mahalia: Drinking responsibly 

People are drinking less. It’s a surprising tidbit from our research with Wine Australia, especially for a country like ours that seems to have “getting on the piss” embedded into our national identity. Perhaps we over-imbibed during the pandemic lockdowns. Or our going out behaviours have been forever altered due to the global pandemic and the flow-on effect on our socialisation patterns and comfort. For me, it seems to just come with age. Drinking is more considered, more about an occasion, and generally paired with a nice meal or shared with friends. Gone are the days of binging endless vodka sodas, replaced with a carefully picked pet nat.

Jason: Stuck in the middle

Square Holes is a cultural insight studio.

We design mixed method explorations of people and culture beyond the category,  uncovering the patterns, tensions and shifts shaping behaviour to inform strategy, inspire innovation and enable confident decisions. Our studio model brings together the right mix of thinkers, researchers and specialists for each exploration. If you’re navigating change, entering a new market, or seeking deeper understanding of people and culture, let’s start a conversation >