Why behaviour peaks in week one yet sinks by week six?

Week one is fireworks.
Users explore the new feature, staff attend the training, volunteers join the pilot. Dashboards glow and leaders cheer.

Week six is crickets.
Log‑ins drop, campaigns stall, frontline teams slip back to the old way.

That slide is outcome drift.
It appears whenever launch energy is mistaken for lasting habit.

Why the drop happens

1. Motivation decays
   Curiosity fades. If fresh rewards do not replace it, effort soon feels higher than value.

2. Context never changed
   Old blockers resurface. Confusing screens, siloed data, clashing KPIs or a sceptical line manager. Behaviour snaps back to the smoothest path.

3. Support curve flattens
   Budgets and champions move on. Nudges, stories and feedback dry up just when people need reinforcement.

Design the middle, not just the start

1. Schedule reinforcement before launch

Think about what you can share with people and when.

Example reinforcements:
Product: In‑app tooltip: “Saved you 10 minutes this week”
Customer experience: SMS: “Your loyalty points just covered shipping”
Marketing: Case study email: “How peers gained 12 % response”
Org change: Team huddle shout‑out: “75 % used the new workflow yesterday”

Plan at least three touchpoints. Put dates in the project calendar.

2. Keep effort‑to‑reward balanced

Every fortnight ask two users: “Is this still worth the hassle?”
If effort now beats value, add shortcuts or fresh benefits before the dip becomes a drop.

3. Map decay then counter it

Use the Behaviour Decay Canvas ➤. For each predicted slip:

• Write the blocker.

• Pair it with one nudge, tool or ritual.

• Test one fix each week. Small moves beat big relaunches.
  

4. Run a friction audit in week two

Walk the real journey, whether that is a checkout flow, a call‑centre script or a staff rota. List every snag. Remove at least one before week three.

For example, a client I worked with was investing heavy in AI. Lots of work across comms, training, tool development. But uptake of the tool was extremely low. The team pushed back hard. Or so it appeared until we did a friction audit and found that IT hasn't been looped in on the work of the change team. And so people went from the AI training week to the tool and got the firewall. Behaviour change efforts -> first action -> massive friction -> behaviour stops.

5. Surface wins weekly

Run a Win Reminder Workflow that highlights either personal wins (direct payoff) or social wins (impact on others). Choose the flavour that best fuels the behaviour, then deliver it like clockwork.

Which win to surface?

• Use personal wins when success depends on individual effort, self‑interest or time saved.

• Use social wins when momentum relies on peer proof, shared goals or network value.

• Mix both only if the behaviour pays the user and the group (e.g. collaboration tools).

Pocket Rules

1. Initial action is cheap. Sustained action costs. Budget for maintenance before launch.

2. Success lives in the boring middle. Rituals, prompts and feedback between weeks two and six decide retention.

3. Trust rides on competence plus care. Early trust comes free. Keep proving you can help and still care.

Other guides you may find useful