Notable Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely and Leaders from Design Firm, Bridgeable, Partner to Crack Financial Behavior

TORONTO and DURHAM, N.C., Oct. 3, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Bridgeable, a leading service design company, is proud to announce its involvement in the upcoming Fall Workshop presented by Common Cents Lab – formed by The Center for Advanced Hindsight with the support of MetLife Foundation. The workshop will take place October 4 through October 6, 2016 in Durham.

During this three-day, fully interactive workshop, notable leaders in finance – including credit unions, banks and other practitioners – and human behavior specialists will convene alongside seasoned service designers from Bridgeable to determine how to turn borrowers into savers. Attendees from financial organizations, that together impact the lives of over 1 million Americans, will spend time learning and discussing behavioral economics, as well as the psychology of money.

A significant portion of the workshop will be dedicated to a Design Challenge, which was created by and will be facilitated by Bridgeable. During the Design Challenge, attendees will be tasked to co-create new environments that motivate people to strive for financial wellbeing. Participants will be assigned to mixed groups so they can collaborate with and learn from others as part of a behavior-centered design process.

"We are passionate about the service design process - it allows us to deeply understand human needs, wants, and behaviors, and design services and experiences that align with how people actually behave," said Chris Ferguson, CEO Bridgeable. "By inviting non-designers to participate in the design process – as we are doing at the Common Cents Lab Fall Workshop – you get incredible insights and ideas that can be applied to real-world problems, such as financial behavior."

"Making good financial decisions becomes even more difficult when you're poor. Social Science research can help design systems and environments that can make these decisions a bit easier," said Dan Ariely, James B. Duke Professor of Psychology and Behavioral Economics, founder of The Center for Advanced Hindsight, New York Times best selling author. "That's why this workshop is so exciting. We're engaging some of the most innovative and experienced leaders in finance in a unique co-design process to help better understand the financial decision-making process. The solutions we uncover are sure to be extremely useful in the Common Cents Lab's mission of bettering the financial well being for low to middle income Americans."

About the Common Cents Lab and the Center for Advanced Hindsight
Common Cents is a financial research lab at Duke University that creates and tests interventions to help low-to-moderate income households increase their financial well-being. Common Cents leverages research and insights gleaned from behavioral economics to create interventions that lead to positive financial behaviors.

The Common Cents Lab is part of the Center for Advanced Hindsight at Duke University.  Common Cents is comprised of researchers and experts in product design, economics, psychology, public policy, advertising, product design, business administration, and more.  The lab is led by famed Behavioral Economist Professor Dan Ariely.  Dan has written three NYT best sellers, including the popular Predictably Irrational.  

The Common Cents Lab is supported by MetLife Foundation. The Foundation aspires to help people build a better tomorrow through access to the right financial tools and services.

About Bridgeable
Bridgeable is a leading service design company dedicated to transforming customer experiences so they provide greater value to both a company and its customers. Its solutions are rooted in a deep understanding of people's behaviors and an intimate knowledge of the specific industries in which its clients operate. By delivering exceptional service design, Bridgeable helps brands deliver holistic experiences for customers by ensuring that multiple touch points work in harmony over time. Bridgeable has worked with Fortune 500 companies and innovative start-ups including TELUS, MaRS, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Rise Asset Development and the Rotman Institute of Philosophy.

About MetLife Foundation
MetLife Foundation was created in 1976 to continue MetLife's long tradition of corporate contributions and community involvement. Since its founding through the end of 2015, MetLife Foundation has provided more than $700 million in grants and $70 million in program-related investments to organizations addressing issues that have a positive impact in their communities. Today, the Foundation is dedicated to advancing financial inclusion, committing $200 million to help build a secure future for individuals and communities around the world. To learn more about MetLife Foundation, visit www.metlife.org. 

SOURCE Bridgeable