Behavioural Design for product managers

Build products people don't just try, but keep using.

Most features get built but barely used. Not because the technology falls short, but because people don't change behaviour from a good UI alone. With Behavioural Design and AI, you'll learn to design products where the desired behaviour becomes the easiest choice.

See upcoming dates → Training for my team →

Fundamentals from €1,490 · EQAC-accredited · max. 16 participants

Product managers work together on the Influence Framework during SUE Behavioural Design training
9.7/10Average rating
10,000+Professionals trained
EQACAccredited training
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Who is this for?
Product managers You build features that are technically solid but barely used. You want to understand how to design products that naturally trigger the desired behaviour.
Product owners You prioritise the backlog based on data, but you're missing the behavioural insight to predict what will actually activate users and keep them coming back.
Growth managers You optimise funnels and onboarding, but you keep running into the intention-behaviour gap. You're looking for a method to systematically design away barriers.
CPOs and product strategists You work on product strategy and roadmap, but you're missing a scientific framework to predict which product decisions will actually change behaviour.

Behavioural Design × AI: the combination that gives you the edge

Features get built but not used. Onboardings get designed but not completed. Most products don't fail because of the technology, they fail because of behaviour. Understanding how people really make decisions means you can build products people actually want to use. A proven method rooted in behavioural science, amplified by AI. The difference is never in the technology. It's in the people.

BD x AI Guru tool used in Behavioural Design product management training
Step 1
Understand why users aren't adopting your product You get a lens that shows how product decisions are really made, beyond rational explanations. You'll finally understand what's stopping users from adopting your product.
Step 2
A proven method to increase feature adoption You learn the psychological principles behind behavioural activation and retention. You get a systematic approach that works regardless of your product or sector. No more relying on A/B testing without direction.
Step 3
Design products that activate behaviour With the SWAC Tool you translate behavioural insights into product decisions that work. You design onboardings, nudges and defaults that make the desired behaviour the easiest choice.
Step 4
Become AI-native as a product manager You learn to brief AI with behavioural insights and get your own BD × AI Guru: as a GPT, Claude Skill, Copilot Agent and Gemini Gem. AI becomes woven into how you design and prioritise products.
Behavioural science Behavioural science
+
Power of AI Power of AI
=
Products users actually adopt Products users actually adopt
How can you learn?

Choose the path that suits you

Individually, with your team, or organisation-wide: there are several ways to learn.

What is Behavioural Design for product managers? Behavioural Design is the application of behavioural science to product development and user adoption. Rather than assuming users act rationally, it teaches you to map the psychological forces behind adoption decisions, and design products and onboarding experiences that users genuinely engage with. The SUE Influence Framework gives you a structured method for doing this on any product.

Product manager takes individual Behavioural Design training at SUE
For myself

Learn the fundamentals individually or go deeper. Live in Amsterdam or online at your own pace.

  • Fundamentals CourseLearn a method to understand, predict and influence behaviour
  • Advanced CourseDeepen your expertise in an intensive 6-month programme
  • Deep DivesChoose from 10+ specialisations for a focused deep dive
Individual courses → Or view available dates directly →
Product team takes in-company Behavioural Design team training at SUE
With my team

Train your product team together. In-company, at your location or at our place in Amsterdam.

  • Behavioural Design SprintLearn behavioural thinking and apply it immediately to your own product challenges, spread across six sessions over three months
  • Fundamentals for TeamsLearn a method to understand, predict and influence behaviour, in 2 intensive training days
  • Deep Dives in-companyA focused day around a behavioural theme of your choice
  • Leadership TrackEmbedding behavioural thinking in leadership over 5 months
View team programmes →
Organisation embeds behavioural thinking via Behavioural Design Learning Journey
For my organisation

Embed behavioural thinking in your organisation with a bespoke multi-year learning and development programme.

  • Learning JourneysA fully bespoke programme of 4 to 8 months
  • ApproachDiagnosis → Co-creation → Guidance → Embedding
  • Themes include AI adoption (the technology is there, the behaviour isn't yet) Retaining and growing talent (people don't leave because of salary) Change that sticks (three-quarters of it is a behaviour problem) Team vitality (a well-designed work environment makes all the difference)
View Learning Journeys →
Google 4.8/5 Bloomville 5 stars Springest EQAC accredited
What the training gives you

What you do differently
after the training

Four shifts that product managers mention time and again after the training.

1

You stop building features and start designing behaviour

You shift from "what can we build" to "which behaviour do we want to activate". You learn to frame the user's Job to be Done as a behavioural goal. Your roadmap won't be filled with solutions nobody uses.

Product manager designs a behaviour-driven product strategy
2

You design activation and retention that actually work

You build the behavioural loop into your product: the right trigger at the right moment, an onboarding that sticks, and a retention structure that makes returning behaviour feel natural. Users don't drop off after the first session — they come back because the product helps them succeed.

Product manager designs activation and retention loop with behavioural science
3

You back product decisions with behavioural science

You brief your team, stakeholders and designers not on gut feel but on insights. You use the Influence Framework to show which barriers you're removing and which triggers you're activating. You get buy-in for decisions that used to get voted down.

Product manager backs product decisions with behavioural science
4

You combine BD + AI for sharper product decisions

With behavioural frameworks as your foundation, you prompt AI with precision for user research, competitive analysis and feature prioritisation. You know which behavioural questions to ask and how to translate the answers into product decisions. The result: better decisions in less time.

Product manager combines Behavioural Design and AI for better product decisions
Ready to get started?
View individual courses → View team programmes →
See also: UX & Design Marketing
Results

What participants say about the Behavioural Design training

"One of the best 2-day courses I've been on. The amount of knowledge packed into such a short time is simply unrealistic, but it was! Everyone in product management should go through this, as it makes theory applicable to practice not just in your job but in everyday life too."

Coen Horrevoets
Coen Horrevoets
Product Strategy · eBay
★×5

"The training has given a lot of new insights into understanding why people make certain choices and how you can have an impact on this with all kinds of elements. The Academy is suitable for anyone who thinks they know exactly what a customer wants."

Bas Wijnen
Bas Wijnen
Product Owner · Toyota Louwman Financial Services
★×5

"With SUE you don't do a regular design sprint, you take a deep-dive into the brain to identify how you can nudge your clients to the desired behaviour! In just a week we'd taken the point-of-view of the user to find out how we could make our most important proposition simpler and more accessible by taking away human barriers."

Viola Rijnsdorp
Viola Rijnsdorp
Senior Marketing Manager · T-Mobile
★×5

"We've infused our briefing template with the behavioural design methodology to enforce marketers to think about pains, gains, anxieties and comforts, but also with the right target audience and JTBD in mind. This is now the standard briefing template for all our campaigns globally."

Dave Westerhof
Dave Westerhof
Global Marketing Director · BEAT
★×5

"The course gives all the right insights, not only in a theoretical but also a practical way, into behavioural design. By learning by doing, you get a deeper understanding of approaching your customers' problems and how to solve them in a unique and tailored way."

Julia Gloeckler
Julia Gloeckler
Channel Marketeer · Fairphone
★×5

"The BDA provides a great structure to apply behavioural insights into real-world applications. Jorn was fantastic at creating an open atmosphere in which to truly understand how people think and what can be done to influence their behaviour."

James Salisbury
James Salisbury
Innovation Consultant · Innovia Technology
★×5

"The workshop was consistent and fun. Astrid really knows the concept and tools. I really liked the combination of design thinking and behavioural psychology and I'm bringing back to Brazil new tools to grow my business and create more value for my clients."

Arthur Ranieri
Arthur Ranieri
Partner · Atma Genus (Brazil)
★×5

"I've learned many new insights that I can implement in our marketing strategies but also in other areas like teambuilding and the organisation. The BDA is perfect for anyone who wants to know what really moves people and how to tap into that knowledge to persuade others. Brilliant 2-day experience!"

Karin Müller
Karin Müller
Co-Director · Ashoka
★×5

"The Fundamentals Course gave me exactly what I'd hoped for. A wealth of inspiration and a practical framework to apply my knowledge of behavioural science in a hands-on way. The opportunities are abundant once you start working with it!"

Miranda Zwartjens
Miranda Zwartjens
Innovation Lead · Unravels Consultancy
★×5
For your manager

What your manager wants to know

Need to convince your line manager? Here's what concretely changes:

Higher activation and retention

Products designed with behavioural science consistently achieve higher activation rates and lower churn. Not through better marketing, but because the desired behaviour has been made easier than the alternative. Measurable results without extra ad spend.

Less waste on the roadmap

Most product costs sit in features that are barely used. Employees who complete this training learn to assess upfront which product decisions will actually change behaviour and which merely add technical complexity.

Sharper user research and better briefs

Your employee learns to ask the right behavioural questions of users and AI. The insights this produces are more concrete and action-oriented than traditional user research. That leads to better product decisions and shorter decision-making cycles.

View available dates → Get in touch →
Last updated: March 2026
Frequently asked questions

We think you'll want to know this

Most participants start without any prior knowledge, and that's exactly the point. The training teaches you the behavioural science you need, linked directly to your own product practice. No academic theory for theory's sake, just actionable insights you can apply the very next day in your product development.

Product managers are one of the largest groups in our courses. The method gives you a scientific foundation for product decisions you currently make on data or gut feel: which behaviour do you want to activate, which barrier is blocking adoption, how do you design an onboarding that sticks. Your product decisions become demonstrably sharper.

The training is most valuable for experienced product managers. You've got the practical experience. The training gives you the behavioural science framework that backs up your intuition. Many participants say afterwards: "I was already doing some of this, but now I finally understand why certain features don't get used."

You're deliberately placed in a mixed group, with professionals from all kinds of sectors and domains. Product managers, UX designers, marketers, growth professionals and team leads sit side by side. Maximum 16 participants per group. That mix is exactly what makes the training so valuable: you learn not just from the content, but from how people in other sectors bump into the same challenges.

Start with the Fundamentals. It gives you the complete Behavioural Design framework: the Influence Framework, the JTBD method and all the core tools. The Advanced Course builds on that with deeper persuasion psychology and framing techniques. Without the Fundamentals, the Advanced is missing its foundation.

Yes. We invoice in your company's name and the training is EQAC-accredited, which makes expensing straightforward. The 'For your manager' section above gives you the business arguments you can use in your request.

You leave with a complete Behavioural Design Toolkit: the SUE Influence Framework Canvas, the JTBD method, cheat cards for CAN, WANT and AGAIN interventions, the Behavioural Interview Guide, Behavioural Statement worksheet, System 1 and 2 guide, and the Prototyping Guide. You also get lifetime access to the BD Club, the BD x AI Guru, and an EQAC-accredited certificate. Live training also includes a follow-up session after 6 weeks.

Ready to transform your products with behavioural science?

See upcoming dates → Ask a question →

Rated 9.7/10 · 10,000+ professionals trained · max. 16 participants per group

Free guide The Art of Choosing PDF · 29 pages
Free download

Fewer options, more adoption: the science of choice architecture

Every product choice is a choice design. Discover how the psychology of decision-making shapes your users' behaviour, and which five behavioural interventions have the greatest impact on product adoption.

Download free ↓

PDF · 29 pages · no sign-up required

Go deeper

Insights for product managers

Discover how to apply behavioural science in your product work. Practical insights you can use straight away.

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Why informing doesn't work (and what does)

Knowledge alone doesn't change behaviour. Find out why your product isn't landing with users and what you can do about it.

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Product

From feature thinking to behavioural thinking

How to make the shift as a product manager from building what's possible to designing what actually changes people's behaviour.

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Product

Behavioural design for higher product adoption

Six behavioural science principles product managers use to increase adoption without extra marketing spend.

Astrid Groenewegen Read more →

Behavioural Design Fundamentals, limited places per group · 9.7/10

See upcoming dates →