Can ontologies transform how we design interventions across fields?

In my previous posts, I've explored how ontologies offer a structured approach to organising behavioural science and addressing its complexities. But the key question remains: can they actually drive real-world change?

Ontologies are far more than theoretical tools—they provide a practical framework for designing and scaling interventions across a range of fields, from public health to consumer behaviour strategies. In this post, I’ll examine real-world applications of ontologies and how they can be transformative in areas like business, healthcare, and technology. I’ll also discuss how ontologies help tailor interventions to specific populations while ensuring they remain scalable.

How are ontologies reshaping behaviour change across different sectors?

The strength of ontologies lies in their versatility. Originally developed to standardise research in behavioural science, their applications now extend well beyond academia. They are increasingly being used in public health, healthcare, and technology to create more effective interventions.

In public health, for instance, professionals use ontologies to map behaviour change techniques (BCTs). When designing interventions for challenges like smoking cessation or improving vaccination rates, ontologies help organise and categorise the most effective strategies. By linking successful past interventions to current efforts, they make it easier to replicate and adapt these approaches to new situations.

In technology, ontologies are applied to design user experiences. Fitness trackers, for example, need to foster habit formation. By mapping the behavioural triggers that drive consistent user engagement, ontologies help designers create features that boost user retention.

Can ontologies improve tech design and user experiences?

Tech companies are increasingly leveraging ontologies to improve user experience (UX) by mapping out how users behave and interact with their products. A fitness app, for example, might aim to encourage regular engagement, foster new habits, and help users achieve their fitness goals. However, habit formation is a complex process, shaped by cues, rewards, motivation, and social support.

Ontologies allow UX designers to break this process down into its key elements and relationships. They can group the factors that prompt users to open the app, such as notifications or daily goals, and identify which triggers work best to boost engagement. With this structured insight, designers can fine-tune the app’s features to better align with user behaviour.

This approach helps companies anticipate user needs, making their apps more intuitive and user-friendly. Ontologies also enable tech firms to scale their products across different markets by adapting the same behavioural model to various cultures and demographics, ensuring the product resonates with diverse users while maintaining consistent design.

How can ontologies be used to tailor interventions to diverse audiences?

One of the most exciting aspects of ontologies is their ability to tailor interventions to different populations. Whether in public health, business, or technology, there’s no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution. What works in one setting may not be effective in another due to differences in culture, socioeconomic conditions, or even geographic location.

A public health campaign promoting vaccination, for instance, might succeed in one country but struggle in another. Ontologies help professionals account for these variations by mapping out how factors like cultural beliefs, healthcare access, and social norms influence behaviour. This enables them to adapt messaging, outreach, and incentives to meet the specific needs of each population.

In business, companies can use ontologies to customise marketing strategies for different regions or demographics. A global company might rely on an ontology to align its product messaging with the cultural values of each market. For example, an eco-friendly product might be marketed for its sustainability in Europe, while in another region, the emphasis could shift to cost savings.

This kind of localised intervention design, supported by ontologies, helps to ensure that strategies remain effective and relevant across diverse audiences.

How do ontologies help scale behaviour change interventions across sectors?

Scaling interventions—whether in business, tech, or public health—requires a careful mix of consistency and adaptability. Ontologies provide the structure needed to achieve both. By creating a standardised framework for understanding behaviour, such as what drives consumer choices or health-related actions, organisations can apply successful interventions across different settings with minimal adjustments.

A public health campaign promoting handwashing in schools, for example, can be expanded to other regions by modifying the ontology that defines the behaviour. While factors like water availability or cultural views on hygiene may vary, the core structure of the behaviour remains unchanged.

In the same way, a business can take a marketing campaign that performed well in one country and use the same ontology to apply it in another. This method allows interventions to be adapted to local contexts while staying grounded in a consistent, evidence-based framework.

Ontologies enable interventions to be both scalable and tailored to specific contexts, making them an ideal tool for large-scale behaviour change efforts.

The practical power of ontologies across fields

Ontologies aren’t just academic tools—they offer real-world solutions for designing interventions across sectors like public health, business, and technology. By providing a structured way to organise data and predict behaviour, they help tailor strategies to different audiences and contexts.

That said, as we’ve discussed before, they do come with challenges. While useful for structuring behaviour, ontologies need to be applied carefully to avoid oversimplifying and ensure they capture the full complexity of human behaviour.

As we look ahead, it's evident that ontologies could reshape the way we tackle behaviour change, providing a scalable and flexible tool to address complex challenges across various sectors. The focus should be on continually refining these ontologies, making sure they stay relevant, adaptable, and closely aligned with the real-world contexts in which behaviour unfolds.

Can ontologies transform how we design interventions across fields?

How are ontologies reshaping behaviour change across different sectors?

Can ontologies improve tech design and user experiences?

How can ontologies be used to tailor interventions to diverse audiences?

How do ontologies help scale behaviour change interventions across sectors?

The practical power of ontologies across fields

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