“Piano Stairs – Behind the scenes” by KJ Vogelius, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
How it works:
In 2009, creative advertising agency NORD DDB and car manufacturer Volkswagen wondered if they could get more people to take the stairs at a metro station in Stockholm, Sweden.
So they turned the staircase into a functional piano.
Why it works:
Feelings
people enjoy music, and there’s something particularly giggle-inducing about walking on a massive piano (who remembers that scene from Big?)
Incentives
walking on a pretend piano is by no means a major incentive. But it is an incentive. By taking the desired action – climbing the stairs – people get to experience something new and novel to brighten their commute. Plus it’s something to tell people about when they get home.
Social
it’s something people can see, hear and enjoy together. Maybe even collaborate on. It’s social proof – you see people smiling on the stairs, and you don’t want to miss out.
Environment
it’s presented at the point people decide whether to take the stairs or escalator. It’s immediate, tapping into that split-moment decision just enough to knock people out of their auto-pilot habits.
Wider impacts to consider:
How many people are trying as a one-off because of the novelty and bizarreness rather than being driven by actual behaviour change?
Could shy, introverted, don’t-want-to-make-a-fuss types actually be put off using the stairs by something so attention-grabbing?
Is there a risk of accidents as people leap up and down the stairs at rush hour trying to play Chopsticks?
Why we love it:
This is a great example of how behavioural science doesn’t have to be stuffy or academic. Done right, it can be joyful.
And with 66% more people than normal taking the stairs than before, it seemed to work pretty well too.
“Fun can obviously change behaviour for the better.”
Are the piano stairs likely to have caused permanent behaviour change in everyone who used it? Probably not. But I can bet those smiling kids who had a bit of wonder added to their day 15 years ago still think about it whenever they use that station.
And maybe, just maybe, they take the stairs.
