Improving Sustainability of Public Welfare Service Design Based on Nudge Theory

ZHANG Xu; LI Jia; BAI Zhonghang

doi:10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.021

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Packaging Engineering ›› 2026, Vol. 47 ›› Issue (14) : 242-257. DOI: 10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.021

Industrial Design

Improving Sustainability of Public Welfare Service Design Based on Nudge Theory

ZHANG Xu¹, LI Jia¹, BAI Zhonghang^1,*

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Abstract

The work aims to introduce the nudge theory (NT) and combines it with the Fogg behavior model (FBM) to analyze the behavioral factors that affect sustained participation, so as to provide references for optimizing public welfare service processes and address the insufficient sustainability of user participation in public welfare services. Firstly, related research on public welfare service design (PWSD), public welfare participation behaviors, and the nudge theory were reviewed. On this basis, the problem of insufficient sustainability in public welfare services was divided into three aspects: insufficient motivation and triggering before service participation, inadequate experience during service participation, and value failure after service participation. Then, in combination with the nudge theory, a public welfare service nudge model was constructed by setting five variables: motivation enhancement, relational influence, trade-off simplification, error prevention, and signal feedback. The proposed hypotheses were tested through structural equation modeling (SEM). With the "Volunteer Tianjin" platform as a case, the nudge variables were further translated into service touchpoint optimization and system prototype design. The optimized prototype was then preliminarily evaluated through the system usability scale (SUS), task completion time, and sustainable participation intention scores. The empirical results showed that different nudge variables had different degrees of influence on users' participation motivation, service experience, and value perception. Compared with the original interface, the optimized prototype performed better in task completion time, SUS score, and sustainable participation intention score, indicating that the design had a positive effect on improving interface usability, operational efficiency, and users’ immediate willingness to continue participation. The study suggests that introducing the nudge theory into public welfare service design can help identify intervention points in the public welfare participation process from a user behavior perspective, and provide design references for improving the public welfare service experience and exploring pathways to enhance the sustainability of public welfare services.

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service design (SD) / public welfare service design (PWSD) / nudge theory (NT) / structural equation modeling (SEM) / Fogg behavior model (FBM)

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ZHANG Xu, LI Jia, BAI Zhonghang. Improving Sustainability of Public Welfare Service Design Based on Nudge Theory[J]. Packaging Engineering. 2026, 47(14): 242-257 https://doi.org/10.19554/j.cnki.1001-3563.2026.14.021

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