Glossary
Restructuring the physical environment
What is restructuring the physical environment?
Restructuring the physical environment means changing a setting to make a desired behavior easier or an unwanted behavior harder.
How it works
Instead of asking people to try harder, change what they have to work with. Move frequently used equipment within reach, redesign a confusing workspace, or put shared recycling bins where people already walk.
Why it matters
A task may be difficult because of the setting. Fixing that setting can remove an obstacle that encouragement alone leaves in place. Whether a particular change works still depends on the people, the task, and the problem it solves.
The BCT Taxonomy lists this as technique 12.1. It distinguishes changes to the physical setting from simply adding a prompt, reward, punishment, or object.