Nudge plus
Also known as: Nudge+
A nudge deliberately paired with a moment of reflection, so people understand and endorse the steer rather than being moved automatically.
What it means
Nudge plus is a hybrid intervention that combines a conventional nudge with a built-in prompt for reflection — a brief, transparent invitation to think about the choice — so the behavioral steer engages deliberate as well as automatic processing. Its motivation is ethical and practical: it seeks to answer the autonomy and manipulation critiques of nudging by making the influence reflexive and visible, and it may produce more durable change because people internalize the reasoning. It sits between pure nudging (which often works below awareness) and boosting (which targets competence directly), borrowing transparency from the latter. The open question is whether adding reflection dilutes the nudge's automatic power or strengthens commitment; evidence is still developing. It matters because it reframes 'nudge for good' as a design requirement — influence that the person could recognize and approve — rather than a mere intention.
Examples
A savings app sets a default contribution (the nudge) but also asks 'Does this amount fit your goals?' with a one-tap adjust — prompting reflection so users own the decision.
A health service pre-books your screening appointment but adds a line — 'here is why we chose this date; tap to change it' — so you see the steer and can accept it knowingly.
A canteen puts the vegetarian dish first and prints a short note explaining why, inviting diners to think about the swap rather than steering them past it unnoticed.
First described in Peter John & Gerry Stoker; Sanjit Dhami (2010s).