Disclaimer: This blog post is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
“Why do you think you would be a good fit at ___________?
You know that question everyone gets in job applications: Yeah, that one. Or in my case, “Why the obsession with behavior science?” It’s become such a regular part of my life that I’ve decided to type Immortalise it once and for all—right here, in this blog. And when someone asks again? Copy. Paste. Link. Problem solved!
Okay, let’s start with something I live by: “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” So, there goes my PhD topic—Enhancing engagement and completion rates in MOOCs. Yep, that’s my mission. I know there’s already enough research going around in this field. What novice are you bringing in- Divya? Well- Edtechs are in fallouts, Improvement in the Drop out rates are still walking the snail steps.
Men wanna know- What do Women really want?
I wanna know what do online learners really want?
If you’ve ever fallen victim to an unfinished online course (I see you..). You are what keeps me up at night.
My friends are out there studying artificial intelligence, while I’m over here studying natural stupidity. Yep, you heard me right. That’s not an insult; it’s my chosen reality.
We all make ridiculous decisions. Ever impulsively buy something and then ghost it? That’s the natural stupidity I’m talking about, and I’m out here trying to figure out why and how we can control that trend.
Most days (unofficially), I’m a behavioral architect—designing choices that people (mostly my students as a Professor) don’t realize they’re making, and somehow convincing myself I have a great sense of humor. Some days, I’m just weird. But the bottom line is, I’m crazy about how humans interact with technology and how technology interacts with us. The more I study, the more I want to dig deeper.
Let me give you a real-life example that perfectly captures the essence of natural stupidity (no offense, we’ve all been there). One of my online learners—let’s call him Raj—was deeply engrossed in a course module on design thinking. He was tackling the concept of empathy mapping, a critical part of understanding user perspectives.
So, there he was, clicking through the content, submitting assignments on time, and acing the quizzes. Everything seemed perfect until… he sent me a message: “The system isn’t showing me the final assignment!” After a bit of back-and-forth troubleshooting, guess what the issue was?
Raj had spent two weeks ignoring the giant ‘Next’ button at the bottom of the page. He thought the course ended right there. Turns out, the final assignment was neatly tucked away on the next page (surprise, surprise). A single click, and voilà, the ‘missing’ assignment appeared.
This, my friends, is the type of thing I live for. Raj was a great student, but this minor oversight is exactly the kind of behavior that drives my obsession. It’s not just about completing the course—it’s about understanding why we miss what’s right in front of us.
So, for every institute, recruiter, or random curious soul who asks me, “Why behavior science?” let me say this: It’s not a phase, it’s an obsession. Human in its purest form.
PS: From Udemy to Coursera, EdX to SWAYAM, I’m here for it, ready to make learning more meaningful (and hopefully more completed).
Cheers to exploring Natural Stupidity!
Plan accomplished: Instead of explaining my obsession for the 100th time, I’ll just be dropping this blog link into every job application. 😉