The COM-B Model for Behaviour Change in Software Design

In software development, we often obsess over the interface. Is it intuitive? Is it fast? Is it clean?

But effective software design requires more than technical excellence. It requires understanding human behaviour.

Lately, I've been exploring the COM-B model, which is a framework from behavioural science that helps explain why people do (or don’t do) certain things. And it’s surprisingly relevant to software and product design.

It’s a reminder that adoption isn’t just about “good UX.”

It’s about the humans behind the screens: their motivations, capabilities, and environments.

From Human-Centred Design to Behavioural Science

Earlier this year, as part of CABHI’s Ignite cohort, our team at Elderado attended a talk called Using Human-Centred Design to Accelerate Impact by Kathryn Arnold from the University of Calgary’s W21C.org.

It was one of those talks that subtly shifts your perspective.

The presentation connected dots between human-centred design and behavioural science, and focused on how systems are designed will impact real world outcomes.

I’ve spent years studying user experience and conversion optimization, so this clicked immediately. It bridged the gap between the analytical world of software and the emotional world of human motivation in a health care environment.

The COM-B Model

The COM-B model breaks behaviour down into three ingredients:

• Capability: Does the person have the knowledge and skills to perform the behaviour?
• Opportunity: Does their environment make it easy or possible to do it?
• Motivation: Do they want to do it?

These three elements interact to create or block behaviour. If any one is missing, the behaviour won’t happen.

Originally developed in the health sciences to explain things like medication adherence and exercise habits, COM-B translates beautifully into digital product design within those same healthcare systems.

Because in software, we’re also trying to shape human behaviour... whether it’s getting someone to log data, click a button, or return to an app.

Beyond the User Experience

In tech, we love metrics.

We track clicks, funnels, retention, drop-off rates, activation steps. All of which are useful, but incomplete.

Humans are more complex than metrics.

Someone might not use your software, not because your UI is bad, but because they don’t have time (opportunity), don’t feel confident (capability), or don’t see the value (motivation).

When you design only for the user experience, you risk missing the human experience.

COM-B helps you step back and see the full picture:

What’s really blocking behaviour?

What needs to change? The interface, the environment, or the incentive?

Applying COM-B in Practice: Elderado’s Availability Registry

A real-world example is Elderado’s Retirement Living Availability Registry (RLAR). The RLAR is a tool used by hospital discharge planners and social workers to help families find nearby retirement homes with available suites quickly.

Our target behaviour was clear:
Enable discharge planners to use the registry regularly when supporting families.

As we built it, we intuitively built through the COM-B lens and designed for all three elements:

• Capability: The interface had to be so simple that no training was required. A discharge planner could open it and immediately know how to use it.
• Opportunity: It needed to fit naturally into existing hospital workflows. Mobile-ready, print-friendly, and accessible without login friction.
• Motivation: The emotional reward was built in: helping a family in need, quickly and compassionately.

By aligning these factors across stakeholders, retirement homes, hospitals, and families, we saw stronger adoption and organic word-of-mouth growth.

COM-B didn’t just help us “make it easier.” It helped us make it meaningful.

Aligning Design with Real-World Impact

Elderado’s design philosophy has always been about empathy over optimization.

We measure success not by vanity metrics or clicks, but by real-world impact... whether our tools genuinely make someone’s day easier.

Frameworks like COM-B remind us to design for behaviour, not just interfaces.

They push us to think beyond “what users do” and toward “why they do it” - and more importantly, how to help them succeed in their real-world context.

True innovation often comes from solving human constraints, not technical ones.

Takeaways

• Behavioural frameworks like COM-B give software teams a structured way to understand why people use (or avoid) technology.
• UX and marketing both benefit from grounding in behavioural science. They share the same goal: shaping meaningful action.
• Designing for capability, opportunity, and motivation creates tools that people don’t just use, but value.
• Real-world context matters as much as digital experience.
• Success isn’t measured only in conversions - but in sustained, positive behaviour change.