Catherine MatacicIn 2015, police in New York City handed out more than 250,000 criminal summons—the infamous “pink tickets” for low-level offenses like loitering and drinking in public.
But many recipients didn’t show up for the court dates that typically accompany fines, leading the courts to issue more than 100,000 arrest warrants for those who skipped.
Such dreary numbers had already convinced city officials to overhaul the summons form for the first time in decades. When they called Alissa Fishbane, a behavioral design expert at the nonprofit organization ideas42, she was ready.Fishbane and others in her field focus on how design can more effectively induce or “nudge” people to respond in a desired way.