University College London

Changing Minds

Behavioural science has a lot to offer, but has also been used by some to promote dubious ideas. UCL Changing Minds want to help organisations avoid these pitfalls and harness the full power of behavioural science, transforming the way they work. We worked with UCL Changing Minds to help share what they do with the world.

Talk to us

The Brief

UCL Changing Minds have an expert team of behavioural science experts, ready to help businesses and organisations improve how they work.

It’s a crowded field however and includes pop science that doesn’t always provide the full story. UCL Changing Minds asked us to create an explainer video that promoted their services and highlighted the importance of evidence-based expertise.

Our team ran with this brief, creating a script and story-map that balanced sharing the skillset and credentials of UCL Changing Minds with raising awareness about the issues caused by less rigorously researched or evidence based behavioural science.

The Explainer Video

Bringing the brief to life, our creative team used visual thinking that transformed the messages of UCL Changing Minds into relatable and engaging storytelling, illustrations and metaphors.

We only had one minute to explain who UCL Changing Minds are, what they do and to establish their expertise, and highlight issues with some widely known popular behavioural science. Fortunately, sharing a lot of information quickly is one of whiteboard animation’s strengths. By working in partnership, the voiceover, visual thinking and animation rose to this challenge.

Visual metaphors like mazes filled with dead ends highlighted the way less well researched behavioural science often promised a lot but didn’t deliver while visual language like keys and locks highlighted how UCL Changing Minds can unlock the potential offered by behavioural science.

Humour, characters and cultural references play an important role in any whiteboard animation, and UCL’s whiteboard video was no exception. The characters reflected the experience of UCL’s target audience, while references like ‘fudge’ nodded to aspects of the behavioural science field viewers might recognise.

As the animation unfolded, it explained who UCL Changing Minds are and established their expertise, and its value, compared with other well-known but less researched sources. With these essential facts in place, the time was right to share the services UCL Changing Minds and the ways they can benefit an organisation.

This was all tied together with a call to action, transferring the engagement and energy of this whiteboard animation into enquiries and further action.

The Client

By working UCL Changing Minds, you get insights from academics and experts at the cutting edge of behavioural science. They offer workshops in-person and remotely that tackle the challenges organisations face - from insights into how to create high-performing teams and influencing others to changing workplace cultures and understanding clients. Every workplace is different, and these can be tailored to the challenges you face.

The Context

Find out more about UCL Changing Minds and the courses on their website.

To turn your complex idea into a whiteboard animation, contact us or book a creative consultation today.

What is whiteboard animation?

Talk to us

Whiteboard animation research

Other animations we think you'll like

Chegg - The Education Series With 3 Million Views

Chegg supports students to study better, learn more in less time and achieve better grades. This takes a wide range of tools and solutions, but when it comes to challenging and hard-to-grasp topics, like those found in science, nothing beats an explainer video.

Zone 2e - Twice-Exceptional Students

Zone 2e is helping 2e students overcome these challenges by leveraging their strengths. Our creative team explained how Zone 2e supports twice-exceptional students in this explainer video.

Loughborough University - The Health Foundation Project: Accelerating Systems Thinking

Aimed at healthcare managers and clinicians involved in local-level incident investigation, Loughborough University wanted to share an alternative method of healthcare investigation, Systems Thinking. The explainer video introduced the concept of systems thinking, stimulated their overall thinking and provided guidance on this alternative investigation method.

University of York - Educating For The Anthropocene

As the planet feels the impact of human activity, we must change how we live, and a big part of this is changing how we educate our children. How we do this is at the heart of research by Dr Peter Sutoris, which we brought to the screen in this whiteboard animation.

University College London - Changing Minds

UCL Changing Minds want to help organisations harness the full power of behavioural science, transforming the way they work. We worked with UCL Changing Minds to help share what they do with the world.

The Lasker Foundation - 75th Anniversary

We were delighted to partner with the Lasker Foundation to create a series of four whiteboard animations.

The British Council - BIRAX

We collaborated with the British Council to create a whiteboard animation showcasing BIRAX projects and achievements.

CIRAD - Impact of Research in the South

CIRAD are passionate about making agricultural research increasingly collaborative, with long-term impacts. Together, we created this whiteboard animation to explain the role of the ImpresS approach in making CIRAD’s mission a reality.

A Framework For Change - Matthew Taylor and The RSA

Matthew Taylor has used his final lecture as CEO of the RSA to look at the social forces that shape our society and the relationship between different social sciences.

University College Dublin - Impact Toolkit

Most funding agencies consider research impacts an important factor. Communicating impact is a skill in its own right and University College Dublin have created the Impact Toolkit to provide valuable guidance on explaining impact.

The Royal Society - Why A Career In Science Is For Me

A career in science offers an exciting and rewarding chance to contribute and collaborate globally on the problems we all face. These careers extend far beyond the classic examples which come to mind.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine - CRASH-3

We worked with the the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, creating a whiteboard animation to raise awareness about TXA and the success of the CRASH trials.

Cynthia Hall and The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development - Human Trafficking

Cynthia Hall and the Karyn Purvis Institute came to us to create a whiteboard animation highlighting the critical issue of human trafficking and the situations that can lead to someone becoming trafficked.

The Berkhamsted Group - Developing Remarkable People

The Berkhamsted Schools Group develop remarkable people, helping their pupils to not only earn a living but also to live lives worth living. We worked with the Berkhamsted to bring their educational vision to the screen in this whiteboard animation.

The Royal Society - Why Science Is For Me

Studying science gives us amazing transferable skills and knowledge that we can take to every career. we worked with The Royal Society to create this animation highlighting the importance and benefits of studying science.

The Brink of Climate Catastrophe - David Wallace-Wells and The RSA

Journalist and author of The Uninhabitable Earth unpacks the reality and consequences of climate change in the latest RSA Minimate.

Issoria - Change Management Explainer

Issoria empower change management offices to be agile, adaptive and fast moving. They do this through services like Elevate.

The Royal Society of Chemistry - Breaking Barriers

When the 2018 Breaking the Barriers report found evidence of discrimination and bullying, the Royal Society of Chemistry responded strongly by developing bullying and harassment advice.

Emma Robinson and Sir Ken Robinson - Dear Teacher

Your child’s first day of school is a big moment, for you as well as them. Written by Emma Robinson and read by Sir Ken Robinson, Dear Teacher is a powerful and moving insight into the emotions of a parent on their child’s first day.

University of Bath - Basic Income

What if we’re all to a lesser or greater extent subject to modern slavery? A problem that affects many people across the world.

The British Council - Creative Play in the Digital Age

Since 1934 The British Council have made a contribution to the UK and over 100 other countries. As part of their mission they have created a web content series with Soho Impact called ‘Creativity in the Digital Age’.

Cynthia Hall and The Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development - Ideal Response©

We worked with the Karyn Purvis Institute and Cynthia Hall to produce this whiteboard animation on the IDEAL® Response - guidance on responding to the behaviour of children from hard places.

The Tyranny of Merit - Michael Sandel and the RSA

Harvard University Professor of Political Philosophy Michael Sandel examines the reality and consequences of our meritocracies in this RSA Minimate.

Cynthia Hall and the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development - Toxic Stress and the Brain

We worked with The Karyn Purvis Institute, Cynthia Hall and the Texas Christian University to create this film, raising awareness about the impact of toxic stress on children.

BlueVolt - Elevator Pitch

BlueVolt give businesses the tools to train their staff through their in-depth e-learning system, allowing businesses to grow and develop.

The University of Exeter - Education Incubator

We worked with the University of Exeter to create a whiteboard animation showcasing their new Education Incubator and the ways they are going to use it to revolutionize education.

15Five - Performance Management

15Five are all about continuous performance and the development of staff. They came to us so we could help them spread the word about the power of new performance management paradigms.

Rawthmells - RSA's 21st Century Enlightened Coffeehouse

We had the honour of creating a mural for the Rawthmells Coffeehouse, the RSA’s 21st century enlightenment coffeehouse in London. The mural documents the rich history of the RSA.

EEF - Manufacturing Matters

EEF asked us to create an explainer film that challenged misconceptions about the UK manufacturing industry, while also calling on the UK public to discuss and submit ideas about how to boost the sector even further. We brought this to the screen through this whiteboard animation.

Oxford Brookes - IT Strategy for 2020

Oxford Brookes University asked us to create an explainer video about their I.T strategy. They have created a strategy with strong foundations and an eye on innovation to empower staff and students to be the best they can be.

We Are Cognitive are award-winning pioneers of whiteboard animation, and the creators behind the RSA Animates series. We help corporate, academic and charitable organisations like the BBC, TED, Coca Cola and Sanofi to tell their stories more powerfully.