Our Approach
Behaviour doesn't happen in isolation.
Why do some behaviours feel easy in one situation and almost impossible in another?
We often focus on the individual: their motivation, knowledge, discipline or willingness to change.
But behaviour doesn't happen in isolation.
It emerges through interactions between people and the conditions in which they live, work and participate.
Those conditions influence which opportunities are available, how manageable they seem, and whether acting on them feels worthwhile.
At Zesti, we explore what happens when we pay attention to those conditions rather than simply telling people what to do.
Better by Design, Not by Dictate.
The Zesti Method
The Zesti Method offers a practical cycle for exploring behaviour and responding to changing circumstances.
NOTICE → DIRECTION → DECIDE → NOTICE…
NOTICE — What is happening?
Explore the ecology of the situation: people, relationships, resources, environments and the wider constraints influencing what is possible.
The aim is to understand the conditions before deciding what needs to change.
DIRECTION — Where are things moving?
Consider the current trajectory.
What patterns are emerging? What is being reinforced? Where might things be heading if the present conditions continue?
Direction describes where things are moving now, not necessarily where we want them to go.
DECIDE — What next, if anything?
Consider the desired direction and whether a response is needed.
Sometimes the next step is to change something. Sometimes it is to maintain what is working, wait, or deliberately take no step.
Then notice what happens.
The cycle continues as circumstances and understanding change.
Choice Space Theory
Why does an opportunity feel possible at one moment and out of reach at another?
Choice Space Theory (CST) is our developing framework for exploring this question.
It considers three interacting elements:
- Affordances: What opportunities for action are available?
- Estimated Ease: How manageable does an action seem?
- Estimated Value: How worthwhile does it seem?
These estimates are shaped by experience and circumstances.
When someone acts, their interaction with the situation produces signals. Feedback from those signals can update their estimates, influencing the choices that seem possible next time.
Choice Space is therefore dynamic, not fixed.
CST is a working theory, not an established or validated model. We are developing its definitions, examining its assumptions and identifying where it needs to be challenged.
Regenerative Behaviour by Design
How might we shape conditions that support adaptive behaviour over time?
Our developing work on Regenerative Behaviour by Design (RBD) explores five mechanisms:
Cycling — Recognising recurring processes and opportunities for renewal.
Synergy — Exploring how interactions can produce outcomes that individual elements cannot achieve alone.
Harnessing — Working with existing processes, resources and tendencies rather than unnecessarily opposing them.
Allostasis — Understanding how systems adjust to changing demands and maintain their capacity to respond.
Diversity — Recognising the value of different capabilities, responses and ways of participating.
These mechanisms guide questions about how conditions might be designed and adapted. Their precise relationship to Choice Space Theory remains part of our developing work.
From Thinking to Practice
Ideas become more useful when they can be examined in real situations.
Zesti explores these questions through community activities, practical resources, practitioner observations and collaboration.
Our Grow Guides and future recipes offer practical resources for everyday activities.
Our Field Notes document observations, experiences, experiments and reflections — including uncertainty, unexpected outcomes and questions that remain unanswered.
Neither a successful activity nor a compelling observation is proof of a theory. Both can help us ask better questions.
Developing Our Thinking
Zesti's approach is evolving.
We publish working papers to make our ideas accessible, open to examination and available for constructive criticism.
Choice Space Theory v1.1 is our current working formulation (October 2026), exploring affordances, estimated ease, estimated value and feedback.
Freedom as Adaptive Responsiveness v1.0 (June 2026) is an earlier paper, retained as part of the development history and superseded by later work.
We distinguish between observations, theoretical proposals and evidence. We welcome disagreement, alternative explanations and opportunities to test our assumptions.
Get in Touch
Are you exploring similar questions in research, professional practice or community life?
We welcome thoughtful conversation, constructive challenge and opportunities to collaborate.
Better by Design, Not by Dictate.