Papers
This is where we explore the ideas behind Choice Space Theory and the Zesti Method in more depth.
Papers
Ideas worth exploring. Assumptions worth challenging.
Behaviour doesn't happen in isolation.
At Zesti, we're exploring how circumstances, relationships and opportunities shape behaviour and choice.
These papers bring together our developing theories, practical proposals and earlier thinking.
They're not finished answers. We publish them to invite questions, criticism and testing — and to show how our thinking changes.
Current Working Papers
The Zesti Method — Version 1.1
November 2026 | Practice and research proposal
Better by Design, Not by Dictate.
How might practitioners help people understand their circumstances, recognise their current direction and decide what, if anything, needs to change?
The Zesti Method proposes a recurring cycle:
NOTICE → DIRECTION → DECIDE
The paper explores how this approach might support Regenerative Behaviour by Design, informed by Choice Space Theory.
It introduces REG>N as a practitioner mnemonic, five regenerative mechanisms, and two proposed approaches to evaluating changes in Choice Space: the Compounding Change Index (CCI) and Triangulated Choice Space Assessment (TCSA).
The method and its assessment approaches are developmental and have not yet been independently validated.
The Zesti Method: A Practical Approach to Regenerative Behaviour by Design
Version 1.1 | November 2026 | PDF
Choice Space Theory — Version 1.0
October 2026 | Current working formulation
Why does an action feel possible, manageable or worthwhile in one situation but not another?
Choice Space Theory (CST) explores how available opportunities, estimated ease and estimated value influence behavioural possibilities.
It proposes a dynamic process in which interactions produce signals, feedback updates estimates, and Choice Space changes over time.
The paper sets out the current formulation, its proposed mechanisms and questions for further examination.
Download Choice Space Theory v1.0 — Word document
Earlier Papers
Freedom as Adaptive Responsiveness — Version 1.0
June 2026 | Historical paper — superseded by later work
An earlier exploration of freedom through the capacity to respond adaptively to changing circumstances.
This paper forms part of the development of Zesti's thinking.
It is retained for historical reference rather than presented as our current theoretical position.
Download Freedom as Adaptive Responsiveness v1.0 — Word document
A Developing Body of Work
We're interested in what we can observe, what we think it means, and whether our explanations stand up to scrutiny.
That means distinguishing observations from interpretations, theories from evidence, and promising ideas from demonstrated results.
As the work develops, we'll publish updated versions and retain earlier papers where they help explain how our thinking has changed.
Join the Conversation
Good ideas should be open to challenge.
We welcome questions, alternative explanations, practical experience and opportunities for collaboration.
Better by Design, Not by Dictate.