CPD Credits are the quantitative units of measurement used to track a professional’s engagement with ongoing education. In the UK architectural landscape, these are typically self-recorded as hours, though they are frequently referred to as CPD Points, Learning Units, or simply Hours. They serve as a signalling mechanism to professional bodies—such as the RIBA or ARB—that an individual is maintaining the intellectual rigor required to practice safely and competently. Within our framework, these units are the “currency” of the incentive landscape that governs how architects allocate their most scarce resource: attention.
Explanation & Behavioural Insight #
The absurdity of the credit system is that it treats all Hours as equal, which is a bit like saying all calories are equal whether they come from spinach or a deep-fried Mars bar. From a behavioural perspective, CPD Points create a “compliance box” that architects must tick. This creates an incentive landscape where the “path of least resistance” often wins. If a manufacturer provides a boring, low-value seminar, the architect still collects their Learning Units, but the manufacturer loses the perception gap battle—they’ve gained a minute on a logbook but lost a decade of trust.
Strategic manufacturers understand that while the credit gets the architect in the virtual door, it is the narrative contrast that keeps them there. The point is the “nudge” (as a behavioural economist might say) that overcomes initial friction. However, the real asymmetric payoff occurs when the content is so useful that the architect would have attended even without the formal accreditation.
By framing your technical content as “Double Points” or “Core Curriculum” material, you are engaging in choice architecture—making it easier and more rewarding for the specifier to choose your session over a competitor’s.
Practical Examples & Case Studies #
- The Regulatory Reframe (Future Alignment): A ventilation manufacturer shifted their focus from “Product Features” to “Navigating Part O Building Regulations.” Because this fell under the RIBA “Health, Safety and Wellbeing” core mandatory requirement, the CPD Credits offered carried more weight. The architect wasn’t just “getting an hour”; they were de-risking their practice against unintended consequences of new legislation.
- Reducing “Cognitive Unkindness”: A major paint brand realised architects were struggling to log their CPD Points at the end of the year. They introduced an automated “Certificate of Attendance” system that immediately emailed a digital receipt of the credit earned. By removing this minor administrative friction, they became the preferred “easy” choice for year-end credit hunting, while simultaneously delivering high-quality technical narratives.
- The Counterintuitive Advantage: One of our clients stopped offering “general interest” Learning Units and started offering highly niche, technically demanding “Advanced Masterclasses.” While the audience size slightly decreased, the quality of the leads increased. The signalling here was clear: only those who value intellectual rigor need apply. The credits became a badge of shared expertise between the manufacturer and the specialist specifier.
“Don’t mistake a tick in a compliance box for an endorsement of your product. A CPD Credit is a bribe for an architect’s time; make sure the information you give them in return is worth the ransom.”
