Usability isn't just about eliminating frustration anymore. Let's look at pleasure, flow and meaning. (A talk from Midwest UX, April 10, 2011)

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Beyond frustration:
3 levels of happy design
Dana Chisnell
Midwest UX 2011
@danachis #happy

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EN
OK C E
BR IEN
XPER
E

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Usability isn’t just about eliminating
frustration anymore.

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If you want users to love your designs, fall
in love with your users.

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Lessons for designing for delight

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3 levels of happy experience design
Pleasure Flow Meaning

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1. Pleasure
• Consideration
• Anticipation of needs

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Houdini’s
birthday

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Anniversary of
the Eiffel Tour

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Matt Groening’s
birthday

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Swackett
extended
forecast

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1. Evidence of Pleasure
✤ Smiling
✤ Exclamations, “Nice!” or “Got it!”
✤ Behaving with infatuation

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Cautions of Pleasure
Habituation
Distraction
Disruption

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2. Flow
• Challenge to skill
• Plays on mastery

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Quora

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Activity of people or
questions you follow

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2. Evidence of Flow
✤ Gratification
✤ Feeling productive
✤ Focused concentration
✤ Energized
✤ Stop talking
✤ Empowerment
✤ Key strengths tapped

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Cautions of Flow
Could translate as either
engagement or frustration
User control is key

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3. Meaning
• Connectedness
• Making a difference
• Belonging
• Virtuousness

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Zipcar.com

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Zipcar.com

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3. Evidence of Meaning
✤ Feeling of groundedness and morality
✤ Feelings of compassion and empathy
✤ Expansiveness, openness
✤ Devoted, engaged
✤ Long lasting glow

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Cautions of Meaning
Must be authentic, genuine

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Go. Do good things.

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Creating a remarkable
experience
versus a satisfactory one
is possible

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Pleasure
Flow
Meaning

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How much happiness can you
design in?

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Where to learn more about the
psychology of happiness
TED Talks: The psychology of happiness - Martin Seligman
TED Talks: Play is more than fun - Stuart Brown
TED Talks : Happy design - Stefan Sagmeister
Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi
Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things, by
Donald Norman
Happiness: A History, by Darrin M. McMahon

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Where to learn more
Dana’s blog: http://
usabilitytestinghowto.blogspot.com/
Download templates, examples, and
links to other resources from
www.wiley.com/go/usabilitytesting

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Thank
You.
Dana Chisnell
dana@usabilityworks.net
www.usabilityworks.net
415.519.1148