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The science of
Happy
Design
@paminthelab
Change Sciences
SXSW 2015
Technology makes us
DIStracted
It leaves us
Lonely
Reality is
distorted
Technology may make us
stoopider
Nomophobia yeah I think
I have that
Beth, Millennial
“
We feel
addicted
We can imagine
HIGH-TECH
HAPPINESS
But then…
Pamela
Pavliscak
(part researcher, part data scientist)
@paminthelab
change sciences
data
despair
reality
WTF
experiments
happiness
Robot apocalypse
the pursuit of happiness
Global Values Survey and Gallup Happy Planet
Index
Access to technology can mean
Greater
happiness
1996 Made first website
1997 Used Amazon.com for the first time
2000 Bought a Pets.com sock puppet
2001 Consulted fetus/fruit timeline on Babycenter.com
2008 Established dog’s social media presence
2013 Discovered Twitter
2014 Made a Tumblr blog with daughter
A few Happy moments
And there is this…
Is it possible for
technology & happiness to
CO-EXIST?
We could
ASK
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
SAMPLING
Observation
Biometrics
SENSING
Eye tracking
Social listening
We could
OBSErVE
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
Sampling
Observation
Biometrics
Sensing
Eye tracking
Social listening
@paminthelab
We could
TRACK
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
sampling
Observation
Biometrics
Eye tracking
sensing
Social listening
We could
Listen
#100happydays
behavioral economics
neurosci
ence
positive psychology
happiness#instagood
micro-
volunteering
affective
computing
Online study
8000 people 300 sites
Diaries
1000 people
Interviews
500 people
Social listening
50 concepts/brands
Does happiness
matter?
Rated Better Than Other Sites
HappinessRatingAfterUse
N=8000
Happiness = Better
AmazonZappos
Expedia
WebMD
Ally
HGTV
eHealth
Chase
Apple
Kayak
Happiness = likely to return
Likelihood to return
HappinessRatingAfterUse
Amazon
Zappos
Expedia
WebMDChase
Home Depot
Kayak
Hotels.comUSAA
@paminthelab
Happiness
Recommendations
Happiness = Recommendations
Happy sites
65+ social sentiment scoreLess happy
45 avg social sentiment score
Happiness = Positive talk
What does happiness
Mean?
Source: Change Sciences
Not too
busy
Beautiful and colorful
My favorites are easy to
use
It has to be
simple & clean
Convenience above all
else
People say this
parallax
simple authentic
cinemagraphcatsinfographics
video
mobile responsive
clever flatIoT
big
cards
blurred
geometric
hipster
low poly
Shutterstock, 2015
Designers think maybe this
WIFI
self-
actualization
self- esteem
belonging
safety
physical well-being
PERMA
There are Many models
Is it
Delight?
delight
research
explore
create
analyze
plan
Everything on his site is
funny but I have no idea
why I would even need a
password
Dave, GenX
“
I got a notification as I
walked through the store
as if my phone
anticipated what I was
going to do
Ronja, Millennial
“
meh wow OMGyesmmm
(
- -(
(
(
(
(
! !
Happiness varies in intensity
weeks days hours minutes now now minutes hours daysnow
anticipate
savor
express
recall
Happiness unfolds over time
I use this app almost
every day but I do not
remember much really
Brett, Millennial
“
Design fog
connected
in control
entertained
challenged
nurtured
informed
smart
inspired
creative
Happiness is made of this
powerful
Pleasure
+
Purpose
Can we create
Happiness?
01
ease
Source: Change Sciences
EaseofUseCombinedScore
75
Easy is the starting point
It takes a certain
amount of Pavlovian
conditioning to use the
site
Mick, Gen X
“
AUTONOMY
I can accomplish it
without questions
CONTROL
I am a bit less
anxious
MASTERY
I’ve got this down
02
trust
AUTHENTICITY
There is a real
person in there
RESPECT
You know the
boundaries
I know it s an algorithm
but it feels more like a
friend
Ali, Millennial
“ ‘
CARE
You’ve got me
covered
We were on the road and
I worried a little but the
system worked
Todd, GenX
“
03
creativity
+ + + =
WE feel EXPECTATION CREEP
PLAY
I can try things out
without risk
Discovery
You surprise me
a little
It is a balance of new
discoveries and old
friends
Adrianne, Millennial
“
Serendipity
I’ll leave it to you
Making
I can create what’s
important to me
My little sister loves to
draw and I love sharing
photos of her
Antonia, GenZ
“
04
connection
LIKE-MINDED
I belong here
Seeing that people repost
my pins makes me feel like
I am actively involved in
the art community
Alyson, Millennial
“
Presence
People I care about
are here
I love to see what other
people are looking for
Carol, Boomer
“
Community
We share an
interest
I have connected with new
people around the world
and we help each other
out all the time
Mike, Millennial
“
I feel happy when I can
make someone else happy
April, Millennial
“
05
meaning
knowledge
I am constantly
learning
CONTINUITY
I move between
digital & real
I check on HONY every
day because there is
always a story that
inspires me to do or give
more
Janessa, Millennial
“
NARRATIVE
I’m part of a bigger
story
Positive design is about possibilities
Positive design helps people be more awesome
Happiness
The one measure
that matters
Just No
Source: Change Sciences
The happy path
Pleasure + purpose
elements of happiness
ease of use
creativity
trust
connection
meaning
Positive Design
changesciences.com
@paminthelab