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 can imagine HIGH-TECH
HAPPINESS
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?
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
SAMPLING
Observation
Biometrics
SENSING
Eye tracking
Social listening
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
Sampling
Observation
Biometrics
Sensing
Eye tracking
Social listening
@paminthelab
Surveys
interviews
Diaries
sampling
Observation
Biometrics
Eye tracking
sensing
Social listening
#100happydays
behavioral economics
neuroscience
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
Ha
ppine
ss R
ating
Afte
r Use
N=8000
Happiness = Better
Amazon Zappos
Expedia
WebMD
Ally
HGTV
eHealth
Chase
Apple
Kayak
American HealthCare.gov Kayak Amazon Express
57 70 77 53
Happiness = likely to return
American HealthCare.gov Kayak Amazon Express
57 70 77 53
Likelihood to return
Ha
ppine
ss R
ating
Afte
r Use
Amazon Zappos
Expedia
WebMD Chase Home Depot
Kayak
Hotels.com USAA
@paminthelab
American HealthCare.gov Kayak Amazon Express
57 70 77 53
Happiness
R
ecom
mend
ation
s Happiness = Recommendations
Happy sites 65+ social sentiment score Less 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
cinemagraph cats infographics video
mobile responsive
clever flat IoT
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
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 OMG yes mmm
(
- - (
( (
( ( ! !
Happiness varies in intensity
weeks days hours minutes now now minutes hours days now
anticipate
savor
express
recall
Happiness unfolds over time
I use this app almost every day but I do not remember much really
Brett, Millennial
“
connected
in control
entertained
challenged
nurtured
informed
smart
inspired
creative
Happiness is made of this
powerful
Pleasure
+ Purpose
Can we create Happiness?
Source: Change Sciences
Ease
of
Use
Com
bined
Sco
re
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
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
“
+ + + =
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
“
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
“
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