Beyond frustration:

Pleasure,Flow, &

Meaningin design

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Dana ChisnellRefresh Boston - August 2011

@danachis #happy

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Companies are creating remarkable, happy, even lovable experiences every day

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What not to do.

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BROKEN

EXPERIENCE

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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Lovable

Usable

HCI Cognitive psychBehavioral psychHuman factors ErgonomicsLinguistics

Science of playPersuasion

Behavioral economicsAffective engineering

Emotional intelligence

HedonicsPositive psychology

MeaningFlowPleasure

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3 levels of happy experience design

1. Pleasure

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• 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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TripIt.com

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Virgin America

hotcellularphone.com

Virgin America safety video

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Virgin America in-flight entertainment system

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Bloomberg Businessweek

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Virgin America in-flight entertainment system

www.flickr.com/disrupsean

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1. Evidence of Pleasure

✤ Smiling

✤ Exclamations, “Nice!” or “Got it!”

✤ Behaving with infatuation

Cautions of Pleasure

Habituation

Distraction

Disruption

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2. Flow

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• Challenge to skill

• Plays on mastery and

control

Quora

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Activity of people or questions you follow

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Ommwriter

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phone form factor

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http://dvice.com/archives/2009/02/htc-magic-bring.php

phone form factor

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http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?m=200809

phone form factor

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http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?m=200809

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Things

Instapaper

TripIt

Things

Dropbox Banking

2. Evidence of Flow

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✤ Gratification

✤ Feeling productive

✤ Focused concentration

✤ Energized

✤ Stop talking

✤ Empowerment

✤ Key strengths tapped

Cautions of Flow

Could translate as eitherengagement or frustration

User control is key

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3. Meaning

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• Connectedness

• Making a difference

• Belonging • Virtuousness

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Zipcar.com

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Zipcar.com

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LinkedIn

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Twitter

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wikis...

http://www.wikihow.com/Successfully-Convince-Your-Parents-to-Let-You-Have-a-Dog

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forums...

http://www.wikihow.com/Successfully-Convince-Your-Parents-to-Let-You-Have-a-Dog

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Wardrobe Refashion

Wardrobe Refashion

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Kiva.org

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Kiva.org

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Kiva.org

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Feedback among contacts

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Tips among photographers

✤ Feeling of groundedness and morality

✤ Feelings of compassion and empathy

✤ Expansiveness, openness

✤Devoted, engaged

✤ Long lasting glow

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3. Evidence of Meaning

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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How much happiness can you design in?

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Pleasure

Flow

Meaning

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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

Where to learn more

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Dana’s blog: http://usabilitytestinghowto.blogspot.com/

Download templates, examples, and links to other resources from www.wiley.com/go/usabilitytesting

Thank You.

Dana Chisnell

dana@usabilityworks.net

www.usabilityworks.net 415.519.1148

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