Behavioral Science for Designers - sxsw2018

IMG_1070Speakers: STEPH HABIF, Tandem Diabetes CareDAVID NGO, Behavior DeltaMATT WALLAERT, Clover Health 

BJ Fogg Behavioral Model

http://www.behaviormodel.org/Shows that three elements must converge at the same moment for a behavior to occur: Motivation, Ability, and Trigger.The idea is that if the user is motivated and able, then it’s great. But if the user has high motivation but the task/behavior is hard to do, then it’s on the designers to make the behaviour easier to do.


On User Testing...

“Mimic the psychology of the experience as closely as possible. Testing the psychology of the experience should take four hours or less.”


Simplicity changes long term behaviour.

A lot of times people can’t do a certain behaviour is because it’s too hard to do. 

Design for Human Connection

“We don’t have tech addiction - we have a deprivation of human connection. How can we design user experience to facilitate genuine human connection.”

 

Trust 

Algorithm- enabled systems“ .... we are asking people to trust machines to do things that we have done ourselves.”It’s helpful to view technology use from the perspective of users’ willingness to be controlled by these ‘algorithmic aversions’ (especially in the context of AI- powered applications). On one end of the spectrum, you have people who want to be able to control each and every aspect of the task that they are trying to accomplish. On the other end are people who are more willing to let themselves be controlled by technology so long as they are setting the intent.(Take, for example, the task of booking a vacation- would you be comfortable telling an AI-powered app that you want to go to Bali and Indonesia and have a budget of $3000 and let it take care of all bookings for you or would you want to control the various aspects of the booking?) 

How do you design for trust when “it depends”?

^This is actually how humans form trust with other humans, as shown by various research studies in the social sciences. The idea here is that this process of trust formation between humans is what we as designers should use to get humans to establish trust with our products. First, there is a connection with the product- the downloading and signing up on an app, let's say.Then there is caution- the user browses through, maybe uses it for a bit, maybe doesn't give too much information too soon, maybe doesn't add all his/her friends too soon....or whatever.Then, the user discovers that the app does consistently add value whenever they use it.Next, they take the courage to pay for that subscription, or add all their friends, or put it on their home- screen or make it their go-to app for a particular task that was previously done some other way. Then you have a committed user- that's when you know you've succeeded as a designer.“Design so that people choose it and use it.” 

Piloting the Project, Qualitative and Quantitative User Data...

Piloting a project tells us people’s qualitative reactions to something. And those are useful to figure out which direction the design should take from there.That said, quantitative is very important. “If you’re leading user research and aren’t having a weekly one on one with your data scientist you’re doing it wrong.”

 


Last but not the least...

Fall in love with your problem. Not with your intervention.

AI, Design and Empathy - sxsw2018

This post is part of my SXSW series in which I share the learnings from every session I attended.Speakers:DANNY DEVRIEN,  IPG/DynamicMARIE GLAD, Barcelona Technology SchoolOISIN LUNNY, OpenMarketBELINDA PARMA, The Empathy BusinessMIN TEO, Techfugees 

Mindfulness, Empathy and a New Kind of Intelligence...

They spoke about the importance of integrating mindfulness into education. The idea is that mindfulness helps enhance our ability to empathize. Because of the rapid rate of technological change, we need ‘Adaptive intelligence’ 

“Good UX designers are like actors- ‘Research. Rehearse. Repeat’.”

 Empathy is very important → Talk to people. Understand their needs, desires and wants. 

On Using VR to create empathy in people...

UN is making people engage in social issues through VR. People are 50% more likely to donate after going through an immersive VR experience that helps them feel more empathetic for the cause.  

Books I Read in 2017...

2017 was not a great year for reading :( I failed in my reading challenge for the year- I had set a goal of reading 25 books this year, but managed to read only 13. I managed to do a good amount of reading in the summer this year, and hardly read one book in the last four months during the semester. I think it's largely a question of habit. If I can create a habit of reading at night every single day by making it something non-negotiable that has to happen everyday, then I will be able to read a lot more.Nonetheless, here are the books I read this year.

Inline image 1As some of you may know, I started keeping notebooks to take notes on whatever I read, inspired by Ryan Holiday. Off late, I've started putting some of my notes (non-fiction only) on my website for easy access. Here are my notes from a few of the books I read this year:

Grit- The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Elements of Style - one of the best books ever on how to write well

So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport- offers practical, research-backed advice on career success & whether you should follow your 'passion'A Moveable Feast by Earnest Hemingway- has some beautiful quotes, shared some of my favorites here along with a synopsis of the book

The Art of War by Sun Tzu - this age-old classic offers a goldmine of lessons which apply to in everyday life especially in leadership, politics and business.

Recommendations, please?!I would love some book recommendations from you all - looking to start off 2018 with some good fiction. I don't stick to any particular genre, but I do stay away from murder mysteries, crime and science fiction. Fantasy, action and adventure, comedy, romance, literary/magical realism, drama..are all welcome. Feel free to leave your recommendations in the comments section.

4 Best Posts from 2017...

Life threw many surprises at me, some pleasant, some not so much, to say the least, and some challenging. But I have grown, and I've shared some of what I've learnt here on my blog. So on that note, here my 4 most important blog posts from this year (out of the 16 total):

A Personal Reminder on Living Well

Home- The Only Constant

Where Do You See Yourself in Ten Years?

On Curiosity, Adding Value and Exceeding Expectations

Rainbow and the Colors of Life

From my diary of December 12th, 2017:

img_0342.pngThe rainbow wouldn't be as beautiful as it is if it only had your favorite color, if it was only red or only blue or only green. The rainbow has different colors, you may not like every color individually, but together they make a beautiful rainbow. Such is life. Not every moment of everyday is filled with joy or pleasure. Sadness, stress, joy, pleasure, excitement, peace- they are all the different colors of life. They together make life beautiful. To feel them is what it means to be human. So feel them. Embrace all the colors of your life. Marvel at how beautiful life is, much like a rainbow in the sky.

 If you liked reading this post, do comment below. This will encourage me to write more 🙂