In her Taking the App out of Happiness
presentation at World IA Day 2015, Ann Arbor, data experience designer Madeleine Filloux shared ideas about how we can approach design and mindfulness in the increasingly virtual world we live in.
Here are my notes from her talk:
- It’s happened to all of us: people are more interested in their phones, Twitter, Facebook, than actually talking with people face-to-face
- Average US adult spends 12 hours each day consuming media (Digital Set to Surpass TV in Time Spent with US Media)
- While we spend so much time online, we spend only 20 minutes each day relaxing and thinking (American Time User Survey)
- Technology pulls us away from being mindful. People are happier and healthier when they’re mindful.
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Mindfulness is paying attention on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally.
Jon Kabat-Zinn
- Benefits of mindfulness: improved concentration, attention, feelings of social-connectedness. Also mindfulness leads to decreases in stress, anxiety, and depression.
- How can information architects, designers, user experience professionals, design spaces that make technology and mindfulness compatible?
- Design for happiness. Angry Birds vs. Lumosity. Do you feel happy after three hours of Angry Bird? Lumosity has better, more positive intentions, than Angry Birds.
- Think through consequences. Example: Text messaging integrated with mobile devices affects safe driving.
- Enhance the real world with our designs rather than creating virtual realities. Example: eCloud art installation at San Jose airport (this looks cool!). The sculpture tile patterns are dynamically changed by current weather patterns.
