Designers wield great power when it comes to people’s well-being: we can generate excitement, bring joy, provoke anger or trigger anxiety – sometimes all in the same interaction. From the big decisions about a product’s purpose all the way down to the myriad pixel-level arguments lost and won, we have a great responsibility to safeguard the happiness of the users we serve. But what do we really know about the nature of happiness? And how can we actually make everyone happy? In her keynote address from Chicago's World IA Day 2015 event, Kathi Kaiser deconstructed the concept of “happiness” and offered designers a framework for considering the emotional impact of their work. She explored the meaning, dimensions, and pre-conditions of happiness while examining the wide range of satisfying outcomes and their implications for design. Drawing on recent research in psychology as well as real-world design examples, Kathi helped attendees know when and how to evoke joy, humor, reassurance, comfort, and other positive feelings by providing guiding principles for the pursuit of happiness.

1. @kathikaiser
@Centralis_UX
Deconstructing Happiness:
Where Happy Endings Begin
World IA Day 2015
Kathi Kaiser
Centralis

2. 1. Introduce yourself to
your neighbor
2. Tell them what made
you happiest this week
Hi! What makes you happy?
2@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX

3. What made me happy this week:
3@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX

4. What makes me Happy In Life:
4@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX

5. Happiness is universal, personal, and varied.
5@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX

6. Deconstructing Happiness
6@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX
1. Can we make people happier?
2. If so, how?

7. Can we make people happier?
7

8. The argument for no :(
8
Our genes set our
level of happiness...
…and thanks to
hedonic adaptation,
we’re never satisfied.

9. Positive psychology
“We believe that a psychology of positive
human functioning will arise that
achieves a scientific understanding and
effective interventions to build thriving in
individuals, families, and communities.“
-Martin Seligman and
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
The case for Yes!
9

10. Subjective well-being =
+ frequent positive affect
+ infrequent negative affect
+ high life satisfaction
An Operational Definition of Happiness
10

11. Where does happiness come from?
11
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
Lyubomirsky, S, Sheldon, K.M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable
Change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111- 131.

12. Where does happiness come from?
12
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
10% circumstances
Lyubomirsky, S, Sheldon, K.M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable
Change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111- 131.

13. Where does happiness come from?
13
Lyubomirsky, S, Sheldon, K.M., & Schkade, D. (2005). Pursuing Happiness: The Architecture of Sustainable
Change. Review of General Psychology, 9, 111- 131.
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
10% circumstances
40% intentional activities

14. Where does happiness come from?
14
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
10% circumstances
40% intentional activities
Half of what
makes people
happy can be
impacted by
design.

15. Can we make people happier?
15
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
10% circumstances

16. Can we make people happier?
16
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
40% intentional activities

17. Can we make people happier?
17
50% “Set Point” -
Genetics
40% intentional activities
Subjective well-being =
+ frequent positive affect
+ infrequent negative affect
+ high life satisfaction

18. Can we make people happier?
18
Happy-o-meter

19. Deconstructing Happiness
19@kathikaiser @Centralis_UX
1. Can we make people happier? – YES!
2. Ok, so, how?

20. A Framework for Happiness
20
Camaraderie
Exhilaration
Comfort
Achievement

21. Efficiency
A Framework for Happiness
21
Engagement
Dimension #1:
“I enjoy doing it!”“I enjoy that it’s DONE.”

22. Efficiency
A Framework for Happiness
22
Engagement
Dimension #1:

23. Efficiency
A Framework for Happiness
23
Engagement
Dimension #1:

24. Predictability
A Framework for Happiness
24
Novelty
Dimension #2:
“Ooh, I didn’t expect THAT…”“Yep, that’s what I’d expect.”

25. Predictability
A Framework for Happiness
25
Novelty
Dimension #2:

26. Agency
A Framework for Happiness
26
Abandon
Dimension #3:
“Ahh, you got this…”“I GOT this.”

27. Agency
A Framework for Happiness
27
Dimension #3:
“It’s all in the rhythm.
I just love cooking.
Always have.

28. Agency
A Framework for Happiness
28
Dimension #3:

29. A Framework for Happiness
29
Dimension #3:
Abandon

30. A Framework for Happiness
30
Dimension #3:
Abandon

31. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
31
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty

32. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
32
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty
“I enjoy that it’s DONE.”
“I GOT this.”
“Yep, that’s what I’d expect.”

33. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
33
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty
Design principles:
• Be transparent
• Use conventions
• Empower people

34. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
34
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty
“I enjoy doing it!”
“Ahh, you got this…”
“Ooh, I didn’t expect THAT…”

35. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
35
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty
Design principles:
• Establish trust
• Encourage discovery
• Lead people

36. Agency
Dimensions of Happy Interactions
Abandon
Efficiency Engagement
Predictability Novelty
Design principles:
• Be transparent
• Use conventions
• Empower people
Design principles:
• Establish trust
• Encourage discovery
• Lead people

37. + Frequent Positive Affect
37
Happy-o-meter

38. + Infrequent Negative Affect
38
Bad usability kills happiness.

39. Subjective well-being =
+ frequent positive affect
+ infrequent negative affect
+ high life satisfaction
An Operational Definition of Happiness
39

40. + High Life Satisfaction
40

41. The Final Word
41
We can make the world a happier place,
one interaction at a time.

42. @kathikaiser
@Centralis_UX
Thank you!
World IA Day 2015
Kathi Kaiser
Centralis