Human-centred design (HCD) emerged from growing awareness of the potential negative impact computers have on people, both physical and emotional. This led to a significant shift in human-computer interaction (HCI) development, away from a preoccupation with functionality and efficiency, in other words system-centered design, towards putting people at the focal point of a solution. The intention of HCD is to create experiences that are optimal and beneficial at an individual level [i][ii][iii].
What are critical factors in achieving this?
One needs to understand the psychology of computer users. Too often technological systems and applications are designed by computer engineers who may have the technical expertise but very often lack knowledge of what motivates people to use tech, and how they can benefit from tech not only at an operational level but also at a psychological level. Some insights from positive psychology are useful here.
A well-known theory on human motivation, self determination theory (SDT) proposes that people have three basic psychological needs that must be satisfied for self-motivation. These are autonomy, competence and relatedness [iv]. Through conscious design and testing, developers can support these three needs through the functions, features and contents of their products. It’s important not to create technologies that are need-satisfying on one level but need-frustrating on another. For example, from an autonomy perspective, devices should offer users with choices and not demand actions from them without their consent. From a competence perspective, a gamification that is too easy or too hard will result in disengagement and opting out. Relatedness can also be frustrated if sign-ups to communities are too prohibitive or sharing features are too complicated. Autonomy, competence and relatedness cannot be over-designed as each facilitates the other and act as mediators between the product and positive user experience iii.
Another theory that is important for user engagement is flow theory. Conceptualised by Csiksentmihalyi in the early 1990s, flow theory refers to the involvement of intense concentration and perseverance when taking on a challenge, that is hard but achievable [v].
This is particularly important for productivity applications which may require navigating a number of screens and tabs while following instructions. Flow theory has been adopted in numerous studies of HCI as a frame for modelling enjoyment, playfulness, engagement and other modes of involvement with computer programs. Components such as clear goals, immediate feedback, user control and ease-of-use are seen as essential [vi][vii]. High fidelity and interactive virtual environments are most conducive to flow states as they produce a sense of presence or immersion [viii][ix].
The following are recommended as design principles to facilitate experiences of autonomy, competence and relatedness and to create an environment that induces flow.
- Allow user choice and control and get their consent.
- Ensure users are able to adjust settings, workflows or interfaces that match their preferences, and prioritise opt-in over opt-out for data usage and notifications.
- Avoid dark patterns that trick users into actions such as forced subscriptions or manipulative defaults.
- Induce feelings of competence and effectiveness
- Incorporate progressive learning curves and provide real-time feedback loops.
- Include features that reward achievement and offer advanced options.
- Adopt inclusive design
- Provide opportunities to collaborate, share or engage, and ensure there is diverse representation in avatars, emojis and language.
- Offer community link-ins but ensure connection prompts are ethical and not addictive.
- Adaptive difficulty, clear goals and immediate feedback
- Use algorithms that can adjust complexity in real time and provide skills scaffolding.
- Ensure each interface has an obvious purpose and present guided pathways through onboarding checklists, milestones and in-product nudges that set achievable goals
- Create a space of deep focus, immersion with a sense of control
- Ensure minimal distractions through notifications and visual clutter.
- Offer a seamless UX and use storytelling and gamification for immersive engagement.
- Test system responsiveness so that load times are fast and there is clear error recovery.
Cyberpsychologists can provide guidelines in the early stage of product design by bringing psychology to frameworks and user journeys. Assuming an iterative process is followed, a cyberpsychologist can participate in the user testing phase by applying observational as well as self-report measures to ascertain psychological aspects of user experience.
[i] Boy, G. A. (2011). A human-centered design approach. In G. A. Boy (Ed.), The handbook of human-machine interaction: A human-centred design approach (pp. 1-20). Taylor & Francis Group.
[ii] Clarke, R. I. (2020). Design thinking. ALA Neal-Schuman. https://alastore.ala.org/sites/default/files/book_samples/9780838917923_sample_2.pdf
[iii] Peters, D., Calvo, R. A., & Ryan, R. M. (2018). Designing for motivation, engagement and wellbeing in digital experience. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00797
[iv] Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.
[v] Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: The psychology of optimal experience (1st ed.). Harper & Row.
[vi] Pace, S. (2004). A grounded theory of the flow experiences of Web users. International Journal of Human – Computer Studies, 60(3), 327-363. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2003.08.005
[vii] Trevino, L. K., & Webster, J. (1992). Flow in computer-mediated communication: Electronic mail and voice mail evaluation and impacts. Communication Research, 19(5), 539 – 573. https://doi.org/doi.org/10.1177/009365092019005001
[viii] Parsons, T. D. (2017). Cyberpsychology and the brain : The interaction of neuroscience and affective computing. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316151204
[ix] Voiskounsky, A. E. (2008). Flow experience in cyberspace. Current studies and perspectives. In A. Barak (Ed.), Psychological aspects of cyberspace: Theory, research, applications (pp. 70-101). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1017/CBO9780511813740.005
