Stephen Anderson, author of seductive interactions and well know persuasive design expert. Slides from his sunday keynote at Conversion Hotel 2014 #CH2014 #enjoy

1. From Paths t @stephenanderson T| #oC HS20a14ndboxes.

2. PSYCHOLOGY
& DESIGN

3. How we can use
PSYCHOLOGY
& to
DESIGN
more fun, engaging
(& effective) interactions

4. How we can use
PSYCHOLOGY
& to
DESIGN
more fun, engaging
(& effective) interactions

7. Three games I’ve been playing…

14. ⟳

16. PATH SANDBOX

17. Paths
1
12345

18. DIRECT
THE RIDER
(conscious thought)
MOTIVATE
THE ELEPHANT
(automatic systems)
SHAPE
THE PATH
(the environment)

25. Paths are designed to lead
people along,
for better or worse.

26. http://www.andeeknutson.com/studies/Shoppers%20and%20Products/11_AnExploratoryLookAtSupermarketShoppingPaths_2005.pdf

29. Paths are prevalent with
design and product teams…

30. Customer Journey Maps, Service Blueprints, Scenarios…

32. Lockton, D., Harrison, D.J., Stanton, N.A. (2010). The Design with Intent Method: a design tool for influencing user behaviour. Applied Ergonomics, Vol.41 No.3, 382-392.

33. Behavioral Goals
(which should align w/ User Goals!)
Business Goals
Psychology

34. Behavioral Goals
(which should align w/ User Goals!)
Business Goals
assist in developing
NEW SKILLS
Psychology
assist in establishing
(or putting an end to)
HABITS
nudge people toward
COMPLETION

35. Paths aren’t necessarily bad,
but…

39. PATHS
SHAPE BEHAVIOR
ARE GAMES TO BE PLAYED
LEAD PEOPLE ALONG
HAVE PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES
ARE MEASURABLE
DESIGN EVERY DETAIL
ARE CONSUMPTIVE
CREATE DEPENDENCY (ON DIRECTIONS)
HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED PURPOSE
LEAD TO COMPLETION
BEST FOR INSTRUCTION
END IN AN EXCHANGE

40. Is there something more?

41. Sandboxes
2
12345

42. Sandboxes
12345

43. Why do so many people find these experiences
Q: maddeningly addictive?

44. Why do so many people find these experiences
Q: maddeningly addictive?
‣Pick one of these online experiences
‣List WHY you think people find them addictive (list as
many reasons as you can)
‣You have 90 seconds
‣GO!

45. Why do so many people find these experiences
Q: maddeningly addictive?
Set Completion
Sequencing
Appropriate Challenges
Status
Positive Mimicry
Self-Expression
Curiosity
Collecting
Autonomy
Visual Imagery
Pattern Recognition
Feedback Loops
Reputation
Competition
Achievements
Status-Quo Bias
Surprise
Variable Rewards
Scarcity
‣Pick one of these online experiences
‣List WHY you think people find them addictive (list as
many reasons as you can)
‣You have 90 seconds
‣GO!

46. What do all these experiences
Q: have in common?

47. 2 OBSERVATIONS:
1. These are Platforms
You can make of them what you want.
There is no prescribed way to use these system.

48. The
WTF
Problem.
WThahFtios’sr?

49. The
WTF
Problem.
What’s This For?

50. 2 OBSERVATIONS:
1. These are Platforms
You can make of them what you want.
There is no prescribed way to use these system.
2. These are Social Spaces
People learn from each other how to use the system.
Many of the psychological nudges that follow stem
from observing others.

51. While MineCraft is a place for
exploration and self-expression
(perhaps survival!), it’s watching
others that inspires new ideas and
creates personal challenges.
The hashtag in twitter was an
emergent element.
It wasn’t until I saw my wife pinning
decorating ideas that I saw
Pinterest as a visual bookmarking
system.

52. “A sandbox is a style of game in which minimal
character limitations are placed on the gamer,
allowing the gamer to roam and change a virtual
world at will. In contrast to a progression-style
game, a sandbox game emphasizes roaming and
allows a gamer to select tasks. Instead of
featuring segmented areas or numbered levels, a
sandbox game usually occurs in a “world” to
which the gamer has full access from start to
finish.
A sandbox game is also known as an open-world
or free-roaming game.
http://www.techopedia.com/definition/3952/sandbox-gaming

53. Sandboxes create open spaces for
self-directed play and creativity.

55. Sandbox applications?

56. Sandbox applications?

59. Children’s toys and organization:

60. Children’s toys and organization:

61. Architecture: “Adventure Playground”
“A castle, made of
carton, rocks and
old branches, by a
group of children
for themselves, is
worth a thousand
perfectly detailed,
exactly finished
castles, made for
them in a factory.”
And the proposed solution:
“Set up a playground for the children in each neighborhood. Not a
highly finished playground, with asfalt and swings, but a place with
raw materials of all kinds—nets, boxes, barrels, trees, ropes, simple
tools, frames, grass, and water—where children can create and re-create
playgrounds of their own.”

62. I am convinced that standardised playgrounds
are dangerous, just in another way: When the
distance between all the rungs in a climbing
net or a ladder is exactly the same, the child
has no need to concentrate on where he puts
his feet. Standardisation is dangerous because
play becomes simplified…
—HELLE NEBELONG
“

63. –?? (MAKER DOCUMENETARY) “
If you want to eliminate risks, you’re
eliminating creativity

64. PATHS
SHAPE BEHAVIOR
ARE GAMES TO BE PLAYED
LEAD PEOPLE ALONG
HAVE PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES
ARE MEASURABLE
DESIGN EVERY DETAIL
ARE CONSUMPTIVE
CREATE DEPENDENCY (ON DIRECTIONS)
HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED PURPOSE
LEAD TO COMPLETION
BEST FOR INSTRUCTION
END IN AN EXCHANGE
SANDBOXES
CREATE ENGAGEMENT
ARE SPACES IN WHICH TO PLAY
LET PEOPLE EXPLORE
HAVE UNKNOWN OUTCOMES
ARE OBSERVABLE
UNDERSPECIFY THE DESIGN
ARE GENERATIVE
ENCOURAGE AUTONOMY
PURPOSE IS SELF-DETERMINED
LEAD TO UNDERSTANDING
BEST FOR PEFORMANCE
END IN LEARNING & DISCOVERY

65. Education
3
12345

66. The jockey offers a piece of sugar to his
horse before jumping into the saddle,
the coachman beats his horse that he
may respond to the signs given by the
reins; and, yet, neither of these runs so
superbly as the free horse of the plains.
–MARIA MONTESSORI

67. …we have prepared the
environment and the materials
–MARIA MONTESSORI

68. ■ Mixed age classrooms
■ Specialized educational
materials
■ Student choice of activity from
within a prescribed range of
options
■ Uninterrupted blocks of work
time
■ A Constructivist or "discovery"
model, where students learn
concepts from working with
materials, rather than by direct
instruction
MONTESSORI?

69. Playing is learning.

70. Google’s founders Larry Page
and Sergei Brin Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales
rapper Sean “P.Diddy” Combs Julia Child
videogame pioneer Will Wright
Montessori taught me the joy of
discovery… It’s all about learning on
your terms, rather than a teacher
explaining stuff to you. SimCity
comes right out of Montessori…

71. videogame pioneer Will Wright
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales
rapper Sean “P.Diddy” Combs Julia Child
Google’s founders Larry Page and
Sergei Brin
We both went to Montessori school,
and I think it was part of that training
of not following rules and orders, and
being self-motivated, questioning
what’s going on in the world, doing
things a little bit differently.

72. A “sandbox” education teaches
you to play at life.

75. Human beings have an inherent
tendency to seek out novelty and
challenges, to extend and exercise their
capacities, to explore, and to learn.
Edward Deci
psychologist

76. PATHS SANDBOXES
EQUATE TO INFORMAL
(NON-INSTITUTIONAL) LEARNING
VIEW STUDENTS AS
“VESSELS TO BE FILLED”
VIEW STUDENTS AS
“FIRES TO BE KINDLED”
EQUATE TO FORMAL (INSTITUTIONAL)
LEARNING
SPECIFY PERFORMANCE GOALS LEAD TO LEARNING CHALLENGES
Getting an A in French Learning to speak French

77. PATHS SANDBOXES
EQUATE TO INFORMAL
(NON-INSTITUTIONAL) LEARNING
VIEW STUDENTS AS
“VESSELS TO BE FILLED”
VIEW STUDENTS AS
“FIRES TO BE KINDLED”
EQUATE TO FORMAL (INSTITUTIONAL)
LEARNING
FALSE DICHOTOMY
SPECIFY PERFORMANCE GOALS LEAD TO LEARNING CHALLENGES
Getting an A in French Learning to speak French

78. !
!
!
!
!

79. !
!
!
!
!
Normally, learning in CodeSpells is
encouraged by way of a series of quests
that must be completed with the use of
Java-based spell crafting…
[In our version], players could walk up
to in-game gnome-like characters who
would give various spells to the player,
along with simple explanations. Our
hope was that these spells would serve
as starting points for code exploration.
from “On the Nature of Fires and How to Spark Them When You’re Not There”

80. LEGO BRICKS

81. LEGO BRICKS

82. LEGO BRICKS

83. “…but how is
this useful?”
12345
4

84. Practical Takeaways
Underspecify features
Thank Kars Alfrink
for this one!

86. “As a (user role), I want (function) so that (benefit)”
“As a user I want a way to flag interesting
tweets for reviewing later…”
or
“As a user I want a way to give kudos to
people for sharing something interesting….”
or
“As a user I want a way to save positive
tweets for later use as testimonials…”
or…?

87. Practical Takeaways
Avoid long workflows.
(AKA Short Paths vs Long Paths)

91. #FAIL

93. Practical Takeaways
Build and consume your
own APIs

94. A SANDBOX, AT DIFFT LEVELS
INTERFACE LAYER
API / DATA LAYER
SCRIPTING LAYER /
ABILITY ADD “MODS”
OPEN SOURCE THE
CODE BASE

95. Practical Takeaways
Back off.
Let people make mistakes and
learn through trial and error.

98. Practical Takeaways
Direct Manipulation is best!
(AKA “No more wizards!!)

103. Practical Takeaways
Help people understand through
Playful Interactions

104. Watch this!
http://vimeo.com/36579366

106. “The approach to teaching without
words that I’m proposing makes
heavy use of interactivity and
instant informative feedback.”
STMath
http://www.creativitypost.com/education/teaching_without_words

107. PATHS SANDBOXES
SHAPE BEHAVIOR CREATE ENGAGEMENT
ARE GAMES TO BE PLAYED ARE SPACES IN WHICH TO PLAY
LEAD PEOPLE ALONG LET PEOPLE EXPLORE
HAVE PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES HAVE UNKNOWN OUTCOMES
ARE MEASURABLE ARE OBSERVABLE
DESIGN EVERY DETAIL UNDERSPECIFY THE DESIGN
ARE CONSUMPTIVE ARE GENERATIVE
CREATE DEPENDENCY (ON DIRECTIONS) ENCOURAGE AUTONOMY
HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED PURPOSE PURPOSE IS SELF-DETERMINED
LEAD TO COMPLETION LEAD TO UNDERSTANDING
BEST FOR INSTRUCTION BEST FOR PEFORMANCE
END IN AN EXCHANGE END IN LEARNING & DISCOVERY

108. The BIG Practical Takeaway:
PATHS SANDBOXES
SHAPE BEHAVIOR CREATE ENGAGEMENT
To quote Kathy Sierra…
which of these will
“help users kick ass?”
ARE GAMES TO BE PLAYED ARE SPACES IN WHICH TO PLAY
LEAD PEOPLE ALONG LET PEOPLE EXPLORE
HAVE PREDICTABLE OUTCOMES HAVE UNKNOWN OUTCOMES
ARE MEASURABLE ARE OBSERVABLE
DESIGN EVERY DETAIL UNDERSPECIFY THE DESIGN
ARE CONSUMPTIVE ARE GENERATIVE
CREATE DEPENDENCY (ON DIRECTIONS) ENCOURAGE AUTONOMY
HAVE A CLEARLY DEFINED PURPOSE PURPOSE IS SELF-DETERMINED
LEAD TO COMPLETION LEAD TO UNDERSTANDING
BEST FOR INSTRUCTION BEST FOR PEFORMANCE
END IN AN EXCHANGE END IN LEARNING & DISCOVERY

109. One Last Practical Takeaway…

110. …we have prepared the
environment and the materials
–MARIA MONTESSORI

111. …we have prepared the
environment and the materials
–MARIA MONTESSORI
Environment
Objects
Rules

113. The idea for knowledge
games… [came] from watching
people at the cutting edges of
new disciplines; people who
are entrepreneurs, creators,
designers and innovators.
Watching them work,
watching them play, and
sometimes having difficulty
telling the difference.
– Dave Gray

114. Playing at Life!
12345
5

115. How do you approach LIFE?
Like a Path to follow, or a
Sandbox in which to play?

117. What we learned from that project
then allowed us to…”
–?? (WETA DOCUMENETARY)
“

118. Play is the answer to how
anything new comes about.
–JEAN PIAGET

122. My book proposal…

123. Yes, this was my book proposal!

124. Humanity has advanced, when it has
advanced, not because it has been
sober, responsible, and cautious, but
because it has been playful, rebellious,
and immature.”
–TOM ROBBINS QUOTES (AMERICAN NOVELIST. B.1936)
“

125. Q:Are you designing Paths or
Sandboxes?

126. Q:Are you designing Paths or
Sandboxes?
Are you following a path or
playing in a sandbox?

127. Thank you!
getmentalnotes.com
Design for
Understanding
Stephen P. Anderson
@stephenanderson
www.poetpainter.com | www.slideshare.net/stephenpa

128. One more thing…

129. productpsychology.com

130. productpsychology.com

131. productpsychology.com

132. Thank you!
getmentalnotes.com
Design for
Understanding
Stephen P. Anderson
@stephenanderson
www.poetpainter.com | www.slideshare.net/stephenpa