Designing for Motivation, Engagement and Wellbeing in Digital Experience

Abstract

Research in psychology has shown that both motivation and wellbeing are contingent on the satisfaction of certain psychological needs. Yet, despite a long-standing pursuit in human-computer interaction (HCI) for design strategies that foster sustained engagement, behavior change and wellbeing, the basic psychological needs shown to mediate these outcomes are rarely taken into account. This is possibly due to the lack of a clear model to explain these needs in the context of HCI. Herein we introduce such a model: Motivation, Engagement and Thriving in User Experience (METUX). The model provides a framework grounded in psychological research that can allow HCI researchers and practitioners to form actionable insights with respect to how technology designs support or undermine basic psychological needs, thereby increasing motivation and engagement, and ultimately, improving user wellbeing. We propose that in order to address wellbeing, psychological needs must be considered within five different spheres of analysis including: at the point of technology adoption, during interaction with the interface, as a result of engagement with technology-specific tasks, as part of the technology-supported behavior, and as part of an individual's life overall. These five spheres of experience sit within a sixth, society, which encompasses both direct and collateral effects of technology use as well as non-user experiences. We build this model based on existing evidence for basic psychological need satisfaction, including evidence within the context of the workplace, computer games, and health. We extend and hone these ideas to provide practical advice for designers along with real world examples of how to apply the model to design practice.

“I Am Most Grateful.” Using Gratitude to Improve the Sense of Relatedness and Motivation for Online Volunteerism

“…SDT can help explain why some technology designs work and others do not. Peters et al (2018) suggest SDT can Table 1. Summarized literature review findings of motivational background in online volunteering and voluntary contribution platforms.…”

“…For each type of motivation, a question was taken from the scale of volunteer motivation (Millette & Gagné, 2008) in addition to a question from Grant's prosocial motivation scale (Grant, 2008). Additionally, we included the Technology-based Experience of Need Satisfaction -Interface questionnaire (TENS-Interface) (Peters et al, 2018). This was employed to capture the sense of autonomy, competence, and relatedness attributed to using the online platform or being involved in the face-to-face campus program.…”

“…One theory of motivation with a considerable influence on many areas of technology design (Dupuy et al, 2016;Peters et al, 2018;Wang & Li, 2016) is the Self-Determination Theory (SDT) (Ryan & Deci, 2017). However, research on the impact of design on the motivation and engagement of volunteers in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) currently lacks a theoretical link to SDT.…”

Digital Psychiatry: Ethical Risks and Opportunities for Public Health and Well-Being

“…However, they continue, current "mental health technologies are mainly didactic or informational, which might not be ideal for promoting sustained engagement and behavior change for many people". [94, p. 427] In this respect, Peters, Calvo, & Ryan argue that contemporary research into the satisfaction of psychological needs can be used to provide valuable design constraints for engineers and developers [95]. This approach can help develop more effective behavior change strategies, which foster sustained engagement by targeting an individual's values that are intrinsically motivating.…”

Effects of Firm Presence in Customer-Owned Touch Points: A Self-Determination Perspective

“…Positive experience emanates from individuals' fulfillment of their psychological needs. These conditions, if they satisfy, rather than frustrate, individuals' basic needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness lead to flourishing, and personal development (Peters, Calvo, & Ryan, 2018).…”