Prequel
Entering this class, I was expecting the class to address behavior change through a primarily ethics based lens, covering dark patterns, nudges, and some psychology – for instance, how to change online behavior towards less polarizing ones, or studying how companies put in little UX pushes that urge consumers to act against their long-term self interests to buy a little more or spend some more time on the app.
On the design side, I expected a curriculum that would systematically and directly develop on the process and techniques laid out in CS 147 (though a way that did not require quite so many hours per week). I wanted to leave the class feeling much more confident that I was not only familiar with the design process, but that I could lead an unfamiliar team through it.
Project Reflections
I can see myself using many of the techniques I learned in CS247B again.
I especially enjoyed the diary study. Behavioral data is great! It’s a simple way for participants to record a simple behavior they do, and seeing the combined results from quite an array of people was hugely helpful in providing all kinds of insights and perspectives I wouldn’t otherwise have. On the other hand, it’s logistically simple – just ask a few people to spend less than 10 minutes a day doing some self-reflection. Upping this technique with a diary-style intervention study is also super exciting, because I can test an assumption as it lasts over the span of several days, rather than the hypothetical space of a survey (“Would you prefer X or Y?”) or a somewhat laboratory setting of a brief appointment with me.
I also like Sketchnotes. I have to admit that sketchnoting is not enough to totally learn the material. But I already enjoy writing notes with arrows and boxes, and experimenting with the step 2 of that – actually doodling relevant figures – made note-taking much more fun. I have yet to see whether sketchnoting improves my immediate retention of the material or its details, but (when I don’t have to do it for a grade lol) the drawings reliably add excitement and a sense of dynamism to what otherwise would be dry words on a page.
Another point I enjoyed was splitting the problem space research into distinct categories – a research literature review, a competitive landscape analysis, and user research. It felt like this decision took us out of the Stanford bubble (where we were interviewing users or only thinking about the problems and solutions we saw as students at this school), and brought in the realities of what had actually been made before (and failed to catch on), as well as helpful techniques and psychology research that could inform our app.
One thing that did confuse me was simply the number of steps and tools we used. For instance, we didn’t just wireflow; we also drew system paths and bubble maps. The sheer number of tools made it hard to keep track of not only which tool to use when, but also remembering which tools we had even learned and what a proper overall design process should even be.
Ethics
Our app is less about nudges, and more that since it’s an inherently social app, where people are asking others to hang out, people will feel the social pressure to respond yes, or with a very convincing no. So future versions of the app may have to think about the social pressure on that side, and how to make hanging out feel less like an obligation and more like the original goal of connecting with people.
Privacy protections are interesting because we realized early into our solution building that users would probably not be comfortable with their availabilities shown to everyone, due to genuine safety and privacy concerns. Thus, we made sure that users could only request to see their contacts’ calendars, and contacts had to accept. Still, like BeReal friends, this is a one-time accept/decline. Once accepted, one party has to actively remove their friend in order to hide their calendar again – a social faux pas for sure. So, like how Apple Maps gives the option to share location for now, for an hour, or forever, future versions of the app will probably have more flexible time spans and methods to share your valuable free time with others.
One risk for well-being is that our schedules are already so encroached upon, and free time is a hot commodity. Social media apps soak up way too much of our free time already (doom scrolling, feeling like time passes faster while on TikTok…), and bosses and workloads creep in from the other side. Fortunately, people can still control their social calendars right now, choosing whether or not to go to each social engagement. But by giving your friends your availability, Palendar could add friends themselves to the list of people encroaching upon an individual’s control of their own time, even if the app and the invites don’t force people to actually hang out together. And imagine the worst case scenario where your good friend on Palendar also happens to be your colleague at work – and they start using the app to plan work-ish meetings in your free time! This is an interesting question – perhaps it’s for the better that When2Meet is still so hard to use!
Changes in Thinking
After taking this class, I realize that while it can be useful to think about behavior change on a macro-level, like “how do we fix polarization.” In addition, while behavior change principles can be employed for the dark side, everything starts with habits and daily rituals. This is applicable to life, really – one step at a time. For some reason, although unsurprising, I did not expect that behavior change really meant habit creation. I found that instead of thinking about societal problems, this class felt introspective – I found myself considering my behavior patterns throughout the day (shout out the the one day diary study where I recorded myself watching Singles Inferno for 5 hours straight), identifying triggers for my bad habits and thought processes, as well as the environments and anchors that would persuade me to enter better mind spaces. I applied some concepts to my own life – rather than aiming purely for the hazy goal of “I need to use the Internet less,” I contented myself with avoiding using my phone while walking places, and found my brain freed up substantially already.
Sequel
Having taken this class, I think my takeaways will be mostly personal and about my behavior change space. Thinking about Atomic Habits and my individual psychology, as well as focusing on specific, regular, data points like in the diary study, will be valuable resources towards helping me develop the habits I want to have in the future, whether they’re about eating vegetables, focusing on my work more, or scheduling time to meet with friends.
I will also remember the camaraderie that developed in my Palendar team! Every team member went above and beyond in this aspect. I felt we were all so attentive with helping each other, making jokes, sharing about our lives, and extending care and clear communication!
Thank you so much to the teaching staff – I could feel the energy and passion pouring out of every single Slack post, lecture slide, and answer to our questions. And thanks Nina for your wagging tail.
