Programme

When data gets up close and personal

Format: Oral presentation 45min | Language: English | Tags: psychology, design, business
Speaker: Stephen Anderson | PoetPainter, Mental Notes | @stephenanderson

Abstract
Can data change us for the better? From “games” like the the Wii Fit to home devices that monitor energy usage, the answer is yes. Tight feedback loops and a playful experience can change our behaviors.

But how do we expose data in a way that influences change? And which metrics actually improve how we perform in business, fitness, finances and relationships? (And also satisfy business goals!)

We’ll start with systems like Mint, Nike+ and others that encourage users to reflect on (and modify) their behavioral patterns. Think personal informatics, feedback loops, sentiment analysis, leaderboards and other forms of reflection available to us. You’ll learn what “works” and what’s just plain fun; what are the natural human behaviors and which of these translate to an online context. Included in this brief tour of cognition will be an examination of how the visual representation of this data influences our choices.

To roll all this together, we’ll look at how these ideas were applied to the design of a new business tool. You’ll get a behind the scenes peek at just how we identified and designed these numeric nudges into the final application (and what we’ve learned since launching).

About Stephen
Stephen P. Anderson is a product strategy and design consultant who helps large companies create valuable customer experiences.

Prior to becoming an independent consultant, Stephen spent more than a decade growing and leading teams of information architects, interaction designers and UI developers in the creation of all types of interactive experiences, bringing value to clients such as Nokia, Frito-Lay, Sabre Travel Network, and Chesapeake Energy as well as smaller technology startups.

Stephen is passionate about elegant design, remarkable customer experiences and managing maverick teams– topics he loves to write and speak about. In addition to consulting, he is in the process of doing research for a book that will teach businesses how to attract and manage rockstars, superheroes and other misfits.