Design for wellbeing with the METUX framework
Echoing the sentiments of the revered Don Norman in "Design for a Better World," the pursuit of digital excellence goes beyond intuitiveness and accessibility. It hinges on crafting products that resonate with our fundamental aspirations, tap into our intrinsic motivations, and elevate our overall well-being. This holistic approach extends the design process into the realm of product strategy, ensuring that the experiences we build are not only personally enriching but also contribute positively to the collective good. Whether it's fostering individual achievements, fortifying community connections, or enabling us to tackle society’s big-picture issues, the integration of a human-centered design philosophy becomes the compass guiding us toward a more meaningful and empowering digital landscape.
Addressing this, the METUX framework provides an approach for leveraging proven psychological theories to truly design for well-being. Originally published in 2018, the paper entitled “Designing for Motivation, Engagement and Wellbeing in Digital Experience” has quietly and steadily risen into the top 1% of articles viewed in the Frontiers of Psychology journal.
METUX, an acronym for Motivation, Engagement, and Thriving in the Mobile Ecosystem, is a framework developed to investigate the psychological factors that drive our engagement with technology. By unraveling these factors, the aim is to shed light on how technology can be designed to positively impact our overall well-being. The paper concludes with a powerful vision:
“Our intention is that the model and instruments provided will enable technology designers to evaluate their technologies for wellbeing impact, and allow HCI researchers tools and theory upon which to improve. In this way, as a community we may iterate collectively toward a future in which all technologies are better designed to support psychological wellbeing and human potential.”
A lofty ambition that has yet to be fully realized.
The bridge from academia to practical application lies in the hands of designers and product managers.
Before we explore how a framework like METUX can work within a profit-oriented economy, let's delve into its core principles.
METUX in a Nutshell
Central to METUX is Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which is one of the most extensively studied theories about what makes people motivated and happy. In simple terms, this theory suggests that there are a few essential "ingredients" that everyone needs in order to feel positive about themselves and their lives. These key factors are:
Autonomy: Feeling like you're in control of what you do and that your actions are meaningful to you.
Competence: Feeling skilled and successful in your activities.
Relatedness: Feeling a sense of connection to others and a sense of belonging.
Think of these factors as the basic building blocks for creating a sense of well-being. And it's not just about feeling good in the moment – they have a lasting and meaningful impact on how you feel over time. These elements are often leveraged in game design to create experiences that are intrinsically rewarding to play. If any of these elements are missing from an experience, one’s enjoyment and satisfaction with the experience suffers. So, when we design experiences, METUX suggests that we should aim to incorporate these elements simply because they make the experience better, and keeps people around long term.
Importantly, METUX emphasizes the need to consider these psychological needs at several levels or “Spheres of Experience”: Interface, Tasks, Behavior, Life, and Society.
This is to ensure that we aren’t creating experiences that are need-satisfying on one level (interface/tasks), but need-frustrating at broader levels (behavior/life) such as addictive video games.
The theory prompts us to consider the extent to which the technology contributes to satisfying our psychological needs; autonomy, competence, and relatedness, at each of these spheres of experience. It says that the primary outcome of sufficiently satisfying these needs is sustained user engagement and satisfaction over time.
METUX in Action
Interface
At the interface level—the user interface—how can we ensure users feel autonomy, competence, and relatedness in their engagement? Good usability, for instance, fosters a sense of control (autonomy) and proficiency (competence). Relatedness however might be less relevant at this level. While crucial for overall well-being, it probably doesn’t need to permeate every technological interaction.
Tasks
The Task level zooms in on the particular activities that users perform while they interact with technology. Here, the focus is on how effectively the technology assists users in accomplishing the task it was designed for.
Using a navigation app that guides you smoothly through a busy city or getting a high score in a language-learning app can boost your feeling of competence. Engaging with your friends and community through social media is a great example of task-level relatedness. A banking app that helps you feel in control of your finances is supporting your financial autonomy.
Behavior
At the Behavior level, we start to look at how the technology influences our actions outside of the time spent using it. Consider health apps, for instance, which aim to influence activities such as exercise, healthy eating, or meditation. Alternatively, calendaring apps aid in managing time or planning events, while emails support professional and social communication. Essentially, these technologies serve as tools to succeed in something else.
We can ask ourselves if the behaviors encouraged by the use of the technology contribute to the satisfaction of our psychological needs.
For instance, an app that improves one’s working memory will boost one’s sense of independence in daily life (autonomy). If my language learning app enables me to converse with foreigners in another country it has effectively made me more competent. If I make quality social connections because of an event planning app, it effectively supports my need for relatedness in the behavioral sphere of experience.
If an app is fun to use at the interface level but ends up keeping people glued to their device and sitting on the couch, it’s not designed optimally for the user’s well-being in the Behavior sphere.
Life
Psychological need satisfaction in the Life sphere means that the product is designed to improve well-being and it is successful in doing so. A social media app that unintentionally creates feelings of disconnection is a good example of success within the Interface, Task, and Behavior spheres but a failure in the Life sphere.
Although not all tech projects have the explicit goal of making long-term improvements to their user’s well-being, focusing on meeting psychological needs can be beneficial across the board. Doing this can do more than just boost engagement; it can also have positive side effects. For instance, think about a banking app that not only helps people manage their accounts but also gives them a sense of achievement and competence, leading to a better overall sense of well-being.
Society
The authors discuss a sixth sphere—the broadest one—exploring how technology impacts society. Here, ethical concerns about economic and environmental effects arise. For example, self-driving cars might benefit lives but could impact jobs. Considering these dimensions is crucial for responsible product development.
Who has time for this?
In a practical world, how do we advocate for user and societal well-being when allocating company resources?
The framework offers a nuanced perspective, urging us to consider the long term. The potential financial upside of focusing on user well-being isn't elusive. Experiences catering to autonomy, competence, and relatedness yield higher engagement, retention, loyalty, and customer lifetime value. Brands prioritizing well-being attract customers. Meeting these needs amplifies a positive image and sustains market appeal.
As consumer values shift towards well-being, METUX remains pertinent. Positive experiences translate into advocacy and organic growth. METUX champions ethical innovation, balancing financial goals with societal welfare. This fusion of profit and well-being underscores the transformative potency of holistic design, enriching our lives and businesses with minimal unintended negative consequences.
Though challenging to measure and requiring time for fruition, these outcomes carry monumental potential. Designers and product teams need to trust in these ideas, supported by decades of research and heartfelt intuition.
Leveraging the METUX framework, we uncover insights into the psychological aspects of our engagement with digital products. By acknowledging intrinsic motivation, engagement, and well-being, we shape technology's future to empower collective flourishing.