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.

Please learn more from the complete article, and cite:

Peters, D, Calvo, RA, Ryan, RM “Designing for Motivation, Engagement and Wellbeing in Digital Experience” Frontiers in Psychology – Human Media Interaction.  Vol 9. pp 797. (DOI)

Our paper on the design of Headgear has been published n JMIR Mental Health:

Peters D, Deady M, Glozier N, Harvey S, Calvo RA “Worker Preferences for a Mental Health App Within Male-Dominated Industries: Participatory Study” JMIR Ment Health 2018;5(2):e30 DOI: 10.2196/mental.8999

Background: Men are less likely to seek help for mental health problems, possibly because of stigma imposed by cultural masculine norms. These tendencies may be amplified within male-dominated workplaces such as the emergency services or transport industries. Mobile apps present a promising way to provide access to mental health support. However, little is known about the kinds of mental health technologies men would be willing to engage with, and no app can be effective if the intended users do not engage with it.

Objective: The goal of this participatory user research study was to explore the perceptions, preferences, and ideas of workers in male-dominated workplaces to define requirements for a mental health app that would be engaging and effective at improving psychological well-being.

Methods: Workers from male-dominated workplaces in rural, suburban, and urban locations took part in an exploratory qualitative study involving participatory workshops designed to elicit their perspectives and preferences for mental health support and the design of an app for mental health. Participants generated a number of artifacts (including draft screen designs and promotional material) designed to reify their perceptions, tacit knowledge, and ideas.

Results: A total of 60 workers aged between 26 and 65 years, 92% (55/60) male, from male-dominated workplaces in rural (16/60, 27%), suburban (14/60, 23%), and urban (30/60, 50%) locations participated in one of the 6 workshops, resulting in 49 unique feature ideas and 81 participant-generated artifacts. Thematic analysis resulted in a set of feature, language, and style preferences, as well as characteristics considered important by participants for a mental health app. The term “mental health” was highly stigmatized and disliked by participants. Tools including a mood tracker, self-assessment, and mood-fix tool were highly valued, and app characteristics such as brevity of interactions, minimal on-screen text, and a solutions-oriented approach were considered essential by participants. Some implementation strategies based on these findings are included in the discussion.

Conclusions: Future mental health mobile phone apps targeting workers in male-dominated workplaces need to consider language use and preferred features, as well as balance the preferences of users with the demands of evidence-based intervention. In addition to informing the development of mental health apps for workers in male-dominated industries, these findings may also provide insights for mental health technologies, for men in general, and for others in high-stigma environments.

The topic of designing for wellbeing, positive computing, introduced in my recent TEDx talk

• Project supporting mental health with technology
• Opportunity to develop your research profile in human-computer interaction, mental health and wellbeing
• 3 year contract.

The purpose of the Sydney fellowship is to attract talented recent doctoral graduates who can contribute to our whole-of-university multidisciplinary initiatives, broadly construed. In particular we are looking for young researchers to work at the intersection of computing and mental health.

We are seeking to appoint a postdoctoral researcher to develop and evaluate the new technologies for mental health and wellbeing. The specific project to be agreed with the supervisor/s but likely in the area of mobile interventions or virtual reality

• assist in further development of Internet based mental health interventions, based on findings and outcomes in the literature and other projects.
• assist in the design, development, and evaluation of a website for the deployment of mental health interventions.
• take the lead in the writing up of reports, peer reviewed journal articles and conference papers/presentations.
• assist in obtaining ethics clearance for the qualitative and quantitative phases of the research and evaluation.
• liaise with the various stakeholders on the project informing them of project progress and that the research is directly related to end user needs.

To secure this role you must have:

• a PhD in Software Engineering, Computer Science or psychology
• excellent quantitative research skills.
• strong verbal and written communication skills.
• ability to work well as part of a team.
• ability to meet tight work deadlines.
• strong publication record

Enquiries regarding the position may be directed to Prof Rafael Calvo via email Rafael.calvo@sydney.edu.au

Further information: http://sydney.edu.au/research_support/funding/sydney/postdoctoral_fellowship.shtml

To submit expressions of Interest use this form: https://poscomp.wufoo.com/forms/q1912y3q0484fnf/

Scheme opens: 27 May 2016
Career interruptions requests: 8 June 2016
EOI submissions close: 17 June 2016
Applications close: 25 July 2016

The leading online review service for computing literature had a nice piece about our book.

“This book provides an excellent look at how computers can become our handmaidens, helping to make our personal lives better. As the authors state, they investigate what they term positive computing: “the design and development of technology to support psychological wellbeing and human potential” (p. 2).”

“But positive computing done right has the potential to provide enhancements to our lives and create a symbiotic relationship between the person and the technology.”

I am privileged to be part of the LEADS partnership, a research network led by Susanne Lajoie at McGill University. This paperthe first coming  from our subproject – with a rather long title “Systematic Evaluation of the Effectiveness of TREs through Software Platform Development for Data Mining across Multiple Disciplines and Tracking Changes in Affective and Cognitive Growths”

J. M. Harley, F. Bouchet, S.Hussain, R. Azevedo, R. Calvo; A Multi-Componential Analysis of Emotions during Complex Learning with an Intelligent Multi-Agent System; AERA2014 Symposium: Interdisciplinary Approaches for Analysing Data from Multiple Affective Channels with Computer-Based Learning Environments.

Abstract. In this paper we discuss the methodology and results of aligning three different emotional measurement methods (automatic facial expression recognition, self-report, electrodermal activation) and their agreement regarding learners’ emotions. Data was collected from 67 undergraduate students from a North American university who interacted with MetaTutor, an intelligent, multi-agent, hypermedia environment for learning about the human circulatory system, for a 1 hour learning session (Azevedo et al., 2013, Harley, Bouchet, & Azevedo, 2013). A webcam was used to capture videos of learners’ facial expressions, which were analyzed using automatic facial recognition software (FaceReader 5.0). Learners’ physiological arousal was measured using Affectiva’s Q-Sensor 2.0 electrodermal activation bracelet. Learners self-reported their experience of 19 different emotional states (including basic, learner-centered, and academic achievement emotions) using the Emotion-Value questionnaire (Harley et al., 2013). They did so on five different occasions during the learning session, which were used as markers to align data from FaceReader and Q-Sensor. We found a high agreement between the facial and self-report data (75.6%) when similar emotions were grouped together along theoretical dimensions and definitions (e.g., anger and frustration) (Harley, et al., 2013). However, our new results examining the agreement between the Q-Sensor and these two methods suggests that electrodermal (EDA/physiological) indices of emotions do not have a tightly coupled (Gross, Sheppes, & Urry, 2011) relationship with them. Explanations for this finding are discussed.

Read the Full paper

Daniel Johnson, Director of the Games Research and Interaction Lab will discuss when and how videogames have a positive influence on wellbeing. Specifically; the predictors of hours spent playing videogames; the genres, modes of play and experiences during play that influence wellbeing; the predictors of obsessive and harmonious passion for play; the influence of videogame on mood; and the differences in brain activity associated with playing with humans versus AI controlled teammates. 
19 November | University of Sydney – View event details.

Download Videogames and Wellbeing: A comprehensive Review a omprehensive review of more than 200 research papers undertaken by the Young and Well CRC’s Gaming Research Group and led by Daniel Johnson.