Attention and Engagement

Readings

• (Skim) Center for Humane Technology, “How does technology use design to influence my behavior?”, 2021.
• Kevin Roose, “Do Not Disturb: How I Ditched My Phone and Unbroke My Brain”, 2019.
• Nielsen Norman Group, “The Attention Economy”, 2019.
• Chaim Gartenberg, “How do Apple’s Screen Time and Google Digital Wellbeing stack up?”, 2018.
• Trevor Haynes, “Dopamine, Smartphones & You: A battle for your time”, 2018.
• Monica Rozenfeld, “How Persuasive Technology Can Change Your Habits”, 2018.
• (Watch) Nir Eyal / TED Institute, “What makes some technology so habit-forming?”, 2015.
• Nir Eyal, “The Hooked Model: How to Manufacture Desire in 4 Steps”, 2012.

Reading Responses

Please answer the following three questions using 150 words or less for each response:

1. In your words, explain what “persuasive technology” is. What are the benefits and what are the dangers of products that use persuasive design patterns?

2. In his TED Talk, Nir Eyal says:

   “…what makes these products [such as Facebook or our iPhone] so engaging also makes them better. There is an entire world of products out there that failed to engage us because the product-makers don’t understand the psychology of good product design.”

Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?

1. Have you ever taken steps to reduce the time that you spend using your devices or specific apps? If yes, what approaches and tools did you use, and what was your experience? If not, what reasons prevented you from reducing the time spent using your devices and apps?

In writing your response, please refer to the assigned readings and your personal experiences. A complete response to each question is worth 1 point.

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