| Popis: |
Happiness is our ultimate goal and often a consequence of day-to-day experiences. These experiences are inevitably affected by the products we interact with, ranging from everyday artefacts, to interactive technologies, and increasingly, intelligent tools such as conversational agents (CAs). Design and technology greatly shape how we feel, think, and behave in those experiences, and thus influence happiness and well-being. However, when designing for happiness, what experiences to strive for, and how to achieve them are still unclear. In particular, the lack of knowledge and design support for newly emerging products such as CAs is more evident than others. Hence, this thesis aims to gain better understanding of the experiences that support well-being and provide guidance to help design such experiences. This aim is achieved through a comprehensive literature review followed by four explorative studies. First, the scientific and design literature on happiness and well-being were reviewed, together with relevant works on CAs. This review develops the knowledge foundation for the thesis. Next, an empirical study investigated which and how everyday products contribute to well-being. The study identified seven well-being supportive experience themes and routes to creating them through products. Motivated by the recent AI development, the focus was then shifted from everyday artefacts to CAs. The next study explored users’ affective experiences with CAs. The findings present four main usage scenarios, the factors influencing affective responses, and implications for designing positive ones. To provide a eudaimonic perspective on CA experiences, an interview study was conducted to explore Self-Determination Theory (SDT) in the CA context. The findings show how the needs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness could be fulfilled or undermined with CAs. Based on the findings, ten design guidelines were developed, and later evaluated through a survey study. Together, these studies offer practical design support for CAs grounded in SDT. Open Access |
