Design for wellbeing

Abstract

: This paper reviews a range of theories on the development and promotion of wellbeing, in order to explain how designed objects can support positive ways of living and people’s sense of a valued self in a harmonious world. We propose that designed objects and systems can promote wellbeing in a wide variety of ways. It is not necessarily the case that the most pleasant and easy-to-use products are the most supportive of wellbeing. People may find challenge and difficulty, and a balance between positive and negative, more beneficial in the long run. We suggest that by drawing on theories and research from areas like psychology, sociology, health studies, and anthropology it should be possible to devise wellbeing-promoting design heuristics. Wellbeing can be supported by encouraging and enabling effective action, prediction and control, satisfying social interaction, and mindfulness, physical involvement and enjoyment. Research on wellbeing suggests that it results from what people themselves actively do and decide, rather than what is supplied for them. Perhaps an important way of designing for wellbeing is to design the (metaphorical) space that enables people to ‘do wellbeing’ for themselves.