ABSTRACT

Work technologies often emphasize productivity. We suggest a value shift: designing these tools with employee happiness as a central goal. Being happy is a primary life goal for many people. Additionally, happiness positively influences various work-related factors, including productivity, engagement, motivation, and overall accomplishment. Drawing from principles in psychology, we developed three design fictions that illustrate how future work technologies can foster happiness. Informed by our fictions and their analysis, we offer three main takeaways. First, designers can intentionally foster happiness by incorporating happiness-fostering strategies in technology design. Second, we think work technologies have the potential to promote lasting forms of happiness by thwarting or forestalling hedonic adaptation—the tendency to become accustomed to positive experiences. Third, we think such technologies should serve as facilitators, recording experiences, enabling reflection, and guiding individuals toward building and sustaining happiness.