The Motivational Home: Designing Smart Home Service Provisions for Human Flourishing

• Other Authors: Brotman, Ryan S. (Author)
• Format: Doctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Design; Computer science; Social psychology; human computer interaction; interaction design; motivational psychology; place attachment; smart home; user experience
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.I.17960

abstract: This dissertation explores the role of smart home service provisions (SHSP) as motivational agents supporting goal attainment and human flourishing. Evoking human flourishing as a lens for interaction encapsulates issues of wellbeing, adaptation and problem solving within the context of social interaction. To investigate this line of research a new, motivation-sensitive approach to design was implemented. This approach combined psychometric analysis from motivational psychology's Personal Project Analysis (PPA) and Place Attachment theory's Sense of Place (SoP) analysis to produce project-centered motivational models for environmental congruence. Regression analysis of surveys collected from 150 (n = 150) young adults about their homes revealed PPA motivational dimensions had significant main affects on all three SoP factors. Model one indicated PPA dimensions Fearful and Value Congruency predicted the SoP factor Place Attachment (p = 0.012). Model two indicated the PPA factor Positive Affect and PPA dimensions Value Congruency, Self Identity and Autonomy predicted Place Identity (p = .0003). Model three indicated PPA dimensions Difficulty and Likelihood of Success predicted the SoP factor Place Dependency. The relationships between motivational PPA dimensions and SoP demonstrated in these models informed creation of a set of motivational design heuristics. These heuristics guided 20 participants (n = 20) through co-design of paper prototypes of SHSPs supporting goal attainment and human flourishing. Normative analysis of these paper prototypes fashioned a design framework consisting of the use cases "make with me", "keep me on task" and "improve myself"; the four design principles "time and timing", "guidance and accountability", "project ambiguity" and "positivity mechanisms"; and the seven interaction models "structuring time", "prompt user", "gather resources", "consume content", "create content", "restrict and/or restore access to content" and "share content". This design framework described and evaluated three technology probes installed in the homes of three participants (n = 3) for field-testing over the course of one week. A priori and post priori samples of psychometric measures were inconclusive in determining if SHSP motivated goal attainment or increased environmental congruency between young adults and their homes. === Dissertation/Thesis === Ph.D. Design 2013