Reducing without losing: Reduced consumption and its implications for well-being

Consumption is often considered important for achieving and maintaining well-being, particularly in current market societies. However, overconsumption is a significant driver of climate issues as it results in material scarcity and carbon emissions. Reduced consumption is one possible solution to environmental problems associated with climate...

The value of travel speed

Travel speed is an intrinsic feature of transport, and enlarging the speed is considered as beneficial. The benefit of a speed increase is generally assessed as the value of the saved travel time. However, this approach conflicts with the observation that time spent on travelling is rather constant and might not be affected by speed changes. The...

Design for Wellbeing, Happiness and Health

The chairs' editorial for the theme track of SIGWELL, the Design Research Society's Special Interest Group (SIG) focusing on Design for Wellbeing, Happiness and Health.

The value of travel speed

Travel speed is an intrinsic feature of transport, and enlarging the speed is considered as beneficial. The benefit of a speed increase is generally assessed as the value of the saved travel time. However, this approach conflicts with the observation that time spent on travelling is rather constant and might not be affected by speed changes. The...

From good to the greater good

In this chapter, we outline why and how design can (and cannot) support the sustainable wellbeing of individuals and communities. Building on findings of well-being researchers, we first address the reasons why material well-being, as experienced through the consumpfion and ownership of products and goods, does not necessarily contribute to...

Using symbolic meaning as a means to design for happiness: The development of a card set for designers

Using design to improve the lives of people towards a positive flourishing state is the main premise of Positive Design. Our contribution to this growing field focuses on making use of the symbolic meaning that design can have to bolster<br/>human happiness. This paper presents the development of a card set for designers aiming to inspire design...

Still in its infancy: Design for co-wellbeing among different user groups

This paper introduces a design approach for co-wellbeing. We exemplify how design enables designers to facilitate a meaningful interaction between two diverse groups of people with different pleasures, needs, concerns, strengths and virtues. Given that people meet each other constantly in daily interactions, it is relevant to look at these...

Symbolic meaning attribution as a means to design for happiness

Material possessions with happiness-related symbolic meanings can provide a contribution to subjective well-being (happiness), because they remind owners of memories, achievements, or aspirations. Such possessions provide an anchor for personally meaningful narratives, help in the construction and communication of self-identity, represent...

Design for subjective well-being in interior architecture

Can interior environments engage people in pleasurable and meaningful experiences and thereby have a positive influence on their happiness? This paper discusses why and how interior architects might want to consider implementing ideas in relation to ‘design for subjective well-being’. Despite of people being the ingredients that bring life to...

Feeding your piggy bank with intentions: A study on saving behaviour, saving strategies, and happiness

The act of saving money can connect one’s present state to a meaningful future state, especially if we consider money not as a direct source of happiness, but as a resource for engaging in meaningful activities. To explore how design can contribute to making the act of saving more meaningful, we conducted two studies. The first consisted of...

Positive design: An introduction to design for subjective well-being

This paper addresses the question of how design can contribute to the happiness of individuals–to their subjective well-being. A framework for positive design is introduced that includes three main components of subjective well-being: pleasure, personal significance and virtue. Each component represents an ingredient of design for happiness, and...

Does migration make you happy? A longitudinal study of internal migration and subjective well-being

Marie Curie programme under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013) / Career Integration Grant n. PCIG10-GA-2011-303728 (CIG Grant NBHCHOICE, Neighbourhood choice, neighbourhood sorting, and neighbourhood effects). The majority of quantitative studies on the consequences of internal migration focus almost exclusively on...

Design thinking in positive psychology: The development of a product-service combination that stimulates happiness-enhancing activities

This paper presents an exploration of how knowledge drawn from the positive psychology domain can be used to design products and services that contribute to the happiness of the users. Two distinctions are proposed to structure initiatives in well-being driven design: activity- versus product-focus, and promise- versus problem-focus. A design...

Does Migration Make You Happy? A Longitudinal Study of Internal Migration and Subjective Well-Being (discussion paper)

The majority of modelling studies on consequences of internal migration focus almost exclusively on the labour market outcomes and the material well-being of migrants. We investigate whether individuals who migrate within the UK become happier after the move than they were before it and whether the effect is permanent or transient. Using life...

Design for happiness: A telehomecare product case

In this paper a design approach is introduced for designing products to increase happiness. Happiness reflects the degree to which people’s concerns are fulfilled. Based on this fact, a framework of all human concerns was created. After that, the framework was applied to a telehomecare case. Telehomecare products release the pressure on...