Given that tech product designers hack into behavioral psychology to maximize the addictive nature of their software, doesn’t the onus to create a less harmful, less distracting world lie on the shoulders of tech?
That’s the view of Tristan Harris, whose advocacy group Time Well Spent calls for software designers to take a Hippocratic oath and restructure their products to enhance human experience, rather than maximize screen staring.
Monday, we talked to Dr. Larry Rosen , co-author of ‘The Distracted Mind’ to get his take on what high-tech distractions do to the brain and how users can live a more balanced life.
Now, Larry looks at the issue from the supply-side. He talks to Harris about how tech is designed to hack the brain, what a code of ethics for software designers would look like and how apps and websites can be restructured.
Should product designers take a Hippocratic oath to make their software less distracting? What features would you like added or subtracted from your tech?
Guest:
Tristan Harris , former Google product ethicist; former CEO of startup Apture, acquired by Google in 2011; co-founder of advocacy group Time Well Spent