By Ian Wojtowicz, Aldrich Pears Associates, Canada This lightning talk will introduce designers to the psychology of curiosity along with ideas on how to design environments to increase curiosity. The presentation is based on a survey of over a hundred years of research on the topic. There’s more to curiosity than you think.

2. Forget technology.

3. Curiosity

4. How can we design
environments that
enhance curiosity?

5. What is curiosity?

6. You probably know
that curiosity is…

7. … a motivator.

8. … connected to
success in learning.

9. … a little
uncomfortable.

10. … a relief to satisfy.

11. … transient and
intense.

12. … stronger before it
is satisfied.

13. … stronger when it
can be satisfied.

14. … stronger for insightful
information than
incremental information.

15. … stronger for
controversial
information.

16. … stronger in some
people than in others.

17. … stronger in some
environments than in
others.

18. How strong a
motivator is curiosity?

20. A few things you may
not know about
curiosity:

21. Hunger affects
curiosity.

22. Boredom affects
curiosity.

23. Time affects
curiosity.

24. Prior knowledge
affects curiosity.

25. Incongruence affects
curiosity.

26. How can we design
environments that
increase curiosity?

27. Loewenstein, G. “The Psychology of
Curiosity: Review and Reintepretation.”
Psychological Bulletin, 1994. Vol. 116. No 1.
75-98.

28. 5 Factors

29. Sequences

31. Expectations

33. Ownership

35. Out of time.

36. Loewenstein, G. “The Psychology of
Curiosity: Review and Reintepretation.”
Psychological Bulletin, 1994. Vol. 116. No 1.
75-98.