Should apps be designed for addiction or productivity? Join the discussion

Question

Richard Gao · Accepted Answer

Depends what your purpose is. At the end of the day, most apps want to make money. So unfortunately, there's going to be a bias in creating apps that are geared towards addiction.

Justin Bassett-Green · Answer

The word "should" is doing an awful lot of heavy lifting here. Does it mean morally? socially? financially? etc

Answer

That's a really important question creators should ask themselves before creating any AI tool whether app or site, etc. I believe for profit Addictive app is created but the user should be aware of productive apps and work tools that build their productivity without addiction. But it's true that it's really difficult to do that.

Nigee · Answer

Social media = addiction
Work tools = productivity

Hashir Ahmed · Answer

Definitely productivity, but since all the productivity from past years coming from the platforms which were meant to be adduction. so its hard to separate both

Jordan Shlosberg · Answer

This is a little rhetorical, they should be designed for productivity but they get adopted based on addiction.

For example, long form content is much better for the brain and for life than doom-scrolling twitter but there's a reason why we increasingly do the latter!

Hamdan Hassan · Answer

@jtbg You're right, the word "should" can be interpreted in different ways. In this context, I was using it to refer to the potential benefits of using productivity apps over addictive ones in terms of overall well-being and achievement of personal goals.

Abhinav Yadav · Answer

Every product has aspects of both. Intentionally promoting one over another leads to a moral dilemma. However, I think the market and society in the larger picture (including the developers themselves) figure out the extent of it. A good way of thinking about it is, the same product gets different responses in different cultures, some cultures adapted super apps with open hearts while others rejected it completely.

Hamdan Hassan · Answer

@jordans That's a really interesting point. While some apps may be designed with productivity in mind, their ease of use and features can sometimes lead to addictive behavior. 
However, it is important to note that not all apps fall into this category and some, like Google Maps, can be both productive and helpful without promoting addictive behavior. It ultimately depends on the design and intention of the app.

Sandra Djajic · Answer

Apps should focus on providing tools and features that help users achieve their goals and improve their well-being. While engagement is important, designing for addiction can have negative consequences for users' mental health and productivity.

Should apps be designed for addiction or productivity? Join the discussion

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