Let's talk human agency
We believe that technology should increase rather than decrease human agency.
Good for people.
It's pretty simple-- people generally don't want tech products to wind up manipulating them into doing things they don't want to do.
Good for business.
Building products with human agency in mind results in happier, more satisfied customers who stick around, spend more money and refer their friends.
Good for life.
We strive to increase agency not just through building awesome products -- we treat our clients and team in ways that respect their agency and also donate 5% of our profits to highly effective charities.
Pretty Important.
Given the increasingly important role technology plays in our daily lives, and future technological advances like Brain Machine Interfaces, tech that is designed with agency in mind is crucial to our future.
The Manifesto for Human Agency Driven Technology
We’re uncovering ways to increase human agency by pushing the envelope ourselves.
Through this work we have come to value:
- Individual Flow Over Interruptions
- Complete Thoughts Over Constant Communication
- Single-Tasking Over Multi-tasking
- Conservation Of Willpower Over A Paradox Of Choice
- Easy-To-Remember User Flows Over Flashy Design Trends and Updates
- Long-Term Customer Value Over Short Term Economic Gains
Technology products today often include UX designed to distract and manipulate.
This UX makes it challenging for us to:
Do what we want to do.
Do what we intend to do.
Remember our goals.
Think complete thoughts.
Accomplish tasks on time.
We’re constantly confronted with distractions and interruptions designed to serve the product at the cost of our sanity.
Every interaction is a battle, and we’re exhausted.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Instead, human agency increasing products:
Are designed to be friction-free.
Function as a seamless extension of ourselves.
Discourage multi-tasking.
Amplify our transcription fluency.
Change only when necessary - only when beneficial.
Sacrifice short-term economic gains for long-term customer value.
In short, we’re building products to equip and empower people.
And for a brief moment, it may appear anti-product, but we’ve found that it’s exactly the opposite.
We build satisfying products that keep users coming back.
By increasing human agency, each of us reap the benefits.
With ❤️ from AE Studio
Increasing Human Agency Podcast
Dive deep into conversations about data science in consumer brands, brain computer interfaces, and scrappy startups.
We explore how cutting edge technologies can truly improve the wellbeing of people worldwide.
