#163 - Creating Mindful Product Experiences with Jay Vidyarthi of Still Ape

Awkward Silences

In this episode, Erin and Ben chat with Jay Vidyarthi, designer, author, and founder at Still Ape. Jay is a leading thinker around designing mindful product experiences. He's also published a new book, RECLAIM YOUR MIND, which examines the balance of technology use and mindfulness in our everyday lives.

Jay shares his journey to working in the mindful technology space, how we can shift our frame from "user" to "life" experience design, and the benefits companies see when their products consider the whole person on the "other end." Jay also shares strategies for maintaining mindfulness during our own technology use, and ways we can carry these practices into research and design practices.

Highlights

• 03:55 Design for Mindful Well-Being
• 08:13 Mindful Design: Impact Over Intentions
• 14:54 Broadening Design's Impact on Life
• 25:20 Holistic Recruitment Strategies
• 34:10 Enhancing Connection Through Mindful Presence
• 42:48 Understanding Technology's Emotional Pull

About Jay
Jay Vidyarthi is the author of RECLAIM YOUR MIND and an accomplished designer, entrepreneur, and thought leader at the unique intersection of mindfulness and technology. As the founder of Still Ape, he’s been involved in over fifty technologies that have helped millions of people improve their well-being, including Muse, the Healthy Minds Program, Sonic Cradle, and many more. His work and ideas have been featured by Harvard, MIT, TED, Forbes, CNN, Fast Company, and Vice.

Resources

• The Self Care Playbook for UX Researchers
• Cultivating Empathy for Your Colleagues
• Wellness and UX: Going Beyond the User Experience