Therapists, as part of their education, must go through therapy themselves. They are expected to achieve a certain level of insight about themselves – their biases, their discomforts, and so on. While we are not therapists, we go out and study people without that level of self-insight! A lack of self-insight sometimes manifests itself as passion, commitment, or being driven by a mission. While those have their place, it’s easy to become blinded by what we can’t let ourselves see. Sometimes this shows up as discomfort at the micro level, when we react to something a user might tell us about themselves; sometimes it’s a macro issue, when we’re uncomfortable with people who hold different values, preferences, or beliefs than ourselves. And it crescendos as know-it-all douchebaggery, when we think our job is to tell other people what’s best for them – when phrases like “frictionless sharing” fall from our lips as naturally as “what time is dinner?” In this interactive talk we will delve into the concepts of presence and mindfulness and develop an understanding of how this informs how you engage with the world around you, as a designer, a professional, and a person.

1. The Designer Is Present
@steveportigal

2. Click to edit Master title style
I DO NOT
MEDITATE

3. Click to edit Master title stylePresence
Being aware of and
connected to the
present moment -
and only the
present moment.

4. Click to edit Master title stylePresence
Being aware of
your own thoughts
and feelings…so
you can make
choices about how
to act.
Being aware of and
connected to the
present moment -
and only the
present moment.

5. Click to edit Master title styleExploding questions in research interviews
Coping techniques
• Wait until these issues come up
organically, without you having to ask
• Make notes on your field guide about
what you want to loop back to so you
don’t forget
• Triage based on what’s most pressing
for your topic
• Triage based on what makes the best
follow-up, to demonstrate listening –
e.g., emotional cues

6. Click to edit Master title styleExploding questions can lead to a flow state

7. Click to edit Master title stylePresence and mindfulness are interchangeable(ish)

8. Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is one way to develop mindfulness

9. Click to edit Master title styleExercise: Let’s do a nano-meditation
Meditation is not the absence of thought,
but the presence of awareness – Irene Au

10. Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is not the only way to develop presence

11. Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is not the only way to develop presence

12. Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is not the only way to develop presence

13. Click to edit Master title styleMeditation is not the only way to develop presence

14. Click to edit Master title styleIn the Zeitgeist

15. Click to edit Master title styleSeven attitudes of mindfulness
Non-judging We bring our own ideas to a situation. We can notice our
own thoughts but not act on them.
Patience Things happen in their own way and in their own time.
Beginner’s Mind Approach a situation having let go of what we already think
we “know.”
Trust Look to yourself – even if you make mistakes – rather than
outside yourself.
Non-striving Not trying to make things different but just allowing them to
be as they are.
Acceptance Seeing things as they are, now.
Letting Go/Non-attachment Not holding on to how you want things to be.
Adapted from Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn

16. Click to edit Master title styleThis is important to us

17. Click to edit Master title styleValidating is judging; Empathy is not sympathy
http://youtu.be/1Evwgu369Jw

18. Click to edit Master title styleKelly McGonigal on the science of compassion
Empathy is how their feelings resonate
with you (“I see you are in pain”)
Compassion is an intention, a feeling
for a better circumstance (“May you be
safe”)
Compassionate thoughts affects brain/body
• reduces stress hormones, increases
dopamine

19. Click to edit Master title styleRelationship between mindfulness and empathy
No Time to Think – New York Times
Studies suggest that [a lack of presence]
impairs your ability to empathize with others.
“The more in touch with my own feelings and
experiences, the richer and more accurate are
my guesses of what passes through another
person’s mind. Feeling what you feel is an
ability that atrophies if you don’t use it.”
http://nyti.ms/1pzBHFt

20. Click to edit Master title styleBeing present, taken to the unfortunate extreme
For an artist with amnesia, the world takes place
through her pencil
Far more unusual is Johnson’s inability to record memories, or anterograde
amnesia. Her “temporal window”—the period of time that she can reliably keep
track of—slams shut after only a minute or two. If something distracts Johnson,
her mental continuity can last a few seconds. As Aline put it, Johnson “flosses
her teeth, washes her hands, and says, ‘What do you want me to do next—floss
my teeth?’ ” Sometimes, mid-conversation, you can see a mental hyperlink
break, as Johnson’s eyes start darting, covertly seeking orientation. Her life is
an endless series of jump cuts. In our age of pinging
distractions, people often express a desire to “be present,” but
Johnson belies such sentimentality. She is marooned in the
present.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/03/
30/an-artist-with-amnesia

21. Click to edit Master title styleMind and body
https://www.deviantart.com/lightchaser/art/Inside-your-head-23618943

22. Click to edit Master title styleListening
Yes! Not so much.

23. Click to edit Master title styleWe are bound by our aspirations/inspirations
We think we know what
the solution is.
We think we know what
other people are about.
We can’t hear them.
We design for our “vision”
not for their needs.

24. Click to edit Master title styleExercise: It’s Going To Be Okay

25. Click to edit Master title styleA shaggy-dog story

26. Click to edit Master title styleSelf-awareness is a muscle that grows with time
Why Self-Awareness Is the Secret Weapon for
Habit Change – 99U
It’s human nature to first experience and then
explain. Catching ourselves before we engage
in our typical default reactions is one of the
greatest challenges of our lives, but when done
relentlessly and with discipline and moments of
reflection, mindfulness ensues. The pursuit of
self-awareness is difficult and requires
dedication.
http://99u.com/30437

27. Click to edit Master title styleBeing present to discard the irrelevant
https://www.citylab.com/design/2012/09/your-body-wondermap/3146/

28. Click to edit Master title styleAnti-pattern – a lack of spatial awareness

29. Click to edit Master title styleCultural pressures that challenge presence

30. Click to edit Master title styleGetting Better With Age
Suggesting without proof that this is one
of those things that naturally changes
with age.
So, just stick around!

31. Click to edit Master title styleImprov as basic training for presence
Improv invites you to set aside your
default “Well, actually” reaction and
explore saying “yes” to each other.
Chris Miller emphasizes that your task in
improv is to make your partner look
good.

32. Click to edit Master title styleCognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) – the reframe
How (negative) thinking affects feelings
and behavior
“She was totally furious when I handed her the letter!”
[What else could be the reason for her action?]

33. Click to edit Master title styleA noticing practice is a mindfulness practice

34. Click to edit Master title styleApplying mindfulness in acute situations
Recognize – your feelings
Allow – it to happen
Investigate – what you feel in your body
Non-identification – with your feelings
(you can be angry but not be an angry
person)

35. Click to edit Master title styleMarina Abramović: The Artist Is Present

36. Click to edit Master title styleExercise (don’t worry – we don’t have time!)
Get into pairs
Sit facing each
other in chairs
Look but no
stares
Don’t talk but be aware
Then we’ll share

37. Click to edit Master title styleConcluding Thoughts
Being present empowers you to more effectively
• Work collaboratively
• Problem-solve creatively
• Learn about the people around you (e.g., users)
Look for personally rewarding ways that you
can practice being present so you can
strengthen that skill!

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linkedin.com/in/steveportigal
@steveportigal
Interviewing Users
rosenfeldmedia.com/books/interviewing-users/
Dollars to Donuts
portigal.com/podcast/
@DollrsToDonuts
Doorbells, Danger, and Dead Batteries
rosenfeldmedia.com/books/user-research-war-stories/