Ingrid Fetell Lee

We think of joy as elusive and intangible, but what if we could create products and experiences that reliably give people a feeling of joy? In this talk, Lee reveals the specific physical attributes that trigger our hardwired impulses toward joy, showing why some products feel delightful while others don’t, and how tangible elements can be used to create powerful moments of surprise, magic, and wonder. Grounding these insights with real-world examples, Lee shows how the aesthetics of joy can be used to create unique, innovative products and experiences that can captivate audiences, increase the adoption of new technologies, and build well-loved brands with timeless appeal.

In the pursuit of business success and bottom-line results, joy is an attribute that can often seem trivial or unimportant. But the irony is that joy originally evolved to motivate our early human ancestors to pursue goals, and psychologists are beginning to understand that rather than being a distraction from success, joy actually fuels it. Studies show joyful doctors make better diagnoses, joyful salespeople improve customer satisfaction, and joyful employees are up to 12% more productive. In this talk, Lee shows how to bring joy to every level of an organization, from the physical environment to leadership behaviors, to improve employee health and retention, innovation and collaboration, and organizational success.

We’re often taught that our surroundings are incidental to our wellbeing, but an emerging body of research shows that the physical world can be a powerful resource to us in cultivating happier, healthier lives. For example, studies show that workers in more colorful offices are more alert, friendly, and confident than those in drab ones, that windows can speed healing, and that children progress faster in classrooms with better lighting. In this highly visual, evidence-based talk, Lee shows how organizations and individuals can use simple elements like color, light, and decor to create spaces that improve markers of physical health, reduce stress, stimulate creativity, facilitate social interaction, and of course, promote joy.