Being and staying happy is an attribute in our design careers that we don’t often talk about. Happiness comes in many forms and shapes. Declaring a state of happiness is tricky. On the one hand, we don’t want to admit that such a thing really happens, because aren’t we supposed to work hard and feel the pain? On the other hand, we don’t want to come across as too happy because we know how fleeting this state of existence might be, and more work pain is right around the corner.

Happiness requires trust

Trust the process of endorsing happiness. Write down what you did when you felt a wave of happy feeling envelop your body and mind. What did you create? Or did you read something that made you happy? Did you design something at the computer, or draw by hand?

Bhutan, the country where happiness has an index

The Bhutanese Gross National Happiness (GNH) has been introduced as a policy some 50 decades ago. Dorji Penjore, a Bhutanese anthropologist and researcher, says the GNH is an attempt to live in a way that’s holistic, not restricted to measuring economics or productivity.

Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross National Product. –King Jigme Singye Wangchuck (1972)

Dorji Penjore wrote an insightful paper Salient Features of Gross National Happiness on the principles of the GNH.[1] Included in the GNH is a measurement for concepts such as living standards, health, psychological wellbeing, time use, education, cultural diversity and resilience, good governance, community vitality, and ecological diversity and resilience.

However, as designers, what can we learn from the concept of a GNH?

Designers are often required to work alone and long hours. Design work is grit, uncertainty, and fraught with iterations upon iterations. We work for clients with their own set of rules. We have to follow the rules. And, we need to stay creative and upbeat throughout the process so that we can get paid.

What are some triggers to cause a wave of design happiness?

How can design happiness be measured?

A weekly index of our design actions might provide some valuable insights into our modes of thinking and creating.

We need to do some research. Let’s ask the following 4 questions.

1. Do we ask for advice without hesitation?

Receiving input from design friends can go a long way. Check how often you communicate with your buddies. Most likely, the more we communicate, the happier we’ll be. After all, what are friends for?

2. Do we access design support services when needed?

Sometimes, a simple check-in on a training platform or viewing a training video can give us exactly the technical answer we are looking for. Other times, visiting a museum or stepping outside of our design cube can give us valuable inspiration. A survey will reveal some basic truths quickly.

3. How comfortable is your physical design space?

Nurturing a creative environment is key to happiness. An ergonomic chair can add oodles of happy body feeling while working well into the night. Good light can work magic in our index of happiness. Let’s ask a few simple questions.

4. Which task makes us smile the most?

We can consciously record what makes us the happiest in the process of creating. One action will continually inspire us more than all the other.

Analyze the data collected from these 4 questions

Data analysis is as important as data collection. We’ve asked ourselves important questions relating to our own happiness as designers.

For question 1, a higher number for reaching out to friends is most likely a better score than a lower number, and will make you happier in the process.

For question 2, more yes answers are better than having answered with a no. We cannot grow as designers without accessing services.

For question 3, each answer will give you a clear sense of physical items that need improvement in your work space. Whatever the answer, try to improve your physical comfort space one way or another.

For question 4, whichever task triggers happiness in you, that’s the one you want to cherish. However, whichever task falls off a bit, try to improve that skill.

In summary

Design happiness is a good thing.

We can research our own user experience as designers. Answering honestly will give us an index of how happy, and ultimately, how successful we can be as designers.

This strategy applies not only to designers. It is the same for developers, engineers, writers, parents, everyone really.