Note: These are my notes from this panel, and are not edited very well.

Moderator: Kathy Sierra

People with a passion make the object/subject of their passion more meaningful than it is for the rest of us.

People are irrational. Passionate people, not rational.

Reverse engineering passion. No one is passionate about something they suck at. Passion requires continuous improvement.

How to get people further up the knowledge and expertise curve?

Are people getting better at the product. Want kick ass at the end result, not the tool.

Misattribution of arousal: Brain doesn’t know what’s causing the good experience. Passion spillover.

To create a passionate user, you need to help people kick ass. Think about how can you help someone get better. Better is better.

What the brain thinks is important and what the mind thinks is important, are different. How do you get past the brain’s crap filter? Chemistry. The brain thinks it must be important because you feel something.

Brain pays attention to weird stuff. Scary things. And people who look like they’re looking at scary things. Brains cares about things that are small, young, cute. Joy and happiness, humor, pleasure. Play is really important to the brain. Sexy and beautiful.

Mind Tax (book)

Brains care about things that are unresolved. Where you can’t figure out what’s going on. What’s the story? Are you unraveling a story for your users? Must be good at helping them learn.

Cares about conversational language, versus formal language. Brains retention of this material goes up. Brain thinks it’s having a real conversation and thinks it must pay attention.

How do get them to stay with it through the I suck phase. How quickly from suck to passion. How to motivate people to keep going.

Why do they keep going. They see people having a really good time. Looks fun. Compelling picture of what it looks like to be really good. There has to be steps to getting there. Need a path that makes sense. Clear picture of expertise, steps to getting there.

To help them get better, you have to help them learn. Learning theory.

Reference side bad, understanding good. Providing too many facts, bad.

Two ways to get people to remember: repetition; emotional engagement.

Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (book)

You believe you’re one compile away. What causes flow? Challenge, and knowledge and skill. If you think you have the knowledge and skill to meet the challenge. Can’t just dumb down the experience.

Get attention, build interest, challenge, payoff.

What can you do to get this concept of levels.