Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) College of Science and Engineering (CSE) conducted a workshop on February 18, 2023, for staff at AppLab, a local online platforms development company, that focused on digital wellbeing and inclusivity.

The two-part workshop had a theoretical component that outlined the theory of digital wellbeing, including the basic human needs for flourishing, motivation, and satisfaction, and a co-design session, which saw the participants tackle design challenges focused on users’ wellbeing as part of multidisciplinary teams. The participants included user experience and user interface designers working at AppLab along with human-computer interaction and psychology experts.

Dr. Reem Al-Mansoori, post-doctoral fellow and member of the i-Solouk research group at CSE, designed and conducted the workshop in order to enhance digital designers’ awareness in topics related to inclusivity and digital wellbeing. This initiative was part of a project funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) under a grant that Dr. Al-Mansoori won during the 6th cycle of the QNRF’s Postdoctoral Research Award.

“This project is aligned with Qatar’s efforts to achieve sustainable development through preserving wellbeing and ensuring inclusivity and leaving no one behind, whether in the physical or  digital world,” said Dr. Al-Mansoori.

“We are proud to support this workshop as part of novel research led by a dedicated member of our research team. This collaboration exemplifies the CSE’s commitment to forwarding collaborative education, training, research, and capacity-building with our local partners,” said Dr. Dena Al-Thani, Associate Professor and Director of Interdisciplinary Programs at CSE, who is a mentor in this QNRF funded project, also serves as a member in the i-Solouk research group.

The AppLab staff participating in the workshop gleaned insights that supplemented their working practices, including knowledge about the huge impact of digital design on the satisfaction and dissatisfaction of humans’ psychological needs as well as how nudge theory can influence designers’ behavior for better digital designs that can preserve the users’ wellbeing

“Strong collaboration between academia and industry contributes positively to the local economy as well as the country’s innovation and the education system. We greatly appreciate HBKU’s efforts and we will be continuously supporting this initiative at Applab,” said AlHasan Al-Sammarie, Managing Partner at AppLab.

The i-Solouk research group is a research group focused on fundamental and applied research to provide the knowledge, methods, and tools to better understand and regulate the relationship between technology and humans. Led by Dr. Al-Thani and Dr. Raian Ali, Professor at HBKU’s CSE, i-Solouk is a part of CSE’s Information & Computing Technology program. To learn more about i-Solouk, visit: https://www.hbku.edu.qa/en/cse/i-solouk.

AppLab: is a private company for digital solutions based in Qatar. To learn more about Applab and their projects, visit: https://applab.qa/ 

CSE engages and leads in research disciplines of national and global importance. The College integrates expertise from HBKU’s research institutes and works closely with government, academia, and industry partners at home and abroad.