Bad Studio is a design practice and social experiment curated by Max Bock-Aronson. It is a response to our overly saturated digital media environment and to Max's own struggles with Technology Addiction (TA).
Problem: a digitally addicted world
We are living through the worst collective mental health crisis ever documented. In the US, rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide have all increased by more than 30% over the last two decades, and around 60 million Americans battled a mental disorder of some kind in the previous year (with millions more undiagnosed).
One accelerant of this crisis is the small, addictive computers we all carry in our pockets. Smartphones offer utility for work and life, but they are also designed to monopolize our attention and can fuel depression, anxiety, and loneliness. That's why technology addiction (TA) has become one of the most common comorbidities of anxiety and depression, undermining the health of millions of people around the world, especially teens and children.
Approach
Behavioral Activation (BA) is a 3rd-generation psychotherapeutic approach to treating depression and anxiety. BA is built on the behaviorism theory that an individual's actions have a profound effect on their thoughts and emotions, and that engaging in pleasurable activities can improve mood and reduce depressive symptoms. BA is even shown to be superior to Cognitive Therapy (CT) for some individuals who are moderately to severely depressed.
Bad Studio builds on BA through Behavioral Activation Design (BAD), a design methodology that nudges users toward values-aligned behaviors. BAD combines principles of human-centered design, Behavioral Activation (BA), and applied behavioral science to create interactive objects and experiences that can improve mental health for people struggling with a range of mental health disorders.
Principle
Max Bock-Aronson is a design engineer with 12+ years of experience and 11 patents spanning the fields of consumer products, medical devices, and public health. He sold his first startup, Breathe99, which was featured in the New York Times, Yahoo Finance, and on the cover of TIME Magazine's Best Inventions of 2020. His clients include companies such as L'Oreal, Boston Scientific, Medtronic, and the Mayo Clinic.
Max graduated with a Master's of Design Engineering from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.