👋 Hi, I'm Ben. Future People Lab is where I design small, hopeful, research-backed tools to help us become more resilient and future-ready.

I think of these tools as artifacts; my contributions to a better future.

They’re modest in form, but they take on big problems:

  • card games for better disagreements

  • emo mixtapes for working through climate despair

  • safe-house gift baskets for supporting our immigrant neighbors

Each artifact is shaped through deep research:

  • I use a salutogenic approach, focusing on factors that promote well-being, like fostering healthier disagreements, reducing climate anxiety, or supporting safer neighborhoods.

    You can help prioritize which outcomes I tackle next.

    Each outcome connects to specific behaviors that drive healthier, safer, more connected lives.

  • To move the needle on these outcomes, like better disagreements, we have to identify which behaviors need to stop, start, or shift.

    In this case, the science shows constructive disagreement requires dropping old habits (e.g. winning, logic-only debates) and building new ones (e.g. sharing communication styles, making each other feel heard).

    Behavior research maps the levers of change tailored to each audience and the target behaviors, leading to evidence-based prototypes ready for real-world testing.

  • Science-backed prototypes only matter if people want to use them.

    User research shapes prototypes through real feedback, until disagreements feel as easy as following a trusted trail guide.

That's what Designed with Purpose™ means: artifacts built to work, matter, and last.

I made Disagree Differently first because progress needs healthy disagreements. Without it, we avoid tough talks or bulldoze each other—and nothing moves forward. Plus, I wanted a safe way for loved ones to be themselves with me, especially if they disagree.

Want to help shape what's next? You can vote on priorities, join research studies, or help keep this work independent from profit pressures.

Welcome,
Ben

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My CV

I also provide user research and behavior change design services for folks working on well-being. My clients have included:

Fidelity Investments | CoinMetrics | Meedan | Nigeria Health Watch | Harvard University