Sarah Diefenbach is professor for market and consumer psychology at the Ludwig-Maximilians University of Munich (Germany) with a focus on the field of interactive technology. Her research group explores design factors and relevant psychological mechanisms of technologies related to different facets pervasive computing (e.g., smart communication, self-improvement technologies, social media, companion technologies, social robots). Sarah Diefenbach received her doctorate in Psychology with distinction from the University of Koblenz-Landau. Since 2007 she is engaged in research on user experience and consumer experience in the field of interactive products. Current research topics focus on the negative side effects of technology use on happiness and wellbeing (“digital depression”), the psychological effects of social media (e.g., selfie-paradox) as well as interaction design from a psychological perspective (e.g., aesthetics of interaction, psychological needs approach). Sarah Diefenbach developed several methods for user experience design and evaluation (e.g., interaction vocabulary) which are widely applied in research and practice. She has acquired and led a number of interdisciplinary research projects by research foundations (BMBF, DFG) as well as industry partners.
Scientist: Sarah Diefenbach

The potential of digital well-being in times of physical social distancing
Digital well-being tools hold the promise of empowering users to regain control of time spent online. How successful are these tools during the Covid-19 global pandemic?

A scientist’s opinion : Interview with Prof Sarah Diefenbach about digital well-being
Interview with Sarah Diefenbach, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Psychology at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, German. What does your research investigate exactly? Sarah Diefenbach: In general, my research is centred on digital products from a psychological perspective. On the one hand, this includes the application of psychological knowledge (“psychological needs frameworks”, for example) ...