About Ben Parr
Ben Parr knows how to get people’s attention. In just three years he had gone from a staff writer to Editor-at-Large of Mashable, one of the most influential blogs on the internet. During Ben’s time at Mashable, he wrote over 2000 articles and interviewed everyone from Ashton Kutcher to Mark Zuckerberg. His ability to command the attention of his readers and captivate them with his writing made Ben one of the most respected voices in tech. But the days of Ben writing headlines were coming to a close and it was time for him to start making them. After Mashable, Ben spent his time between entrepreneurial endeavors and serving some of the world’s most powerful companies in a variety of roles, from advisor to investor. Forbes even named him one of their “30 Under 30” young innovators to watch.
Over the last few years, Ben’s been working on a new project that just might be his most impressive yet. Digging through scientific papers and interviewing some of the world’s brightest minds including Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintento, Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook, and magician David Copperfield, Ben has been studying the science of capturing people’s attention. His new book, “Captivology,” is an approachable dive into the psychological and cognitive triggers that make people sit up and take notice, something Ben seems to know how to do quite well.
On Friday, April 28th, we’ll be siting down with Ben to find out what are the elements to capturing and maintaining people’s attention, how designers can use these psychological triggers to make more captivating and engaging products, and what companies need to do to rise above the noise.
