Nathan Weber | Eliese Bird | Bach Nguyen
Role: UX/UI
Project Statement
To design a system that helps reconnect individuals with their physical environment and foster a sense of mindfulness and reflection in an increasingly digital world. The physical artifact, made of advanced shape-shifting materials, provides a tangible representation of your day. The system needs a complementary app that allows users to journal.
My Approach
We developed a stimulating visual with 3D quality to all the interactive components. We wanted to develop an aesthetic that blends the digital experience with the physical world it controls. This approach improves clarity between states and is emotionally engaging.
Your Daily Reflection
A form is generated at every hour based on the data it gathers in that hour. A question will be generated at an hour when the AI determines that the data gathered at that time is unique and interesting, up to three times a day. Users are encouraged to respond to these questions using speech-to-text and submit their answers to log them for the day.
Explore & Connect
Users can select one of their forms to feature on the Explore Page by responding to a daily Global Connect question. This allows them to share their perspective on a specific topic and view the diverse perspectives of others. Also, they can drag around to explore various forms shared anonymously by users worldwide. Select any form to view their responses to the Global Connect questions and their daily reflections, and engage with their answers.
Gathering Insights
We presented our concept to our instructor and classmates to set out specific goals for our system. Based on their inputs and feedback, we identified wanted features and drew insights.
Reflective Questions & Journaling Features
Users want questions that are relevant and foster connection, along with features that allow for daily reflection.
Meaningful Depictions
Users want abstract forms that are both engaging and meaningful, reflecting their daily experiences in ways that resonate with them personally.
Share & Explore
Users want to share their days’ outcomes and their perspectives on the daily questions, and also explore others’.
Archive
Users want an archive page where they can easily revisit their past days, providing them with a convenient way to reflect on their experiences and track their journey over time.
Wireflow
I created a low fidelity prototype and conducted an usability testing session with a group of college students to validate the app navigation and features.
Insight From Usability Testing
A usability test was conducted with 5 participants. They were asked to run through different scenarios in the prototype, hoping to gather enough feedback for the next set of iterations.
Highlight Throughout The Day
It's important to highlight your entire day, not just the end result. By documenting each part of the day and demonstrating how things evolve over time, users can engage more effectively.
Engagement Through Speech
Using speech instead of typing could foster a stronger connection and engagement when responding to reflective questions. Incorporating a speak-to-text function and highlighting its use over typing could encourage people to speak more, thus enhancing engagement.
Engagement Through Interaction
Users want to be able to interact with other's posts. They want to feel validated and it would result in better engagement.
Make Archive More Interesting
Summarizing a month within an abstract medium, alongside an overview of their month, would enable users to engage more and gain a broader perspective on their lives.
Iteration
We transitioned from a single daily form to an hourly format to enhance engagement. The original aesthetic and user experience felt too straightforward, making users feel like they were completing homework, which didn’t align with the concept’s identity. To address this, we redesigned the aesthetic to be more dreamy and made the experience more animated and emotionally stimulating.
Change 1
Change 2
Change 3
