I went through Designing for Interaction to come up with a solid process to develop the user interface and user experience of Aura. First I reminded myself of the goal of Aura, the challenges that I faced, and the features it needed to include. I then did an assessment of Messages, the current texting app on the iPhone, by taking screenshots of different functions and designing its app map. This helped me to determine what was working and what was not. Turning to Aura, I listed lots of ideas for its tagline. I created three personas and scenarios for each about how they would possibly use Aura. The scenarios were inspired from the user journey maps that I created from the discussion party. I then listed all the tasks that users needed to be able to do on Aura and designed a task flow for a sensible order that these tasks would occur in. Looking at the app map for Messages and the task flow, I designed a map app for Aura (above). This helped me to design wire frames for the essential and unique screens and functions of Aura. I took the wire frames and sketched visuals for the placeholders. To see this process…
I went back to my sketchbook to further refine my concept, brainstorm names for the app (which was very taxing), explore various visual elements, and make storyboards for each of expression within the weather concept using a visual language. At first I was thinking that my app should feel sophisticated and sexy for couple but had to remind myself of the purpose of my app: affective communication for couples using weather. Since affect is truly what I'm after, I feel my app should feel fluid, blurry, and personal like emotions. The front running names are Aura, Atmosphere, and Drift. To see the full process…
I met with two other designers and showed them my roughly sketched ideas. I gained two valuable nuggets of information:
- People are interacting with their phones abundantly when it's dangerous to (e.g. texting while driving). Using a feature that communicates mood through interaction, requiring the user to interact with a message before reading it, could be very dangerous. This added step could not only be a annoying, but also troubling. So I will rule out how interaction can affect mood.
- Sketching out features that fully use the background made me realize that doing so will eliminate the ability to log mood and directly link them to a message. A designer pointed out I could do something along the lines of Exquisite Corpse.
This second nugget is great! Instead of using the whole background I can use the horizontal strip the same with as the message. Text messages have negative space on their opposite side and this would be great for me to use. I can view the active space of messages as a bar where text and moods are displayed. I feel this may even encourage people to type more (going back to my insight on how people use less words with texts) because the more you type, the more space you have to convey mood.
I refined four of my concepts, fleshing out more moods:
- Weather / environment: The horizontal space insight makes me think about layers and strata in addition the concept of building so this could lead to things beyond weather
- Messages that transform / move like facial features and body
- Animated & interactive avatars
- A screen that is able to change its texture and change temperature (fictitious)
To see the refined sketches…
From my research and insights I got lots of ideas. I wrote them all down in a list, not judging them. and sketched out how they would work using five moods: humorous, sarcastic, flirtatious, stressed, and tired (these popped up the storytelling). I also sketched ideas for the general interface. Here is a list of all my ideas:
Solid Concepts
- weather in the background to communicated moods / feelings (e.g. sunny, rainy, windy, etc.)
- animate text bubble in ways to relate to water before the message displays text (e.g. drip, burst, shake / ripple, etc.)
- animate text shape to mimic facial features and gestures before message displays text (e.g. bubble vertically shrinks to mimic winking)
- animated avatar besides message that gestures and the user is able to interact with (e.g. wave, smile, frown, giggle, other person can rapidly swipe to tickle or stab to poke, etc.)
- different ways a user has to interact with the phone to open a message to elicit emotion (e.g. smack, shake, slowly slide with all fingers, etc.)
Unconventional
- using custom vibrations
- changing the lighting
- user control of sounds
- exploring the sound vibrations make
- scenery background for the whole app or individual messages
- using smell
- exploring handwriting analysis
- temperature of phone
Features
- usage of color
- recognition of the input of words and phrases to automatically set animation (e.g. typing "hehe" or "LOL" cues app to set message to joking)
- threads / rooms that work in a similar way to Facebook
- user can create a thread with a subject like hashtagging (e.g. happy hour)
- thread / room can be set to have a mood (e.g. happy hour would be set to a fun feeling)
- messages will be contained with a thread / room for easy finding and mood association (like returning to room that has a fun feeling makes you feel playful even though you may be coming from a stressful situation)
- alerts for when something to added to a thread / room
- ability to save texts for later / draft
Considerations
- spectrum between user customization and presets: voluntary gestures (e.g. waving, hugging, bowing) are based on culture and personal preferences versus involuntary gestures (e.g. laughing, vomiting) are universal
- exploring all the senses to investigate what works best / is innovative to inciting emotions: seeing something vs doing / touching something (interaction) vs feeling something vs hearing something vs smelling something
To see all of my sketches…
"When we started working with digital technology there was always a kind of coldness to things and I always felt so detached from what you see out here or how you interact with people. And one thing that I started doing what I thought really kind of added a layer to it, which really inspired me to think about anthropomorphism and empathy and how you can add that into work, is you take an inanimate object and stick two dots on it and it becomes alive suddenly. Two eyes…it's such a simple way of bringing a soul into anything. And the same with adding feet. …[T]hat's all it takes and suddenly you've got a hear beat in an object." —Matt Pyke
There are three scenarios:
Thesis as Largest and Most Complex Project in Portfolio
My thesis project will definitely be the most comprehensive project in my portfolio. However I certainly do not intend for it to be just to be a part of my portfolio without it doing anything for me. There is no where for me to move up in my current company so perhaps this would mean creating a business of my own. I would need to gather a team that I felt strong about including another designer, illustrator, photographer, copy writer, accountant, legal person, and clerical person. This would be a lot of work to start and run my one business!
Thesis Living Beyond AAU
This is a highly likely possibility. It seems that I have a thesis project that is getting a lot of support for people who I talk to. After designing a prototype I would talk to an app developer / programmer on how to make this thing come to life. I would then need to research whether to get in content with Apple, sell it to another company, or do it on my own / with my own team. There that entrepreneurial thought is again! I don't have a strong interest in starting my own business.
Thesis to Find a Job
This is really my goal in combination with the above. I really love branding and design research and would love to work as an art director or high position in design for a fun / creative company. I don't have an interest in web / screen design despite my thesis. I love print. I would use my thesis to show my ability to identity and visually solve problems in addition my skills in design research and branding.