Case Study:
Animus
A Visual Stress Tracking System
Personal Project
Client
Date
2021
Solution
Design Concept Prototype
Role
Main UX/UI Designer
Design Team
1 Designer
The Challenge
Starting from one of the rejected design directions of another project that revolves around a health index visualizer application, this particular direction initially seemed too abstract for practical use. Despite its unconventional nature, the concept generated quite a buzz among users. Following the positive feedback, I found myself intrigued and decided to pursue this design direction out of sheer curiosity alone. While acknowledging the somewhat abstract nature of the idea, the goal is to refine and explore its potential beyond the initial project, combining creativity with user engagement in a distinctive way.
The Idea
In an era marked by increasing awareness of mental health and well-being, the need for innovative tools to monitor and manage stress has never been more pressing. Enter Animus, a groundbreaking stress visualizer app designed to revolutionize stress tracking through the integration of face scanning technology and smartwatch data. By leveraging daily used devices, Animus offers users a seamless and accessible way to gauge their stress levels and visualize their overall health state.
Disclaimer: This is not a real application; rather, it serves as a conceptual test-driven by my curiosity.
The Design
By aligning visual elements with specific aspects of stress and mental state, Animus provides users with a comprehensive and intuitive way to track and understand their well-being. This approach enables users to visualize and interpret their stress levels, emotional health, nutrition, sleep quality, and activity levels effectively, empowering them to make informed decisions about their lifestyle and self-care practices.
Daylight (Sleep Quality):
Bright daylight or sunrise: Represents restful sleep and good sleep quality.
Dim or fading light: Indicates poor sleep quality or sleep disturbances.
Darkness or nighttime: Symbolizes sleep deprivation or insomnia.
Landscape (Emotional Health):
Smooth and flowing landscape: Reflects emotional stability and well-being.
Jagged or turbulent landscape: Signifies emotional distress or turmoil.
Changing landscape shapes: Represents shifts in emotional state over time.
Weather (Stress Levels):
Sunny weather: Indicates low-stress levels and a positive mood.
Cloudy or overcast weather: Suggests mild stress or uncertainty.
Stormy weather: Represents high-stress levels or emotional upheaval.
Vegetation (Nutrition):
Forest: Symbolizes a balanced and nutritious diet.
Savanna: Indicates poor nutrition or dietary deficiencies.
Jungle: Represents healthy eating habits and nutritional well-being.
Wildlife (Activity Levels):
Active and diverse wildlife: Signifies high activity levels and physical energy.
Sparse or dormant wildlife: Indicates low activity levels or fatigue.
Balanced wildlife population: Represents a healthy balance between rest and activity.
The Daily Task
To complement stress tracking, Animus incorporates a daily task feature aimed at promoting overall well-being. Users are prompted to complete a simple task each day, designed to help track their body's state and foster healthy habits. These tasks may include mindfulness exercises, physical activities, or relaxation techniques, tailored to each user's preferences and lifestyle. Animus focusing on daily used devices for inputting data ensures accessibility and convenience for users.
Smartphone: Utilize the user's smartphone as a primary input device. Users can input data directly into Animus via the app interface, including self-reported mood, activities, nutrition tracking, face-scan, and other relevant information.
Smartwatch: Continue integrating with smartwatches to capture biometric data such as heart rate, activity levels, meditation sessions, and sleep patterns. Smartwatches are commonly worn throughout the day, providing continuous data collection without requiring additional user effort.
The Guerrilla
Guerrilla Testing
(10 random participants)
For Animus, guerrilla testing presents a compelling opportunity to enhance its user experience and refine its features iteratively. By engaging with users in real-world settings, Animus can access a diverse pool of participants quickly and cost-effectively (basically, it's easy, quick, and costs me nothing). This accessibility ensures that the app's design and functionality resonate with a broad audience, capturing insights from users who may not typically participate in formal usability studies. Moreover, guerrilla testing offers Animus invaluable real-world insights into how users interact with the app, uncovering usability issues and pain points that may not surface in controlled testing environments. This firsthand observation enables Animus to make informed design decisions and iterate on its features promptly, ensuring that the app evolves in alignment with user needs and preferences. Embracing guerrilla testing as Animus's commitment to user-centric design, enabling it to deliver a user-friendly and impactful solution for stress tracking and mental well-being.
The Insight
Visual Appeal vs. Usability: While participants found the visual representations in Animus visually appealing and engaging, some expressed concerns about their usability. They appreciated the aesthetics but felt that the visuals could be more intuitive and informative in conveying stress levels and mental states accurately.
Personalization Preferences: Users showed a strong preference for personalized experiences within Animus. They enjoyed the flexibility to customize daily tasks and set personal goals but expressed a desire for more tailored recommendations and insights based on their individual preferences and needs.
Tech-Savviness Impact: The level of tech-savviness influenced participants' interactions with Animus. While some users easily navigated the app's features and functionalities, others struggled with technical aspects, such as syncing data from their smartwatches or understanding complex visualizations, highlighting the importance of designing for diverse user skill levels.
Emotional Connection: Participants formed an emotional connection with Animus, viewing it not just as a tool for stress tracking but as a companion in their journey towards better mental well-being. They appreciated the app's supportive features, which fostered a sense of trust.
Privacy Paradox: Participants expressed a paradoxical desire for both privacy and social connection within Animus. While they valued privacy in their health data and sensitive information, they also expressed interest in sharing their experiences and insights with a supportive community of users, indicating a need for nuanced privacy settings and social features.
Feedback Loop Impact: Users appreciated the opportunity to provide feedback within Animus but expressed varying levels of engagement with this feature. While some participants actively sought out opportunities to share their thoughts and suggestions, others preferred a more passive role, indicating a need for multiple feedback channels to accommodate different user preferences.
The Conclusion
After reflecting on the insights gained, I've come to realize that Animus does hold promise in its ability to enhance mental well-being through its symbolic representations. However, I've found a sense of fulfillment in the outcomes of my experiment, and I don't feel compelled to pursue Animus any further at this time.
