Agratia
A digital-analog journal which guides and encourages a habit of writing and reflection in an authentic manner to improve our emotional wellbeing.
BACKGROUND
Self reflection & noticing moments of appreciation have lasting, positive impact on our emotional well being, however, in today's fast paced lifestyle we often forget to pause and reflect. I sought to answer the question, how might we better integrate self reflection and gratitude into people's daily routines? Through various research methods, defining user stories, prototyping concepts, testing with users, and iterating after user feedback, Agratia was created.
CHALLENGE
Naturally people tend to ruminate on the negative moments, however, when pausing to reflect one can holistically see all the other moments of appreciation that are taken for granted. Unfortunately, in today's busy lifestyles, it can be difficult for many to build that time for pause and reflection in their routine.
I sought to answer, how might we encourage moments of reflection & appreciation in people's daily routines?
TEAM
Sole designer for this thesis project
Outcomes
Interactive physical notebook & companion app prototype
Through 6 months, I had defined an abstract topic area and uncovered tangible problems, generated multiple opportunity areas, prototyped and tested a few, pivoted directions, crafted users stores, outlined the information architecture, developed interactive wireframes, and built a working physical prototype. Through this journey I was able to push myself through moments of ambiguity and make design decisions.
At the end, an interactive app along with a works-like physical journal were created, with decision decisions pointing back towards user research and user testing.
Approach
Define Problem Space
For this thesis, I began by focusing on themes that resonated with me. As someone who's learned the importance of mental health, I wanted to focus on this field, specifically the power of appreciation and how difficult it can be to reflect in this way.
User Research
Hypothesis: Users seek contextual information to better understand articles, but do not be distracted by information that is irrelevant to them or redirection to new webpages.
GOALS
Validate user problem
Evaluate current processes & paint points
Identify a niche area to focus initial prototypes
Evaluate competitive benchmarks
METHODS
Primary interviews- we spoke with 10 users initially to understand their reading behaviors
User activities- users highlighted text on articles and had them think out loud while reading
Benchmarking- Existing solutions that provide contextual information were analyzed & tested
Initial Findings
USER DEFINITIONPerception - Where you choose to focus your attention
Skill - Takes time and practice to develop
Emotion - Deep feeling of appreciation throughout
GOALS/BENEFITS
Resilience- Ability to manage stress
Emotional State- Better mood & less negative emotions
Mental Wellness- Improved mental health & mindset
Relationships- Deepen existing ones and form new ones
PROCESS
Notice
Reflect
Record
Express
Obstacles
In users journeys to reflect upon gratitude and express it, these were the consistent obstacles users faced.
Uncertainty
"Not sure what I’ll reflect on eventually- I feel like it’ll all be the same… and if that’s the case, what does that say about me?" - JD
Forgetfulness
"It’s easy to overlook & take things for granted" -JP
"I was planning on sending them a thank you gift, but just kept putting it off and forgot" -SM
Being Busy
"It’s something I’d want to do more, there’s just not enough hours in the day to [reflect on gratitude]" -HP
Obligation
"When I was told to [be grateful] it just had the opposite effect… when it’s forced it loses its authenticity" -PS
Insights & Themes
Findings from research which meet the criteria of being information which was non-obvious and interesting, relevant, and actionable.
Reflection upon gratitude is a skill which can be developed
Gratitude can progress from mechanical to melodic with time and practice. The benefits have a compound effect as they may not initially be as apparent but rather build up over time.
Routine is key, but
being forced devalues gratitude
A key tension lies between obligation & routine practice, as obligation diminishes its value & authenticity, but having a routine of reflection even when not in the mood is key to its development.
Moments of reflection
are fleeting
In anticipation of recording moments of gratitude, people are more mindful of these typically overlooked moments throughout the day.
People learn expressions of gratitude through observation
Gratitude is learned by noticing or receiving gratitude from others around them. From here, people are able to then better express gratitude towards others.
Personalized details increase the impact of expressed gratitude
Personalization is most impactful when it is the sum of many details specifically tailored for someone. Like the 5 love languages, impact also depends upon the type of expressions which resonate with the giver & receiver.
Authenticity goes
beyond the expected
Authenticity is the perceived time, thought, and intent behind a gift. It is most apparent when it is surprising and beyond the expected, such as '7 star' service which goes beyond standards and not just politeness.
Context affects how appreciation is received
Gratitude when expressed without context causes confusion in the receiver who is left to assume the purpose of the expression.
Ideation & Concept Testing
Through initial research there were multiple opportunity areas to explore for this thesis project. Based on resource constraints and end deliverable goals, I narrowed down to a select few concepts to test with users.
After gathering feedback from users, I decided to focus on reminders & guidance in reflection & gratitude as it seemed to resonate the most. A few key learnings came out of these tests as well:
Freedom to Choose - Users didn't want to feel forced to reflect or stuck with one type of reflection guidance
Remove Risk of Repercussions - In a plant prototype, people expressed extreme fear of consequences if the plant died
Anti-Gamification - People felt "points and rewards delegitimize gratitude" and takes away form the authenticity
Design Principles
Through initial user research and feedback, these principles were established to provide guidance for prioritization.
Authenticity
Maintain the pure nature of gratitude untainted by extrinsic rewards and doesn’t feel forced and fake.
Simplicity
With busy lives, users expressed the need for something less complicated and straightforward that they could quickly integrate into their lifestyles.
Relatability
An experience that is relatable in all aspects, including the physical form factor, the app interface, and language used.
User Stories
User stories paired with expected outcomes and the features which would meet these needs. These provided an organized manner to pair features to user needs & goals as well as prioritize features.
Emotional & Function Design Features
Potential features were broken down into whether they served more of an emotional or functional purpose for the user. This helped me brainstorm specific features for varying types of user needs.
User Flow
The user flow outlines the various sections and interactions the user will have with Agratia as they use it in their routine.
Prototyping & Testing
Both digital and physical elements were designed & tested in varying fidelities. With each round of testing, feedback was incorporated into the next iteration.
Works Like Prototype
Using Trello to mimic the functionality of the app with users
Wireframes With Cutouts
Using cutouts to design the layout
User Flows
Whiteboarding to map out the user flow
Low Fidelity Mockups
Creating mockups to test with users
Testing Language, Metrics, & Prompts
Tested content to find what was authentic and meaningful to users and how they categorized each
Foamcore Prototype
Using a notebook and foamcore cover to test the notebook
Agratia Design
Agratia is an analog-digital journal which encourages & guides a routine of writing and reflection. It leverages the authenticity and emotional connection of physical writing, while utilizing a companion app to guide users for reflection.
Product
TANGIBLE EXPERIENCE
Utilizing a physical product integrated in ones life
NUDGES
Use user behaviors and routines to provide guidance
Product
GUIDING APP
Provide prompts as inspiration to reflect upon
ON-THE-GO ENTRIES
Ability to capture and store spontaneous thoughts
Visual Nudge
Gentle light reminder that pulses to remind users to write at their given times when they are at home.
Located in the corners so user can view it no matter what orientation the notebook is placed
“it’s not another one of a bajillion notifications on my phone” -AS
Handwritten Element
Users resonated with the handwritten aspect, finding a strong emotional connection and giving them time to truly reflect.
“I think as I write, so I go way more in depth while I’m writing”
“It makes more more intentional about what I think and write”
“I can tell by my handwriting the emotions that were behind it”
“Satisfying, meditative feel”
Haptic & Visual Feedback
Users are rewarded with randomized light patterns after writing and gentle vibration to stimulate the senses and give them the satisfaction after each time they finish writing.
Sending Thanks
Stamps and foldable envelopes are in the back so that when users feel inspired to express their feelings of appreciation they can easily write and send a letter, bypassing the barrier of finding materials to write
“It’s just too troublesome [to get the materials]” - SM
Adding convenience of writing letters to others
Refillable Notebook
When the journal is used up, users can then replace their notebooks with a new one
Routine
People had expressed that routine was key to keeping up a habit of writing and reflecting. There was a lot of value seen in reflecting on past entries and notice growth, as well as reminders to reach out to people that one felt grateful for.
“a commitment to a routine… a different kind of hygiene”-JE
“Look back and see how how I’ve changed” - AS
“I wrote about it (favor a friend did) but it didn’t cross my mind to reach out” - DJ
Choice of how often they want to be nudged to write, reflect, and reach out
Digital Reflections
When users don’t have their physical journal with them, they can use the app and quickly access and record moments and thoughts, whether inputting through text, audio, picture, or video, as each are suitable for different moments & situations.
Prompts
Upon the app opening up, users are greeted with a personalized prompt or given the choice to choose a prompt they want to write upon.
Single, curated prompt that “feels personal and catered” - DJ
List of prompts so users feel like they have choice and can select prompts that more greatly resonate with them
“Like if i got a prompt about family but don’t really want to write about them right now, I’d want choice” -AS
Categories to select from if users want to go back to prompts that they wanted to reflect upon
Easily Accessible
Using NFC to tap the cover of the journal and the app will automatically open up, making it quick and simple to open up the application for prompts on reflection
“As little clicks as possible” - EO
“It feels connected, like the app and journal know me” - DJ
Encouraging Data
App collects information from the journal and lets the user know how often they’ve written as well as writing streaks as positive reinforcement and encouragement.
Logo Design
The logo was inspired from the living hinge pattern on the wood journal cover as well as resembling an 'A' for Agratia
Project Learnings
Takeaways as a designer from this process
Test Early & Often
I found myself doing perhaps too much research due to the abstract nature of the project. I realized that sometimes you just have to build and test as quickly as possible to gain new insights.
You Only Need One Insight
I struggled with so many insights and potential opportunity areas that I stalled and tried to choose the 'best' one. In reality, sometimes it's choosing just one or two insights to guide the core of one's design with the others as considerations, as opposed to trying to design for all.
Narrow Down Your User Group
With an abstract topic, I knew narrowing down who my key users were was essential. Even choosing college freshman, this was too broad as I would get widely mixed results at times. Clearly defining a niche or extreme user group would help with testing and gaining clearer results.