4. My Starting Point: What was I interested in?
LIFE BALANCE + PERSONAL INFORMATICS
“Measuring things about yourself, then being able to reflect on them and
may be make changes” Matt Jones, Dopplr
what are the possibilities when people are made more aware of their lifestyle
patterns?
What happens when you can track intangible information about our day-to-
day actions?
5. RESEARCH
IDEA GENERATION & PROTOTYPING
Process Diagram: My journey EXECUTION
6. User Research: What did i want to learn?
> Gain an understanding of what it means for people to live a balanced life, what
are people’s personal values they need to meet to feel comfortable in their lifestyle?
> How does this change depending on what stage of their life they are at?
> What personal strategies or tools do they use to achieve this?
> What triggers people to feel stressed, and what are their “feel good” activities?
12. Research Analysis: Filtering and clustering insights.....how might we statements
> Keeping in better contact with friends and
family
> Motivation to have a healthy Lifestyle (esp.
focusing on cooking and eating habits)
> Personal Prioritising within your life
13. Research Insights: Key quote #1
“hobbies are great when they are built into your life, but when you don’t do it for a
while you forget how much you really enjoy it and it means to you until you do it
again” Pernille Christoffersen, Denmark
People easily forget how something make them feel, when they stop doing it on a
regular basis...they adjust to new situations easily
14. Research Insights: Key quote #2 and 3
“I would love to be able to
schedule time for reading.......but “Prioritising is difficult, it would be
it sounds kind of dorky...so i would good to have ground rules, or a
love to be able to track some of rule of thumb to follow”
these things without having to Francesca Mustaffi, Italy
actually track it” People like to be guided in some
Amanda Bligh, USA way, when it comes to making
People feel silly scheduling ‘me personal decisions
time’ but are still interested to
understand what they spend their
time on.
15. Research Insights: Key quote #4
“I found writing in a diary can be really helpful, as it gave me a
good chance of stopping to have a deeper insight into my
thoughts and feelings” Laura ceriol, Italy
People appreciate being given the opportunity to reflect
“I don’t currently write in a diary as I imagine someone reading it, so I wouldn’t put
anything personal in it…….But I like the approach of this diary, I actually find that I
want to be more productive just so you can write something positive in it, kind of
indirect motivation”
Eric Stevenson, USA
Having to actively record you activities makes people more motivated to do well
16. Research Insights: Key quote #5
“I didn’t actually realize how much i was traveling for work until i saw it visually, how
much of my diary was coloured in” David Kearford, UK
People are less aware of certain habits when they happen over a longer period of time.
People become more aware when they are reflecting rather than when something happens
in the moment.
19. Design Challenge
[ How might we create a customizable platform that will help people to
]
reconnect to themselves, enabling them to prioritize in their lives by
keeping track of and reminding them of past experiences that they can
then use as a reference point to make more informed decisions?
22. Concept Development: Experience prototype #1 learnings
>People are unaware of how much they actually do, and how busy they are until
they actually sit down and think about it.
>People have very different views about how they categorize their time.
>Putting activities into categories gave a very clear overview of how people spent
their time, and then you could get a deeper layer of information to find out specific
activities, happiness etc.
>Using colour to show different categories, very quickly enables you to see
patterns in behaviour especially related to the home and workplace.
24. Concept Development: Considerations
>Flexible, Customizable and Scalable
>Work to reward and not punish
>give information that is understandable and actionable
>Use feedback mechanisms to give gentle nudges and inform people how they can
change their behaviour in real time
>Leave it open so the user can fill in the end of the story...don’t tell them what to
do, but give them clear information, so they can make informed decisions
themselves
26. Concept: Service blueprint
1. awareness: 2. evaluate and commit: 3. learn and implement: 4. using the echo service 5. quiting
Prior to signing up Signing up for the service Setting up your echo system recording your data reflecting in the moment
leaving the echo service
feedback on the move reflecting over time sharing your data
-Printed advertising material: posters, postcards that -Echo Welcome Pack: Instructions, membership -Monthly personal review of -A confirmation letter telling the customer that
physical
can be used ito give people maximum exposure and card, software details and welcome letter behaviour, recieved in the post their account has been suspended and the
awareness of the new service smart phone application will no longer work as
of a certain date
-Final summary report of recorded data
touchpoints
-Echo website: -Echo smart phone application -UI design of the smart phone -Well done messgages -Echo offline personal software
screen based
-Echo offline software used to set up the system
-Echo homepage Homepage with information about the service -Echo smart phone application (choosing from the prioritiy you application for rating your -Reminders about activities that to view data vizualizations of
and the subscriptions available (both downloaded from the website with details are doing and the people you are happiness, adding a voice clip or are outstanding recorded information, or edit
-Web based advertising from any of the potential provided) with) tagging a location and event -Reminders of past events when profile settings
stakeholders Subscription and payment procedure pages (UI for all of these screen based applications) -UI design of smart phone walking past tagged locations
application (all via smart phone app.)
-Confirmation email
The user can sync their phone
to their computer at any point The user wlll have to notify the service provider
User Experience
and review their information in one month before they wish to stop using the
The user starts recording their The user can reflect in the The user will receive friendly The user can choose to share
the form of data vizualtions. service. Their payments will then be stopped and
The users hears about the service potentially The user reads the information about the service on User recieves the Echo welcome pack and activities by capturing each moment after they have prompts to help them meet certain elements of their data
They can filter by day or week their smart phone application will stop working.
through different types of publicity and the homepage and decided whether they want to downloads all the software needed to set-up their thing they do. The location of completed an activity and rate their activities and to remind on an online platform with
or see them in happiness They will still have access to their previous data
stakeholders. These can range from mobile phone sighn up. If they do they will then choose which system. When the software is downloaded they the event is stored by using their happiness and satisfaction. them of past experiences. friends they trust, this can
mode, so they can pinpoint that is kept on their software, as a log of their
providers, to organisations that premote personal subsciptions they would like and make a payment. will enter where they live and work, their priorities GPS on their phone. They They can also add another layer They will also receieve lead to an exchange of
what they were doing and who activities while using the service. But they will
well-being to traditional methods of advertising. They will then receive a confirmation email that their they want to do and the people they spend time chose from a list of activities of context by adding a voice clip suggestions on other things advice or finding common
they were with when they were no-longer be able to upload any new data.
order has been processed with. They will then save their information and they have already chosen or tagging the event and they may like to do, based on interests with people they
during their set-up or happiest.
sync it to their smart phone. location. their existing profile didn’t know they had. They will also receive a final personal review with
alternatively enter a new one
They will also receive a a a summary of all their data they have recorded
monthly report of their data in and uploaded
the post
-Creating the welcome packs for their customers -The echo smart phone application is collecting and saving all your information that is being recorded so it can be uploaded to the users profile at any point Processing cancelled subsciptions and creating
The Echo service wants to promote that they The service will be providing their website service on
Thu user reads the information about the and the
final reviews for their customers.
and delivering them to them
have a tool to help people live a more balanced platform for people to sign upwhether they payment.
the homepage and decided and make a want to
Service Provider
life by enabling to prioritise. The service can Their information do they will then choose which
sighn up. If they will then need to go into a Provides the user with Turning the users recorded creating a safe and
subsciptions they would like and make a payment -Producing the design and functionality of the Echo
advertise independantly and also look for database. personalised prompts and data into data visualizations secure online website
software for the customers smart phone and for
partners such as mobile phone providers and reminders through their that they can interact with where users can
Echo will then send a confirmation email when they their computer
companies that encourage personal well being. smart phone share their nformation.
order has been processed Creating a system that
-Providing technical support for any problems that creating monthly reviews of matched profile based
occure while the customer is setting up their each customers data. on similar interests
profile.
Providing technical support for smart phone application and echo software
27. Concept: Service blueprint
3. learn and implement: 4. using the echo service
Setting up your echo system recording your data reflecting in the moment feedback on the move
-Echo Welcome Pack: Instructions, membership
card, software details and welcome letter
-Echo offline software used to set up the system -Echo smart phone application -UI design of the smart phone -Well done messgages
-Echo smart phone application (choosing from the prioritiy you application for rating your -Reminders about activities that
(both downloaded from the website with details are doing and the people you are happiness, adding a voice clip or are outstanding
provided) with) tagging a location and event -Reminders of past events when
(UI for all of these screen based applications) -UI design of smart phone walking past tagged locations
application (all via smart phone app.)
The user starts recording their The user can reflect in the The user will receive friendly
User recieves the Echo welcome pack and activities by capturing each moment after they have prompts to help them meet
downloads all the software needed to set-up their thing they do. The location of completed an activity and rate their activities and to remind
system. When the software is downloaded they the event is stored by using their happiness and satisfaction. them of past experiences.
will enter where they live and work, their priorities GPS on their phone. They They can also add another layer They will also receieve
they want to do and the people they spend time chose from a list of activities of context by adding a voice clip suggestions on other things
with. They will then save their information and they have already chosen or tagging the event and they may like to do, based on
sync it to their smart phone. during their set-up or location. their existing profile
alternatively enter a new one
-Creating the welcome packs for their customers -The echo smart phone application is collecting and saving all your information that is being recorded
and delivering them to them so it can be uploaded to the users profile at any point
-Producing the design and functionality of the Echo
software for the customers smart phone and for
their computer
Provides the user with
-Providing technical support for any problems that personalised prompts and
occure while the customer is setting up their reminders through their
profile. smart phone
Providing technical support for smart phone application and echo software
28. Further Explorations: Experience prototype #2
Sarah Player, Ireland, 28
1.How much effort is it to log your
activities and goals you want to
achieve
2. What is like to have to quantify
your happiness after certain tasks
3. How does it feel to receive
friendly nudges of motivation from
the service
29. Further Explorations: Experience prototype #2 learnings
“By recording what i was doing it she
brought things to my focus, and made me
realise why I was or wasn’t doing something”
“I like that the service was personal,I felt
more commitment towards it and
responsibility for my actions”
“Seeing what you achieved was very
motivating, and remembering how you felt
when you did it is encouraging to do it
again”
30. Further Explorations: Experience prototype #3
Mini Son, Korea
1. What motivates people to stick
to a program?
2. How would people people react if
they were rewarded for it?
31. Further Explorations: Experience prototype #3 learnings
“Big rewards were not expected as part of
the service, as it was something you had
chosen to do. But it was nice when the
little surprises we personal and tailored to
you, it felt like the service new you”
33. Feedback: Going back to my original users
"i miss the time to just do stuff, like making
phone calls to friends, or going to the cinema,
thats the biggest challenge for me"
“the more i watch it the more I want to
use it....I really like the idea of the
reminders about non everyday
things...and knowing when you last spent
time with someone its also good that it
doesn’t control your life!”
34. Next Steps: Where to go from here?
>Get more feedback on existing prototype/idea from my
original users
>Work with someone on the data visualisations
>Gesture based interfaces
>Conduct more experience prototyping for a longer period of
time, with a basic working phone application
>Exchange learnings with trackyourhappiness.org
>Look into potential stakeholders and business models
35. Thank you
to all the CIID
staff, students and
my advisor....it
didn’t feel like
going solo!
Hinweis der Redaktion
this is a test
For my starting point of my project was an interest to understand what does it mean to have a balance life and can you help I people ability to see if you can change elements of peoples behaviour or order for them to feel like they had a more balanced life. And I was curious to see if t personal informatics could play a role in this
I had was really excited by the potential to redefine the way we gain insights about about our lifes, and how this greater awareness could help us moderate our behaviour in positive ways
to understand what it meant for different people to feel balance at differnet stages of their lives I did research with students, couples working and families, so could get an understanding of people at different stages of their lives
these are my research candidates, I meet 9 in person, 2 skype interviews and one remote experiment
for my research sessions i spent around 2 hours each person
and used a number of tools to provoke and trigger discussion, questions:adapted as neccessary
card sort: warm up to get people talking about what was important to them, daily, weekly
time line maps, show times in life when felt unbalanced
designed mapping tool: what is important to them, rated against them
kept diaries, insight into lives and routines over a longer period of time
key insight out of all of these were: that people really valued the opportunity to sit down and reflect, although they found it hard, especially when they realized when they weren’t acheiving the things they though were important to them, they found it beneficial
over whelemed with info...created character boards for everyone i interviewed, writing all the quotes and insights observations
filtering and clustering insights, picking out the most intriguing, surprising and inspiring insights and ones that reaccured.
for everyone quote i asked, what does this mean, and then made a mini design challenge for each
3 themes very clearly emerged: issues
decision point: less mainstream, less existing tools, I new would be more of a challenge, more value in the end if i could tackle it, where personal informatics could be applied
three user types emerged
Increased pace of life and personal competition with ones self to become ‘someone better’ = continually busy, going from one task to the next
heighten by prominent use of labour saving technology.
fast pace of life is that people become absorbed in ‘achieving more’ and detached from what their day-to-day life looks like and what brings them a real sense of enjoyment.
Get ingulfed in specific contexts
In order for people to have a balanced life on a bigger scale they have to first reconnect to themselves, focusing on what they need to be content rather than everything that is possible.
tracking your activities and happiness based on your location.
-initial test to see what potential there was...
-Made categories of how they divide up their time
-plot their weekends activities, on corresponding coloured post-its
-on each post-it wrote who they were with, what they did, happiness, placed on map
After previous prototype, i could see their was potential, from the reactions-excited by the map develop idea further, detailed scenarios think about User experience, systematically how it would work.
after doing the scenarios I looked at the service on a more generic level, stages of service, the critical touchpoints to make it an enjoyable and seamless experience, the role of the service provider. At this stage had it quite well mapped out, that i could do more experience protoyping.
created this pack for them, start playing with the branding, also make it feel believable for them
create a list of this they would like to acheive over a couple of days, would make them feel good, track their activities, by sending an SMS to me, telling the service. After eveything they had to quantify their happiness on a card, attached to back of phone, diffenent ways, give prompts to help them
similiar to last time Mimi had to track things she wanted to do by smsing the service, for three days. Over the course of a these days i rewarded mimi in different ways.
1.email- reward voucher-print
2.unexpected surprise on her desk
3.”simple well done” messages
this is when i really decided that the feedback mechanisms that the service should provide should be friendly and personal, but honest. It really iterated that this service was for people that were motivated to make changes
montage of touchpoints,Personal goal for this project was for it to feel believable, and have a feeling that people would want to use it, so that is why i spent time and really put effort into designing all the touchpoints. Challenge for me as a lot were graphic based....
suggested good tool to use as a couple or in a family
harvard, phychology phd, undestanding happiness, more scientific,