— Making time for self care
Yoga with Work Family
— Looking to explore more self-care methods
— Inspired
Influencers, readings and music that continue to drive me —
— Alexandra Elle / http://anothersunday.me/
Beautiful insights and imagery, taught me the importance of self care
— Mari Andrew / https://www.instagram.com/bymariandrew/
Lovely writer and illustrator, one of my favourite Instagrams that showcases her form of self-expression so simply and relatable
100 Days of Journey Maps
— Sally Chan / https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/100daysofjourneymaps/
I tried this 100 days challenge a couple years back with mind mapping, thinking of starting it back again but conflicted in merging it within my personal channel
Just love the process and dedication she had, routine is something I want to improve on
— Majid Jordan / The Space Between
My current playlist on continuous rotation, that cliché underlying album meaning of living in the present repeatedly embedded
“Keep creating and to keep staying in that mode and you know, hopefully, something will come out of that as a result.”
— Truth
Feeling like this thesis scope goes way beyond a school project and starting to see it as a personal project. Almost as a secret thesis for my own personal growth.
Though not everyone goes through the same approach of self discovery and self care, I think it’s an important area that a lot of people can relate to in some way. At the core of this, finding a tangible one solve all solution is not the right direction.
We each have our differences in coping habits and techniques. Through conducting a number of qualitative interviews I’ve learned a lot about what others go through, some similarities in methods and some complete opposite behaviours. I’ve learned a lot about what works for myself over the years and through this small study have met so many wonderful people that were open to sharing their perspectives it’s contributed to helping me grow even more.
Thank you to those that have taken the time to share your stories and take an interest in contributing, I’m still hoping to continue this exploration further as an online journal. I’m always open to good conversation over tea, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Further pursuits
After a brief conversation with a friend I’ve decided to focus on my school thesis more towards my current professional goals, while tackling a just as impactful space I’m more familiar with. I think the best advice a professor told me in regards to my blue sky ideas was that I don’t have to change and disrupt the world all in one go. It’s all still a learning experience and this being a more exploratory area, though all for challenging myself, it’s more strategic to focus on building my technical skills within product design to keep within given deadlines.
How important it is to have balance. Throughout this process merging my technical interests in building a product in addition to understanding the self discovery and self care space, I’ve learned some things do not require much technicality at all.
— Challenges
Restraints and habits of users
— considering existing habits, routine behaviour, adaptability in schedule
— Use Case Sketch 1
Exploration sketch of a time based solution
— Value Proposition
An experience discovery, location browsing and self guide curation application made to value the importance of self reflection time for individuals by connecting and encouraging them to pursue nearby exploration opportunities.
(So many buzz words, let’s try again)
A mobile application designed to assist in curating self guidance journeys of suggested activities, locations and resources within local communities to embark on the path of self discovery.
— Experience Exploration
Ten mobile application experiences I want to further explore this week and take note of particular features and successful user experiences.
— Structure
Focus: developing a product that encourages the importance of self reflection
— addressing problem areas within the self care space
— understanding the benefits of self-improvement, self-guidance – economically, intellectually and/or emotionally
How might the importance of taking time for self reflection be communicated and encouraged?
Goals:
— creating a meaningful and engaging way for individuals seeking a break from work, their existing environment, routine
— seeking to challenge and better their regular routine
— solution should motivate one to further expand their self growth
— solution should provide ideas of self reflective activities
— potential to effectively assist one in deciding what to do fitting their personal interests (events/music/walks)
— solution should allow one to confidently make decisions on what to do on their personal time
— Existing Products
‘There has to be an app for that!’ Exploring app culture and what’s already out there. Trying to keep in mind an app isn’t the ultimate solution but it’s still important to understand the space and existing solutions.
I began searching terms like: ‘Apps for self discovery’, ‘Apps for self care’, ‘Apps for personal growth’ and stumbled upon a couple blogs and websites that had lists of different apps and descriptions of these app tools. Below is just one example:
source – bit.ly/2AALO7n
Among the apps, I realized a lot of them were fixated on themes of meditation, comforting sounds, spiritual guidance, readings and more. A commonality of most of these apps were that they seemed more focused on enticing an individual to be within the app at all times versus acting as a primary touch point.
I’m a big fan of the book, The Best Interface is No Interface and I try my best to not be so fixated on digital solutions as the best solution and put more consideration towards the overall user experience. An app experience doesn’t have to overtake the entirety of one’s attention, but perhaps act as an initial starting point that leads up to something beyond the screen.
Edfied Self 