Check out our whole journey through our process book!
Research
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Survey
455 participant | Ages 18 - 65+ -
Interviews
32 participants | Ages 8 - 55 -
Competitive analisys
e.g. installation art, maker spaces, journals, toys and games -
Observation
e.g. children playing, people doing creative tasks, people in the flow state
User Testing Task FLow
User Testing Findings
FOON’s target UX was achieved successfully!
Collaboration with friends was very well received.
Organization of the app can be improved.
Two different user groups have emerged: passive vs involved users
From Out of Nothing encourages exploration within the ordinary. Through creative problem solving, it provokes a childlike sense of wonder and exploration. It disrupts users’ mental routine and encourages play without judgment.
Course
UX Design Studio Capstone
Prof. Eun Yoon
Team Members
Isabella Gardner, Erin Imhof, Laeryn Plankey, Lekha Veeramachaneni
My Role
Research | Evaluation Lead
Product Design
Project Duration
01.06.21 - 05.27.21
20 weeks
The Problem
As people grow up, people lose their childlike sense of wonder and creativity.
Self-imposed limitations and perceived judgements around exploration and failure brew a predictable and monotonous life.
Our Goal
With a lack of creativity, target users do not have the motivation to live life to the fullest.
People need to break out of their routine and appreciate the beauty around them.
We want to help people daydream again.
Define
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A place for shared experiences free from judgement
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How to fit creativity into daily life without looking like a task
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Allow for easy return and avoid one time use
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Instructions that are open to interpretation
Solution
FOON presents daily open-ended prompts to provoke a childlike sense of spontaneity and exploration. Paired glitches, or public works with a twist, are installed around the city.
Creative Cue
The creative cues are designed to be open-ended, so new ideas stick with you throughout your day.
These cues follow weekly themes and are open to interpretation, so there is no right or wrong answer.
App Key Features
Workspace
When a user creates their response to the daily creative cue, they have a variety of ways to do so, such as: draw, text, camera, stickers, and random tool.
The user is given a random tool each day that could be used alongside the permanent options. This would make sure that users do not fall into the habit of relying on any one tool.
Collaborate
Collaborate with friends and strangers, or browse others’ responses to see from new perspectives. Everyone is learning in the FOON community, so it remains a judgment-free space.
Physical Product
The (extra) ordinary collection
Find glitches in your surroundings to gain new cues. This peculiar version of “i-spy” promotes mindfulness and curiosity within everyday life.
Vision Video
Map
The map is used for locating glitches you’ve found around your city. You would be able to view others’ responses to location-based cues and have the opportunity to interact with others who have the app.
Highlights
Revisit the progress you’ve made on your creative journey. Active reflection motivates you to continue to practice exploration within the ordinary.
How it works
A QR code allows users to scan the cue into the app and answer it
Each object has a printed cue to get the users’ attention
NFC chips will “ping” when near an out of the ordinary object - then it's up to the user to find it
Everyone has the capacity for creativity; it is a result of both nature & nurture.
Key Insights
People feel free from judgement when they are alone or there is no focus on outcome.
Environment has an impact on creativity, and people value shared experiences.
Everyone has the capacity for creativity; it is a result of both nature & nurture.
Key Insights
People feel free from judgement when they are alone or there is no focus on outcome.
Environment has an impact on creativity.
People value shared experiences.
Everyone has the capacity for creativity; it is a result of both nature & nurture.
Key Insights
People feel free from judgement when they are alone or there is no focus on outcome.
Environment has an impact on creativity.
People value shared experiences.
Everyone has the capacity for creativity; it is a result of both nature & nurture.
Key Insights
People feel free from judgement when they are alone or there is no focus on outcome.
Environment has an impact on creativity.
People value shared experiences.
Everyone has the capacity for creativity; it is a result of both nature & nurture.
Key Insights
People feel free from judgement when they are alone or there is no focus on outcome.
Environment has an impact on creativity.
People value shared experiences.
Target Audience
Ages 20 - 30
As people enter their 20s, the frontal cortex becomes rational
Allowing better decisions
Losing divergent thinking
People who are 30+ stick to routine and are less likely to try new things
Different problems with creativity in different age groups
Develop
There were many ideas created before we landed in our final foon app and the extraordinary collection. This took our team through a journey of evaluation of our products and constant iteration of features.
Erin Imhof
Interaction Design
Lekha Veeramachaneni
Visual Design
Sarina Perli
Research
Laeryn Plankey
Prototyping
Isabella Gardner
Project Lead
Team Ellis
Isabella Gardner
Project Lead
Erin Imhof
Interaction Design
Lekha Veeramachaneni
Visual Design
Sarina Perli
Research
Laeryn Plankey
Prototyping
Team Ellis
What I learned
This has been one of my favorite projects I have worked on with an amazing team that made it possible. I learned about having fun through the process of creation and the importance of play. The topic itself of nourishing creativity went beyond just the project's problem as we really found a way to integrate it into our lives. I also learned to not settle for the first idea, and to really push through the process as every small step makes a difference.
“From childhood it is important to maintain Growth, Curiosity, & Learning in order to stay amazed by the world.”
- Interviewee: Med Student, 25 M
Final User Testing
7 participants in target audience
Object images + prototype walkthrough
Think-aloud protocol + SUS questionnaire
Through research we want to gain insight into:
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How creativity changes as people age
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How people view mistakes
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How judgement affects creativity
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How people define creativity
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How to trigger creativity
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Benefits & negative effects of creativity
Final Design
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Process
My Contribution
As UX research lead, I planned and discussed with the team the different research methodologies that would best help understand the user and define our project goals. I kept documentation of all the questions drafted in a Miro board, and confirmed alignment between our questions with the direction of our final deliverables.
I conducted interviews and observations once we defined the research methodologies we were going to use. From these findings, the team came back together to define insights and synthesized the data.
My Contribution
Once we had defined our key insights and 'how might we' statement, we moved on to create our personas and user journey map. My main contribution in this part of the process was gathering data from the research findings that would best represent the user persona, and identify pain point (mentioned for example on interviews) that would be relevant to mention in the user journey map.
I also took further look into the secondary research to include phycological behaviors that may affect certain interactions related to creativity.
My Contribution
As a team we worked together to bring our idea to life, making sure every decision taken was connected to our research, and overall, we were heading in the right direction of our preliminary goal.
In order to visualize our ideas, I sketched our physical concepts and built models that would best communicate the interaction between the mobile application and the 'extra'ordinary product.
My Contribution
Through out the project, I supported the visual design lead in creating the identity of FOON. I helped build mood boards, define the style guide and design elements and graphics, create specific deliverables such as the project poster, and apply branding to our presentations.