10 weeks ago I started this class unsure of what the quarter would have in store for me. Now, my project team and I have created an app prototype to encourage mindful movements. In the spirit of mindfulness, I am taking the time to sit and reflect on the experience. I can see now that I really have learned a lot. Before this class, I thought I knew what I was doing with the design process because I took CS147 last year. I also thought this class was going to be a lot of busy work that appeared to have no real connection to our project. Additionally, I believed that the way I was taking notes and synthesizing data was beneficial to me. These thoughts changed a lot by the end of the quarter due to the experiences I had in the class.
There was a lot to like about the class. I loved the topic of behavior change and learning practical ways to implement behavior change in my own life. The topic made brainstorming an idea really enjoyable because I felt like I could impact people in a positive way. Some of my favorite activities in class revolved around artistic activities. I loved the guest speaker who taught us how to draw. I really liked the mood board activity and creating the branding. I enjoyed designing the screens the most out of all the project deliverables. Some of the tools introduced or reinforced were really surprising and beneficial to me, and I will definitely use them in the future. For example, I really liked sketchnotes, Figma, and some of the mapping techniques. As far as how this project work relates to my other work at Stanford, this class helped solidify my interest in HCI, and I plan on taking more HCI classes in the future. I’ve realized how much I enjoy UI design and it aligns with my interests in front-end software development. I also really enjoyed the ethics discussions and will keep them in mind as I continue taking other CS classes and as I move on to a career. I know that 10 years from now, I will remember sketchnotes, the mood board activity, and the ethics discussions.
Considering ethics in our project was really important as we thought about designing an effective and positive app. We used nudges to change users’ behavior and make them engage in more mindful movements. We utilized push reminders that were based on a user’s schedule as the primary nudge. Other features that were used to encourage behavior change were streaks and personable motivation. These nudges don’t really have the potential to be manipulative because users can just customize the reminders or not listen to them at all. The app is based on how much the users themselves want to move more so it is mostly intrinsic. Our team incorporated principles of Inclusive Design by trying to be mindful of people with different physical capabilities. We allowed for customization so people could input what types of movements they like best. The default is based on the assumption of a basic level of mobility, however. We also didn’t rely too heavily on colors so colorblind people can still navigate our application.
There were some aspects of the class that I didn’t enjoy all that much. Some of the mapping activities felt redundant or were done in confusing orders. Sometimes instructions were confusing, and some class time felt wasted because of needing clarification or redundant activities. I would suggest ensuring all activities are crucial to the project or given context about their usefulness. I would also suggest that the order of mapping activities be thought out more to ensure there is no confusion or redundancy.
At the end of the class, I realized that there was a lot I still needed to learn and practice about the design process. I learned new forms of testing, sketchy screens and iteration, and mapping to find connections. I realized that this class wasn’t like 147 because there were a lot more ethics discussions and a good mix of activity and lecture. I also learned that my previous methods of notetaking were not as effective as sketchnotes. Next time when faced with a design problem, I will do thorough testing, use mapping for synthesis, and really think about ethics. Thank you to the teaching team for facilitating a great class! I will definitely recommend it to others.
