Overview
Background
With the development of the society and technology, people can manage various things such as money and physical health easily. However, there are still few ways for people to manage their emotions, though people are trended to have more frequent and serious emotional problems.
Solution
Inspired by people’s unstable emotion situation, I designed an app and a mood tracker device called Whisper to help people notice their emotions, know more about themselves, get more cares, and improve their emotion control ability.
My Role
UI/UX Designer, Product Designer, VIsual Designer, 3D prototyper
Tools
Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Blender
Timeline
April 2022 - June 2022
Research
What problems are people facing nowadays?
About EMO
EMO is originally the abbreviation of emotional hardcore, which is a type of rock music means the young’s fight against miserable life. It is now a symbol of decadence, depression and sadness. The popular of word EMO shows high level of negative emotions people feel especially among young people.
Data
Sub-health problems among young people:
Emotional problems are getting worse rapidly
With the development of social medias and network, we can get any kind of news almost immediately. This means we do not have so much time to prepare for those negative events happen in the society.
Data Information’s Features:
![]()
Data Information’s Features:
According to a record from HSL Institude of Psychology in 2020, emotional problem, personal exploration, interpersonal relationship, marriage relationship, and parenting are most common topics in psychological counselling. Also, emotional problem takes an astonushing proportion that is more than a half.
Social Problems
Survival Stress
People are feeling more difficult to find a job, and afford themselves food and place to live, especially after the pandamic.
People are feeling more difficult to find a job, and afford themselves food and place to live, especially after the pandamic.
Marriage Stress
More and more people feel hard to have satisfied marriage since people look for more things in addition to
love, such as money and social status.
More and more people feel hard to have satisfied marriage since people look for more things in addition to
love, such as money and social status.
Gender Stress
Gender differentiation is becoming worse and both man and woman may experience unfair treatments in their career and daily life,
Gender differentiation is becoming worse and both man and woman may experience unfair treatments in their career and daily life,
Scientific Problems
The overdevelopment of the Internet gives harm to people since they cannot avoid hostile critiques or even defamation. Some people also over-trust what they see on the Internet.
Some people especially teenagers and the young indlged in computer games. They feel more comfortable to be in a fictituous world instead of the real world.
Medical Care Problems
![]()
As the situation of the society becomes worse, we need more advanced system to protect our mental health. However, the development of the mental health supporting facility does not catch up with the level it needs to be.
As the situation of the society becomes worse, we need more advanced system to protect our mental health. However, the development of the mental health supporting facility does not catch up with the level it needs to be.
“Inflamed Brain”
There is an interesting theory from the Netease News. According to this theory, emotinal problem is not only a mental problem but also a physiological problem. Thus, both oneself and medicine has responsibility for it.
Body Fat
Since there are about 60% cells in adipose tissue are macrophages, they are the “robocop” of the immune system. They are also one of the main sources of inflammatory cytokines.
C-reactive protein levels in overweight or obese people are generally higher than thinner people which fits with the phenomenumn that oeverweigt people are morelikely to be depressed.
Season
In the northern hemisphere, European people have higher levels of cytokines in their blood during winter through November, December and January. Meanwhile, blood levels of Australians that are in summer are lower.
Since there are about 60% cells in adipose tissue are macrophages, they are the “robocop” of the immune system. They are also one of the main sources of inflammatory cytokines.
C-reactive protein levels in overweight or obese people are generally higher than thinner people which fits with the phenomenumn that oeverweigt people are morelikely to be depressed.
Season
In the northern hemisphere, European people have higher levels of cytokines in their blood during winter through November, December and January. Meanwhile, blood levels of Australians that are in summer are lower.
Age
As people getting older, while other factors remain the same, levels of cytokines and C-reactive protein increase over time. Threats to the immune system will increase and the body becomes easier inflammed.
Stress
A stressful life event will interrupt the immune system and lead to major changes in the way how various immune cells work and interact.
Macrophages that patrol the front lines of the ego become angry or more active in response to stress. They pump more inflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream.
As people getting older, while other factors remain the same, levels of cytokines and C-reactive protein increase over time. Threats to the immune system will increase and the body becomes easier inflammed.
Stress
A stressful life event will interrupt the immune system and lead to major changes in the way how various immune cells work and interact.
Macrophages that patrol the front lines of the ego become angry or more active in response to stress. They pump more inflammatory cytokines into the bloodstream.
How do we manage our feelings - Survey Study
In order to learn about the situation of how well people treat with their emotions and their habbits about recording and reviewing their feelings with events, I did an online survey with some questions. Here’s the data about it.
This is the data people’s periodic reviewing habbit of their feelings.
According to the diagram, we can see there are 44.4% people have the habbit of reviewing their feelings. Among these who regularly review their feelings, 75.9% people think this is a habbit that help with future control with their emotions. According to the outer parts, there are 64.3% people think that reviewing habbit makes their emotions more stable in the future.
This is the data about how do emotion prognosis affects negative emotions and dealing with troubles.
According to the chart on the right, we can see 79.4% people will have prognosis on their negative upcoming emotions.
Among these who have emotion prognosis, 52% think emotion prognosis can relieve their negative emotion in a certain degree.
On the diagram on the right, there are 71.4% people who have emotion prognosis think this can help them calm down and better deal with the troubles.
Conclusion
We need to record, review and analyze our feelings to better control and deal with them in the future. Reviewing and analyzing our feelings can help us better know about ourselves. And then, we will get the ability to face similar events and emotions, which is a virtuous circle. Negative events will less influence us after repeating this virtuous circle.
Ideation
Inspiration
People have lots of unconscious behaviors when they have emotions.
There are four examples:
shaking legs when nervous, closing eyes when scared, clenching fist when angry and touching ear when stressful.
Wireframe
Hardware Design & Sketches
Hardware Interaction - Mood Tracker
The main concept of the connection between the tracker and the APP is munual and intuitive.
I separated feelings into: positive, negative, and uncertain feelings. Commands are different depending on level of feelings.
Gesture Interaction
This is a device for people to adorn on their ears. It fits with the shape of our ears. It is made up in silicone in order to make it convert. The metallic part is the inductor of the tracker. It reacts with the app when people tap or slide their finger on it.
![]()
. ![]()
This is a device for people to adorn on their ears. It fits with the shape of our ears. It is made up in silicone in order to make it convert. The metallic part is the inductor of the tracker. It reacts with the app when people tap or slide their finger on it.
. 
Megnetic Charger
I designed a box for the tracker to place in as well as get charge. There is a magnetic charger exactly located at the tracker’s charge panel when the tracker is put in. After connecting suppply with the USB cable ouside the box, the tracker will be charged.
I designed a box for the tracker to place in as well as get charge. There is a magnetic charger exactly located at the tracker’s charge panel when the tracker is put in. After connecting suppply with the USB cable ouside the box, the tracker will be charged.
User Flow
Diagram
Sitemap
Final Design
Styleguide
Prototype
Final Product
The color of the tracker is similar with the skintone. It is made of rubber like material and it looks a little bit translucent. The dark part is the sensor which user slide and tap when negative events happen. It looks metallic and reflects a little bit of light which makes it stand out from the rest of the whole tracker.
Instruction
Reflection
What I’ve learnt:
- Figured out simplifying and classifying elements as well as functions in the app. Learnt not to contain everything but keep the most important part that help people solve the problem
- Should always think about whether my interaction design with the product is effective, confortable and conform to human’s usual habits
