Time Well Spent

After synthesizing key themes, concepts and new theories from residencies, critical discourse, gigamapping design lab to form my design briefs.

The new themes I identified:

• Meaning of life, Meaningfulness
• Quality of Time on Technology, online/offline
• Sense-Making : Using Tech more responsibly
• Mind-body engagement (Wellbeing): Achieve through a balance of physical and digital possibilities

(Preez, 2017)

Today’s tech platforms are caught in a race to the bottom of the brain stem to extract human attention. It’s a race we’re all losing. It’s all part of one interconnected system called human downgrading that poses an existential threat to humanity. - Tristan Harris, 2019

If you want to retain some control of your personal existence and of the future of life, you have to run faster than the algorithms. We had better understand our minds before the algorithms make our minds up for us. 

- Yuval Noah Harari, 2018

Problem space: Excessive screen-time usage causes: Decreased human interaction,
Poor sleep hygiene, Lower mental and physical performance.
Imbalance of physical/digital experiences

(Gates, 2018)

What do I want to Communicate through my Research:

To raise the awareness of need for change and start a discourse leading to action so people will start using technology and screens more responsibly.

To encourage society to spend their time meaningfully, be it on screens or interacting with others (physical or digital space) in order to live better, sleep better and perform better.

To bring across the importance of a balance between physical/digital so we don’t lose the uniquely tactile characteristics, feel and value that only comes from physical, which is necessary for overall mind-body engagement

Project title: Time Well Spent

Abstract: In the modern world, people experience burnout and indulge in digital screens for convenience and fast entertainment. Human interactions have become minimal as people spend more time on phones than they do with each other. An increasingly digitized world is becoming one that limits challenges to our bodies and minds, preventing it from achieving optimal sensory, motor skills, creativity, and imagination. 

Research shows that excessive screen time disrupts different domains, people are not clocking enough sleep and they find it harder to fit in physical activity, which not only lead to an increased risk of mental and physical health risks, it also affects productivity levels and lowers mental performance causing impulsivity, irrationality and impaired decision making.

This project aims to encourage the busy society to take a moment to disconnect from the era of digital distraction to fall in love with the tactile and tangible. The interventions will act as antidotes to the fast-paced world we’re living in, hoping to stimulate mind-body engagement in an environment that involves a balanced alliance of both physical and digital possibilities. By generating meaningful interactions between human to human, humans and objects, human and technology, the design reactions seek to evoke awareness of one’s present wellbeing condition and enable opportunities for them to use technology more responsibly, spend their time more meaningfully, sleep better, live better and ultimately, to achieve a healthy digital/life balance.

Design Practice:

Research Themes: Citizen Designer, Objects & Representation, Future Identities

Intention: System Change

This social problem is complex and deeply embedded in inter-connected networks. 

For my design practice, I want to do testing on the different aspects of the system - improve social interaction or improve wellbeing, to change the way society view screen-usage, and encourage them to use screens more responsibly.

Value: Sense-making

Elevate Human Senses

1. Good Sense and Sound judgement - screen-sensible

2. Optimal Sensory

An increasingly digitized world is becoming one that limits challenges to our bodies and minds. My interventions hope to stimulate a balanced physical/digital sensorial experience for better mind-body engagement so people will stay healthy, resilient and spirited. 

Implication: Perception / Meaning of Life

- Awareness

- Comprehension

- Desire to support change

- Resilience to stay in the system

Categorization: Interactive Design

To generate meaningful interactions and experiences between human to human, humans and objects, 

human and technology.

The design reactions seek to evoke awareness of one’s present wellbeing condition and enable opportunities for them to use technology more responsibly and ultimately, achieve a healthy digital/life balance. 

What is my Design Contribution?:

Strategy: Time Well Spent concept to sustain society’s Mental, Physical and Social Wellbeing

/ Reclaiming time 

Approach: Elevate Human Senses and influence behaviours through - Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste, Touch, Balance, Temperature, Pain, Position (Sense of Space)

Domains: Screen-time, Sleep, Physical activity

Methods to support/facilitate/influence behaviours: Social interaction, Nostalgia for Tactile and Tangible. Usage of both physical and digital possibilities.

Design Interventions: Wellness experiences (therapeutic) or Mind-body experiences (engaging). 

I'll be sharing my design briefs, ideation and conversations with supervisors in my next post.