MUSE100 is a sketchbook to calm users down and help them get prepared to start working through a ritual process.
Task
Task Design a tool for young professionals to overcome procrastination especially when working from home.
A ritual option for procrastinated people to get started.
Getting started is everything for procrastinators, and getting focused is the key to getting started.
Each page uses different graphic hints to encourage users to follow their hearts and sketch with their own imagination.
Recreating the shapes. Let the poem free imagination.
“It is such a mysterious place, the land of tears.”
“If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers…”
Connecting dots to create graphics.
Relax and enjoy the random shapes you create.
Drawing on lines to compose a sound clip.
Use MUSE100 with its app to extend your experience.
The COVID-19 pandemic is unexpected and had a great impact on our daily life. We are emotionally affected by the news. We become impetuous and hard to catch our attention.
We interview people about their change in life and working efficiency. Check the interview documents below.
26, Male, Graduate student
“I have tried productivity apps, but end up deleting them because I cannot resist clicking into the push notifications from other apps.”
33, Male, Senior product designer
“I miss the time when I can still go to the school studio, have a cup of coffee, and start working and chill.”
26, Male, Graduate student
“I have tried productivity apps, but end up deleting them because I cannot resist clicking into the push notifications from other apps.”
25, Male, Electrical engineer
“I would usually take a shower before I can concentrate on reading a book that is related to my field of study.”
People procrastinate more often because of the pandemic situation. We interviewed participants to know more about their productivity issues, and we have several findings behind our questions.
When do they procrastinate?
Study and work, as well as daily life like housework.
Why do they procrastinate?
Reluctant willingness to start work. The difficulty of initiating the work mode.
What affect productivity?
Emotional changes in each phase. Distractions and other commitments.
People need a sense of accomplishment to keep working on the tasks. They won’t be able to hold large projects if they have no confidence and preparation.
People need a sense of accomplishment to keep working on the tasks. They won’t be able to hold large projects if they have no confidence and preparation.
Productivity level relates to multiple factors: health, mentality, and emotional conditions.
Getting into a work mode is similar to meditation that requires people to communicate with themselves. We help users find their tempo through emotions. We simplify the emotion journey of our interviewee and convert the insights into the graph below.
When I get up, I have to brush my teeth and wash my face to get myself prepared for the morning. This is considered a personal ritual.
Personal rituals are beyond the behaviors, it’s more about the meaningful prospect that carries hopes.
Human Nature
The sense of ritual is inherited from the ancient time
Psychology
People practice good rituals naturally with positive reinforcement
Meaning
Rituals can be beneficial and meaningful
We understand that users suffer from notifications on their phones and computers. Our goal is to bring a primitive and unique experience to users, so we explored many forms of the product other than digital screen-based.
“Muse” means to be absorbed in their thoughts, and we want to bring this experience to users. “100” means we have 100 interesting paper-based interactions in the journal book to help them get them focused and then started.
Ritual
A ritual trigger to have a focused state
It is not a planner
Meditation
A meditation-like immersive experience
Build user little accomplishment before they make their mind to start working
Playground
A playground where people create
Let users communicate with their inner self in a relaxing and non-addictive way
We followed emotional aspects and human rituals to develop MUSE100 out of various psychological models.
The challenging part of the project was to research how people procrastinate and what are the possible causes. We realized the limitation of the traditional grouping method in UX design that over generalized how people behave in one or a few personas.
