For the series of apps and websites I have designed, most of them have to do with self care and care for others, much like the brand We're Not Really Strangers. Amongst the age demographic of 17 to 25, these values have become somewhat of a trend of social media such as Tik Tok and Instagram, especially among younger girls and women. I created this Self Care App called ILY in order to encourage others to think about themselves and improve their own mental and physical health. We often become so busy and restless each day that we forget to think about the little things that bring up happiness. The app shown here features a dashboard that shows a greeting, the user's name, and an OpenWeather API and blurb underneath. I decided on using a weather API because of my own experience with self-healing. I noticed the weather is a very big predictor of my mood for the day. Instead of using the weather app solely to display the temperature at the moment they open the app, I decided to add a small box underneath to encourage the user to get the most out of the day. As shown to the right, the app adds meaning to whatever the temperature is, encouraging them to get out of bed and enjoy the day. For another example, on a colder day, the app would prompt the user to get out of bed and drink a cup of hot coffee or tea and use the day inside to be productive with schoolwork or cleaning.
This section of the app allows the user to write down what they're feeling. The ILY app would give each user a daily writing prompt in order to encourage growth and learning. Manifesting and self transformation is a big trend right now on Tik Tok, and this app has features that go along with this. Each journal entry prompt would be open-ended and allow the user to get their thoughts down in written form, so they can reflect on it later and see how far they've come from that point. Each entry is saved with the date and stored in the app's memory, so the user would be able to see their entries even if the app were to be deleted and re-installed. Journaling is nothing new, but it has definitely seen a resurgence recently. Another feature of this app is that the user can use the text-to-speech button on their device to record their journal entry, which isn't possible with just a pen and paper. Much like a therapy session, the user can talk for as long as they want about whatever they want and have it recorded right in their journal. People tend to ramble when they talk about themselves and their experiences, and this app is perfect for that.
The self care section of the ILY app displays many different ways the user can treat themself during the day. Again, people often forget to do things for themselves and neglect their self improvement. This is just a small list of things that can make someone feel better physically and/or mentally, but the user would also be able to add their own tasks or affirations. The app reccomends that the user complete at least five tasks each day; for some people, getting out of bed is their first task of the day. The self care section allows users too complete these on their own time and think aboout what makes them happy and what gets them motivated. Users can also find new hobbies and figure out things that they enjoy doing through this section.
The last section of this app is the profile page. The profile features the user's name at the top, as well as their profile picture and star sign information that the user can find out when they sign up. Underneath this part is the goals section that allows the user to input their main goal for the day so that they can hold themself accountable for it since it is in writing. Underneath that is how they will achieve that goal. I noticed alot of goal-oriented apps only allow the user to input their goals with no method of how to achieve it. It's much easier to reach something if you have a plan for it. With that in mind, I made this section so the user can really think about how they will achieve their goals efficiently and effectiverly. There is also a section for badges when users interact with the app. This creates more engagement and allows the user to have something visible to show their achievement for the day.