encounters exhibition.
super liked the crayons for the visually impaired.
what trends can be identified from the exhibited themes and works that will be significant in design in the near future? give 3 examples to support your findings (examples here are works on display in the exhibition)
1. using design to help those in need. my personal favourite was the crayons for people with colour blindness. i liked that instead of “correcting” them, those without visual disabilities were able to see the beauty of the world in their view instead. 2. another was the automated wheelchairs, to help nurses save time by automating the transportation of patients from one place to another. 3. there were also a few experimental projects - plastisphere. most experimental projects had to do with exploring the limits of ai as well.
can your design practice align with these future trends?
i don’t really know yet, but i wish to head in the direction of helping those in need as well. as i’ll be creating something, i would probably me combining that with experimentation. i could try exploring recycled materials.
where do you personally think design will head in the near future to provide value to society, culture, and the planet?
i think that design will continue heading towards the direction of sustainability while helping those in need. its a nice thought that will probably backfire sooner or later, as resources are not infinite and anything will run out at the rate humans make use of them. we are creating problems while trying to solve them.
i make use of chatgpt a lot while getting started with my works. it saves a lot of time on initial research. of course, i make sure that i look through the data i'm given and only use what is applicable. i ensure that i'm given right data from the correct sources as well.
these were the shortlisted apps i decided to research on:
- happify
- calm
- headspace
- insight timer
- canva
- slack
- evernote
- chatgpt
- artbreeder
- talkspace
which can be categorised into: mindfulness apps, industial tools, ai-based tools, and
counselling
chatgpt really helped with the categorisation of the apps. it also helped me realise that apps made to make the lives of creatives easier also do help in burnout. but after linking them to my readings later on, it made me discover that it in turn, industrial apps and softwares might actually do more harm than good.
science-based activities and games app which help overcome negative thoughts, stress, and life’s challenges
features
cost
free / $14.99/month / $139.99/year
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
helps combat burnout using games! very fun
sources
https://www.choosingtherapy.com/happify-app-review/
a user-friendly app that features a variety of different guided meditations and mindfulness exercises
features
cost
14 day free trial + $69.99/year / 7 day free trial + $12.99/month
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
helps combat burnout with personalised well-being exercises
sources
https://www.forbes.com/health/mind/headspace-review/
https://reviewed.usatoday.com/sleep/features/headspace-vs-calm-how-meditation-apps-compare
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app headspace’
mindfulness app featuring meditation practices, calming sounds, ambient music, and sleep stories
features
cost
7 day free trial + $78.98/year / $599.98 once
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
helps improve basic well-being with meditation exercises, stories, by improving sleep quality
sources
https://reviewed.usatoday.com/sleep/features/headspace-vs-calm-how-meditation-apps-compare
https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/calm-app-reviews
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app calm’
meditation app that features an extensive free meditation library
features
cost
free version / premium version: 30 day free trial + $60/year
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
improve mental and physical health with meditation and yoga
sources
https://www.choosingtherapy.com/insight-timer-review/
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app insight timer'
graphic design app that aims to let you design visual materials without needing extensive graphic design experience. Typically, the tool is used to create social media graphics, simple videos, presentations, slides, posters and other visual assets — and a wide range of customizable templates and royalty free images is provided to help users do so easily.
features
cost
free / canva pro: $164.99/year / canva teams: $360/year for 5 pax
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
eases the stress of a creative: a source of inspiration, tool used to speed up the design process
sources
https://digitalscholar.in/pros-and-cons-of-canva/
widely used collaboration and messaging platform for teams and businesses
features
cost
free
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
aides in the stress of communicating with teammates, workflow organisation
sources
slack features
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app slack’
note-taking and organisation app used for personal and professional purposes
features
cost
free / personal: $8.58/month / professional: $10.41/month / teams: $17/user/month
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
ensure you are not procrastinating by keeping yourself organised and structured
sources
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of evernote’
an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can answer questions, tell stories, produce essays and even write code
features
cost
free / chatgpt plus: $20/month
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
helps to come up with creative prompts, speeds up data and research gathering
sources
https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/articles/what-is-chatgpt/
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the chatbot by openai'
platform that allows users to create and explore AI-generated art and images
features
cost
starter: $8.99/100 credits/month / advanced: $18.99/275 credits/month / champion: $38.99/700 credits/month
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
the ease of image experimentation might provide users with new ideas
sources
https://ambcrypto.com/blog/how-to-use-artbreeder-a-step-by-step-guide-2023/
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app artbreeder'
productivity app designed to help users stay focused and reduce phone addiction by encouraging them to stay off their phones for a set amount of time
features
cost
ios: $3.99 / android: free / android: pro: $1.99
pros
cons
how it affects burnout
prevents procrastination during productive times
sources
chatgpt: ‘what are some reviews of the app forest'
chatgpt: ‘what are some features of the app forest'
categorising the different applications into groups, design tools are the obvious answer to the
app that would help with creative burnout indirectly. generative ai seems to be on the rise
these days for creatives open-minded enough to try it, and mindfulness apps all come with a
disclaimer “if it works for you it works for you”. mindfulness apps, however, are the only
direct combat towards burnout. it also helps individuals lead a mentally healthier
lifestyle.
i think the results were quite helpful in my quest to combat burnout. i didn’t realise that
there could be such categories in combating burnout. it made me think of my own, how i would
like to achieve my goal. creating an experience that could be incorporated as an industrial tool
sounds quite interesting. even though i am aware that mindfulness apps would probably be the
most helpful in burnout, i am not sure if i have the confidence to pull that one off. or perhaps
my result could be a combination of those two.
something interesting i found, however, is that burnout is a product of the fast-paced world we
live in. from my research, it is mentioned that individuals are less likely to feel burnt out if
they are given adequate time to produce their work. it’s interesting as the design tools
mentioned earlier were invented in order for creatives to speed up the production process. with
the existence and accessibility of such tools, would creatives actually be given less time in
fact, which adds on to their stress? i stand for this point, and it’s something i should look
more into. (andreas recommends searching up on readings from nus/ntu)
the mindfulness apps i’ve looked into, however, are able to stand for the point that slowing
down = better mental health. most of the apps have guided yoga/meditation lessons which most
users found useful. i think the act of recording down your data somehow adds onto this
stress-relief as well. it’s something i took note of, and should consider adding into my own
outcome.
i do have to note as well, that the mindfulness apps were just general mindfulness apps. they
were not created with the direct intention of dealing with burnout, and for people who feel
stressed about life or something as a whole. thus, the data i have gathered also does not
directly link towards combating burnout. i’m also unsure of the participants of these
mindfulness apps. i’d like to think that mentally burnt out creatives are probably harder to
deal with, than people who are mentally healthy enough to source for and use mindfulness apps on
their own accord.
personally, if i were stressed out about my work, i would be concentrating on my work, and doing
things i enjoy to destress, not download a mindfulness app. that’s just me though! i do
understand that people who enjoy feeling more in control over their life would feel better
seeing their mental health nicely laid out in a table, neatly formatted. a mindfulness app like
such focusing on dealing with burnout would probably work more for these types of people. i feel
like a mindfulness app would be a good method of avoiding getting into burnout, and if i were
already burnt out, it wouldn’t be as useful.
is there something i can do with this data? try some of them out myself
since chatgpt is listed as an aid for mental health, can it act as a therapist?
i still haven’t figured out a direction for my outcome