Before I gather everything for my final idea, I want to reflect on the insights gained from class and other sources to work out how I’m thinking through this project. I am going with my first idea to create a conceptual mental health/wellness app that emphasizes using less screen time and diverting attention away from addictive media applications.
Ault suggested taking a look at other forms of design rather than conventional visual design elements such as haptics and voice. Voice is something that intrigued me and led me to do some digging on its feasibility and overall usage in today’s landscape. This is something I am familiar with, but I am also not someone who uses voice assistants, or owns an Amazon Alexa. Regardless, the usage of voice applications is something that has clearly not reached its peak of development and people are still working to perfect this technology and make it more conversational.
I thought about how using voice could benefit my project, and stumbled across a Medium article in the UX Collective section that talks about when voice apps are applicable. I found this interesting graph that shows the cross surface interaction model which represents the contrast between voice and visual interfaces based on appropriate usage and when they intertwine.
Essentially, it’s about figuring out if voice is the right medium to use. What I found is that it all depends on the usage of an application. If an application is only used a few times per month, then voice doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. However, with apps used on a daily basis, voice becomes a better option. With a mental health app, it’s something people would probably use frequently.
The challenge really comes down to if voice will help or hinder the user. In other words, if it takes longer to complete a task by voice, then it isn’t the best option. When it comes to my app, I think this may be the case. I want to create a simple, non-distracting interface where users would be able to do their desired tasks easily and in a timely manner. I think voice would slow down that process unfortunately, but I do think it could be used as an aid to do certain things such as playing a certain meditation song, reading off a particular quote, or making a note-to-self. Once I design the interface and exactly what I wanna include in the app, I will be able to decide how I want to implement a voice assistant. Overall though I like the idea because ultimately using voice means you don’t necessarily need to be looking at your phone which is really the goal in all of this.