Seek Deep
An AI-powered journaling app that promotes emotional reflection through prompts and gamification
Responsibilities
UI/UX Design
Wireframing
Tools
Figma, Figjam
Timeline
February 1 - February 2, 2025
24-hours Designathon
Disciplines
User Interface Deisgn
User Experience
Challenge
The challenge of this Designathon is Staying Human in an AI age. It is inarguable that emotions are a key aspect of humanity, and our team wanted to create an app that used technology to enhance this human experience rather than hinder it.
Our Vision
The proposed use of SeekDeep is as a tool for the self-reflection of one’s emotions and thoughts through journaling and calming gamification
The Survey and Findings
Based on our survey of student participants to gather both qualitative and quantitative data link, 45.5% rarely journal, and 27.3% do not journal at all. Furthermore, our survey shows that the most common things that prevent participants from journaling are that it is an inconsistent habit (45.5%) and for lack of time (27.3%). We took this information into account by aiming to create a welcoming and guiding environment to promote journaling through the customized prompts instead of taking the time to think about what they should write. Studies show the majority of people prefer to journal traditionally, with paper and pen link.
Most Important Decisions
Our team wanted SeekDeep to be a very calming and welcoming environment. Therefore, we chose to use hand-illustrated features to create a cozy atmosphere, rather than a sleek and cold-feeling design. Another key aspect of our design is the navigation. We want the user to explore the app environment leisurely, taking them at their own specific pace and promoting fun. We included a breathing exercise, mood tracker, journal, and an analytics page, all tied together in a cozy illustrated style.
Competitor Analysis
We looked into competitor apps on the market including Clearful-Journal and Diary, Stoic. Journal and Mental Health, and Reflection Journal & Prompts. These apps' most common features are journal prompts, capturing photos, and looking back on past entries. We wanted to make SeekDeep stand apart by including more gamification and focus on self reflection rather than AI just being an extra feature. SeekDeep records journal entries and emotions, then uses the data to find patterns in the user's emotions and personalising journal prompts.
The Process
We began the ideation phase by brainstorming various human-centered aspects and narrowing them down to key insights. To validate our ideas, we conducted a survey on journaling habits and supplemented it with desk research. The results highlighted a common challenge: journaling is difficult to maintain due to its repetitive nature. This led us to explore how AI, with its ability to recognize patterns, could enhance the experience.
Next, we conducted competitive research on existing journaling apps to identify gaps and opportunities. We then defined the color scheme and aesthetics before sketching a low-fidelity wireframe and user flow. Given our 24-hour timeframe, we followed an iterative process, refining our ideas multiple times to improve usability and functionality.
User Interaction
