Pal 流動應用程式 by Drew Tozer is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award 銀獎 in 流動設計 Competition Category.

銀流動· 2020

Pal 流動應用程式

by Drew Tozer

Client: Drew Tozer

A' Design Award 銀獎 Winner in 流動 Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Pal 流動應用程式

Pal係一款流動應用程式，專為紓緩因依賴社交媒體而感到孤獨嘅年輕成年人而設。此應用程式運用區塊鏈同人工智能技術，追蹤個人健康進度，並提供度身訂造嘅建議。社交功能鼓勵用戶認識新朋友，喺線下建立友誼同健康習慣。工具包括本地活動日曆、日常規劃工具、同專業人士傾談嘅聊天功能，以及個人進度追蹤器。註冊時嘅簡短問卷會辨識每位用戶可以發展嘅技能。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 銀獎

Pal 流動應用程式是 A' Design Award 銀獎得主，這是授予頂級、華美而令人印象深刻的設計的極為崇高的認可。銀獎得主是極其卓越、極具創造力的作品，展現出其設計師傑出的專業技能、才華與敏銳。預計Pal 流動應用程式將成為一件出色的典範之作，兼具非凡的專業性與深刻的創新性。這件贏得 A' Design Award 銀獎的設計是一項備受矚目、令人欽佩的發明，造福並拓展藝術、科學、設計和技術的界限。Pal 流動應用程式是一件令人羨慕的創作，它喚起渴望，帶來積極的情感，並激發驚嘆與讚嘆。

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Pal is a blockchain and AI powered app to reduce loneliness in young adults who are suffering from social media dependencies. The app uses a variety of personal health widgets to track user progress and suggest helpful, personalized tips. The apps social widgets promote users to meetup and build meaningful friendships and habits offline. The widgets include a local event calendar, routine builder, chat with a professional, and a personal progress tracker.
Dimensions & Packaging: The AI system will receive chronological data on events, progress in skills, and from other apps from pal’s integrated blockchain-run data collection. This way, it knows how to track progress and suggest tools and tips for growing progress in your specified skill groups. The data will also help to monitor your routine via logs on the blockchain. If the user permits pal access to their data from social media apps, it’ll use it to track time spent on the app, and provide gentle reminders when user’s overstep their goals for social media usage.
Tags: UX, UI, User Centred, Mental Health, User Research, Design Thinking
Production Technology: The app was prototyped using Sketch for a user centred experience. All illustrations were created on Adobe Illustrator. The prototype is focused on a speculative user profile, Remy, who reflects a combination of users interviewed for this project.
Design Challenge: The most challenging creative challenge was identifying how to promote spending less time on social media through an app. Pal had to become the "anti social media", which meant finding opportunities for users to get off the app and build meaningful connections, stronger physical and mental health. Every feature of Pal's has to work to promote less screen time.
Research: Research began with journals on loneliness and social media usage, 13 interviews with the target demographic, and a survey. I learned that meaningful face-to-face connections and engagement with hobbies were the best way to reduce loneliness. Therefore, Pal was made with a routine builder to keep users on healthy schedules; a map that allows users to track their progress; a chat that hears their worries and responds helpfully; and an event planner that offers users opportunities to meet locals.
Inspiration: Inspiration for Pal came from other mental health apps, such as Headspace, Youper, Calm, and Moodkit. The decision to approach loneliness as the main problem was inspired by user interviews, where many young adults identified their struggles with loneliness originating or worsening from an overuse of social media. My main objective was to create an accessible and friendly app that supports and encourages lonely young adults to make healthy transitions for their mental and physical health.
Project Duration: This project started in January 2019 and was finished in April 2019 in Halifax, Canada at NSCAD University.
Operation Flow: Users that create an account with Pal first fill out a brief questionnaire that helps the app to identify skills that the user can focus on to decrease loneliness. The home page will use a smart interface to prompt users to record certain physical health measures, and recommend helpful tips (such as drinking more water and eating more food). It will also notify users of upcoming events and provide friendly encouraging messages. From the homepage, users can access any of the features.
Image Credits: Image #1: Creator IQUII Digital Company, iPhone X - Free Responsive Mockup, 2017.
Image #4: Creator ANTHONY BOYD GRAPHICS, Clay iPhone X Mockup Vol.2, 2018. https://www.anthonyboyd.graphics/mockups/clay-iphone-x-mockup-vol-2/
Image #5: Creator COBE, 8 Photorealistic iPhone 7 Mockups, 2016.