Cassandra Reese

The rising crescendo of the digital lifestyle has profoundly affected the human capacity for sustained focus. Since 2000, the human attention span has dropped from 12 to 8 seconds, with decreased long-term focus as users increase digital consumption. With users not getting off their devices anytime soon, and technostress on the rise, the question arises how designers might better meet users where they are by designing more mindful interactions. Research in the field of mindfulness shows its potential to reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve overall wellbeing. Mindfulness-based design, or mindful design, focuses on creating opportunities for users to become more attentive to their present state of awareness. The opportunity for this design research is in response to what Linda Stone, technology consultant, calls “screen apnea,” or the experience of shallow breathing or breath holding while doing email, or while working or playing in front of a screen. According to Stone, 80% of people do not breathe properly when using screen devices and the implications are increased stress levels, diminished emotional well-being and attitude, as well as reduced productivity. Using the breath as the primary focus, the goal of this design research is to understand the relationship between the visual components of rhythmic visualizations—direction, hue, brightness, temperature, saturation, contrast, and imagery—and the factors that affect mindfulness through breath awareness for long-term desktop users. The extended goals of this research are to integrate the findings into the development of a web-based tool—potentially a browser extension—to enhance mindfulness and minimize digital stressors.

Human beings both create and reflect the world around them. The power of influence for one individual is substantial, as every action ripples out into the world around them. Others regard their behaviors and—whether consciously or subconsciously—they are affected. While it is impossible to ever know the total impact one makes in the world, it is possible to set a personal intention to be, do and create good. While the umbrella concept of “good” is elusive, as perceptual judgments can vary, the true colors behind an action might best be realized in the intention for collective well-being. Perhaps Milton Glaser put it best when stating that at the very least, design should “try to do no harm” (Soar 576). Designers have the profound capability to influence the world, if not simply because design affects every detail of how individuals live their lives (Heskett 2). The conversation surrounding social design is one that recognizes the intrinsic capability graphic design has to influence the social conscience. Through visual communication, designers both contribute to and reflect the social and cultural identities of society. By shifting the focus of design back towards humanity, it is beneficial for designers to explore the societal influence they possess and to ask themselves what message their current work is communicating to the world.

Research Proposal Only. Play is an elusive concept; both in its ability to be defined as well as to be researched (Whitebread, Coltman, Jameson & Lander, 2009). Many theorists and researchers including Johan Huizinga (1950), Jean Piaget (1962), Jerome Bruner and colleagues (1976), and others have long sought to not only clarify the essence of play, but to also understand its effect on development and well-being, as well as its ability to promote creative thinking (Ginsburg, 2007; Howard-Jones, Taylor & Sutton, 2002). Carl Rogers identified the first characteristic of a successfully creative person as having “the ability to play” (as cited in Gude, 2010). Along those same lines, is it possible that play can facilitate one’s creative abilities (Russ, 2003)?  Indeed, previous research in this area has found substantial statistical evidence supporting this notion (Dansky & Silverman, 1973, 1975; Lieberman, 1977; Vandenberg, 1981). However, will this link between play and creativity sustain as the elementary student progresses into adolescence where self-consciousness reigns and play is no longer a primary focus? Research has found that when rules are imposed on play, children lose some of the creativity-enhancing benefits (Ginsburg, 2007). Students at this age can face their own set of rules or apprehensions for exploring creative interests including a desire to please the teacher, not understanding the purpose of creating, fearing judgment for inaccurate solutions, and fearing non-conformity amongst their peers (Gude, 2010).  Yet, by playfully creating, it is possible that art can become a less self-conscious act where students are able to look within rather than outside themselves for answers (Szekely, 1996).

The rising crescendo of the digital lifestyle has profoundly affected the human capacity for sustained focus. Since 2000, the human attention span has dropped from 12 to 8 seconds, with decreased long-term focus as users increase digital consumption. With users not getting off their devices anytime soon, and technostress on the rise, the question arises how designers might better meet users where they are by designing more mindful interactions. Research in the field of mindfulness shows its potential to reduce stress, increase productivity, and improve overall wellbeing. Mindfulness-based design, or mindful design, focuses on creating opportunities for users to become more attentive to their present state of awareness. The opportunity for this design research is in response to what Linda Stone, technology consultant, calls “screen apnea,” or the experience of shallow breathing or breath holding while doing email, or while working or playing in front of a screen. According to Stone, 80% of people do not breathe properly when using screen devices and the implications are increased stress levels, diminished emotional well-being and attitude, as well as reduced productivity. Using the breath as the primary focus, the goal of this design research is to understand the relationship between the visual components of rhythmic visualizations—direction, hue, brightness, temperature, saturation, contrast, and imagery—and the factors that affect mindfulness through breath awareness for long-term desktop users. The extended goals of this research are to integrate the findings into the development of a web-based tool—potentially a browser extension—to enhance mindfulness and minimize digital stressors.