Name
Camiel van der Beek
Student Number
500784638
Contact
Coach
Roey Tsemah
Educational Institution
Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
Course
Communication & Multimedia Design
1 Minute Thesis Proposal - Re-purposing Smartphones for a Mindful Lifestyle
As a designer who predominantly works on devices that are a big part for so many people's lives - read: smartphones, and their addictiveness and imperfections - I am rethinking my personal stand in this. I am aware how much trouble comes from these devices, as they lead to mental health issues as anxiety, depression, sociological issues such as, depolarization, fake news, traffic hazards and physiological issues involving sleep disorders, eyesight or arthritis. - Phones cause quite some harm, especially if you realize how much everyone cherishes these devices. They are the pinnacle of technology in everyone's pocket, yet they seem to work against us, rather than for us.
Smartphones are designed to grab and hold onto someone's attention. They are advertised as if they are the perfect tool to accommodate your life, when in reality, you will start to accommodate to your phone.
Smartphones offer lots of opportunities to research and to create design projects for, but one area really aroused my interest. Mental health issues can define someone's outlook on life. They can cause immense damage that can stay undetectable for other people.
Although there are is a wide variety of interesting areas, the mental health theme is for me personally the most challenging design case. I would love to find out more about the issues that current technology is causing.
My question is - Is there a way to change something about these phones, their operating system design or an immersive app experience, that could result in fewer caused mental health issues, such as anxiety or depression.
After doing various design projects, I've come to realize that it's not just designing a User Experience or a Visual Design that excites me, it's the potential in the real world that inspires me. I am not simply designing technology, I am designing technology that can impact real-world problems. I want to tackle real-world problems through technology.
One way to impact these problems is to start from an individual perspective. Any cultural (or perhaps political) change is the result of many individuals that changed their behavior (Cabinet Office, 2008). Behavioral change is really powerful and potential. It is both enabling us to change the future and it helps us adapting to the present.
Initiating behavioral change for people that suffer with mental health issues will be really challenging. It will require a more refined approach than simply adding a few simple nudges in the interface. I want to really delve into the role of a design researcher and come up with a concept that can showcase thoroughness and ability to deal with complex problems.