AIR is a prototype social detox application by SE Studio defined as a timeout from using electronic devices for social media, either completely or for a specific subset of time. Tasked with developing an aesthetic and wireframe, I worked with my fellow studio designers to produce a minimalistic social media free experience.
Tasks
My focus points for this project were:
A) Create a Wireframe for the basic concept of AIR B) Style the application as minimalistic as possible
C) Provide a viable mockup for investors
Style
Calming hues and the soft rounded edges of the font Lato Rounded, the Air main logo is accompanied by the ever popular San Francisco Apple font. AIR is presented in soft cool hues and fades into a gradient to be reminiscent of clouds dispersing or mist, something that generally is associated with spas, relaxation and an unencumbered mind. The design uses a neumorphic aesthetic accompanied by light color hues backlighting certain key designs in the interface of AIR.
Why use AIR
As time passes, technology becomes more advanced, social media platforms become intriguing, and their addictiveness becomes ever more apparent with each generation of consumer. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and tiktok are advancing to create quick scrollable stories explained in single images, hashtags and short videos, and we as human beings try to soak in all this data. We do this for entertainment, for the laughs, the anger, the cuteness, the "What did I just watch?" moments and this constant feed of emotions is addictive and it can become a habit to constantly be checking all these platforms all day and night. This constant scrolling can result in lack of sleep, shortened attention spans, questioning of self-worth, and many other negative attributes that come with the positives of global sharing networks.
The use of AIR is in the blocking of all social media on your mobile device. This would not include texts or normal phone calls, but it would block the spam-like occurrence of new uploads and help wane the need to keep checking multiple media platforms. Now, is the AIR application heartless in closing down your links to your social media? Maybe; it all depends on what setting you choose, for how long, and if you allow yourself passes for short windows to look at your media (three max and anymore, then that pops a payment option for additional time that hopefully decreases the users want for scroll time). AIR also provides a messaging system that posts that you are away from social media and for how long, so it shows people that you haven't just gone radio silent on your feed.
Wireframing
AIR was created by the design team of Sebastian Errazuriz studio, a team that wanted to create a very simple application for a very simple concept. After we decided on the name, color scheme and how in-depth we currently wanted to go (this was a concept to be presented to investors and should be presentable), we decided to build out the three branches of the application. The user would be allowed three types of social escapism; Detox that has a 24-hour getaway from social, Diet that was 30 Days with optional limits on viewing your social (10/15/20 minutes) and a Cleanse that is a 3-day removal that worked great for weekend getaways. These were your viable options and outside the complimentary social post saying your going to be off, this application limited your access to social on your mobile.
Design Hurdles
While this was a great project to work on with my team, there were definitely things we had to think about when publishing this application. Would Apple allow an app to block the use of other apps on its operating system? How would AIR apply to logging in from your browser into your social media account? These questions, if the application had reached fruition, would be key hurdles that AIR would need to jump to become a viable application for social media detoxing.