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UI / UX

Integrated Design

About Me

IdeaVendor App

Drawing inspiration from spontaneous randomness refreshes creativity

IdeaVendor is a random-word-creation app, designed to spark creativity among designers, writers, educators, and students. Drawing inspiration from the Gashapon capsule-toy vending machine concept. IdeaVendor offers a unique method for generating random words and ideas. This app embraces the concept of parallel thinking, moving beyond the pursuit of a single 'practical truth' to explore a wide range of possibilities.

Client

Personal Project

Role

Visual Design UI & UX Design

Industries

Brainstorming & Creativity

Timeline

September - October 2020

Overview

OMTOU transformed from a city exploration app with mystery locations to OMTOU V2, which uses user-recorded sounds to create unique, curiosity-driven urban experiences.

Problem Space

Creative professionals, from artists to scientists, often draw inspiration from personal experiences, shaping ideas that initially resonate with a narrow audience before finding wider success. However, the pervasive influence of social media can homogenize ideas, challenging creators to find truly original inspirations. Coupled with the constraints of time and the pressure to innovate without extensive resources, there's a critical need for a solution.

Challenge

How might we empower creatives to continuously access unique and fresh sources of inspiration, enabling them to transcend the echo chamber of social media and enhance both their creative output and its commercial viability?

Secondary Research

I collected some responses through social media and online community, and I found out that creative individuals often find seeking inspiration time-consuming, with online resources being overly filtered and lacking diversity.

Discovery

While social media and online platforms offer convenient access to a wealth of information, their inherent limitations underscore the need for more deliberate and discerning approaches to finding inspiration, ensuring that creativity remains both original and meaningful.

Psychological Research

Despite these challenges, people continue to rely on social media and online platforms for inspiration due to habitual linear thinking processes:

We encounter something online (Perception).
We form an opinion about it (Judgment).
We consider possible actions or creations inspired by it (Action).

This traditional thinking path is familiar and comfortable, leading us to seek inspiration through these channels, even when they may not foster the most original or creative outcomes.

Proposed Design Solution

What I propose is a shift towards a different thinking method that embraces multiple possibilities stemming from initial perceptions, and this method is called parallel thinking, focusing on the thinking process itself rather than rushing into action to test feasibility.

Design Goal

I aim to develop a user-friendly design solution offering a straightforward 'creativity stimulant': a regenerative list of random words easily accessible for immediate inspiration. Designed for diverse creative endeavors, from fiction writing to innovative projects or brainstorming life's possibilities, this tool champions open-mindedness and versatility in creativity.

It should be prompt.
It should offer diversity and convenience.
It should also be fun & engaging.

Leveraging the components outlined above, I created a Gashapon Machine Interface. This digital experience allows users to interact with a virtual gashapon machine, receiving a unique capsule toy with each click, inside which lies a randomly generated word. Additionally, users are provided with a personal cabinet feature, where these random but inspiring words can be stored and integrated into their unique design projects.

Final Prototype

Psychological Research

Incorporating the engaging function of a gashapon machine, this design allows users to select their "capsule toy" to receive random outputs, transforming the user experience into something interesting and playful for various audiences.

Despite these challenges, people continue to rely on social media and online platforms for inspiration due to habitual linear thinking processes:

We encounter something online (Perception).
We form an opinion about it (Judgment).
We consider possible actions or creations inspired by it (Action).

This traditional thinking path is familiar and comfortable, leading us to seek inspiration through these channels, even when they may not foster the most original or creative outcomes.

Design Goal

However, the nature of creativity is such that it cannot be confined to moments of active experience seeking alone; it demands a constant influx of new ideas, especially when faced with the constraints of deadlines and the pressure to innovate. This presents a significant challenge: How can individuals in creative fields maintain a steady stream of fresh, inspiring experiences to fuel their work without the luxury of unlimited time or resources for exploration?

Leveraging random keywords method derived from parallel thinking, my goal is to blend the psychological excitement of delayed gratification, akin to the surprise element in 'blind box toys', with the app experience. I envision users enjoying a game-like anticipation, looking forward to discovering inspirational words generated by the app. Drawing inspiration from the captivating world of Gashapon machines, this UI prototype seeks to capture the essence of these coin-operated toy dispensers that have become a cultural phenomenon, originating from Japan. Embracing the spirit of surprise and delight, these machines offer a vast array of affordable treasures, catering to a wide range of interests.

Reflections

I'd like to refine my research methodology. The initial interview sample was small yet as for the secondary research, the sampling is too focused on visual / graphic designers, which might not be able to represent other creative occupations.
Getting more user testing on the whole gashapon interface experience to learn what can be improved to be more engaging.

Psychological Research

Despite these challenges, people continue to rely on social media and online platforms for inspiration due to habitual linear thinking processes:

We encounter something online (Perception).
We form an opinion about it (Judgment).
We consider possible actions or creations inspired by it (Action).

This traditional thinking path is familiar and comfortable, leading us to seek inspiration through these channels, even when they may not foster the most original or creative outcomes.

THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING ALL THE CONTENTS - MADE WITH PASSION ^3 by erin :)

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THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING ALL THE CONTENTS - MADE WITH PASSION ^3 by erin :)

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Contact

Instagram

THANK YOU FOR EXPLORING ALL THE CONTENTS - MADE WITH PASSION ^3 by erin :)

Work

Contact

Instagram