Now that I have finished all the mock screens in react native for the uMetric app it is time to make a design document specifying more extensively the journey of this self and computer development. The first thing is to define the outline of how to communicate with it, that is giving names to the functional steps I came by and later progressing into more advanced features.
Entry level application for self behavioral analysis.
That sentence popped out of my mind this morning, and I think it is what uMetric is doing. I have to add that I didn’t check any other app of this kind while I was doing the initial steps of development and usage, I just did after writing the sentence in the text editor and now I am back after going to a bunch of them. There are two focuses that I like about uMetric and I don’t see in many other apps: the one on the path and assimilate the changes progressivly and the one on not being a robot, but the other way around. It is common to see behavior apps or rationalists forums focusing on being productive and efficient as the ultimate goal to achieve, but I think that they are subproduct and living in a better way is actually the goal. Not only that, by focusing our attention in productivity and efficiency we can build a huge wall for people that could be benefiting from studying and consciously modifying their behavior.
Usage stages
I don’t want this to be a guide for a particular life style, or to promote being mindlessly efficient. As the aim is to help every person using it to understand their inner processes and modify their actions according to their long-lasting well-being and values, the journey must be personal.
For that matter, I share my own path interacting with the application as an example, and I will warn most of the people to restrain using it if they don’t count with the help and support of a mind health professional. If you think that you are one of these people that would not ever need help, consider for a few moments if you are overestimating your capabilities or making rushed judgements before continuing.
In the beginning there was nothing
No default categories, no indication of what they should be about. Just a reminder that they can have an associated URL, and that this URL could be a playlist and that our player would probably play it.
The fact that there will be no default categories, events, reminders or goals it is trying to put into value that personal journey.
Music:response
Morning routine, where each action has an associated playlist and the night routine, easier and softer, without any linked playlist.
What is this?
How do I feel? What am I thinking? What am I doing? How are those things related?
Changes
How do I feel at a certain time every day? What thoughts did I classified previously as feelings? How much time do I want to dedicate to what things every week? Did I called someone from my family this week?
Sayin’ Alive
One more stage emerged: restructuring categories, removing the elements that we introduced artificially but were never used and naming them accordingly with the new self and therapy knowledge. A new category per ACT core process with a few exercises inside, so when I trigger a rumination or undesired behavior the event is not only recorded, but the most appealing category of exercises is shown in order to aid taking action.