1.

Clarity

The Future of Fighting Addiction

Project Overview:
- Mobile App
- Individual Project
- 4 Months
- 2017

This project is a hypothetical application to help people fight their addiction. This concept starts with the premise that people will own electronic eye-wear, that can display content for their owner.  My product is an application that modifies the wearer's vision to remind the addict why they are fighting.  This reminder will obscure their triggers and/or show hours sober, instead of a liquor store (for example).​

This project consists of two prototypes, the first is the application and the second is a VR prototype that simulates what a user would see when using this product throughout their daily life.

2.

Problem Statement

Addiction can be extremely difficult for some, especially if the addict is still seeing visual triggers of their addiction.

In the future, is there a way where we could fight addiction through the what the user sees (or doesn't)?

3.

Research

During the research phase, I interviewed one Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student and performed competitive analysis.  This was to gain a better understanding as to what is currently on the market, what strategies are being used to fight addiction, and to better understand if my proposed concept would help or harm the user.​

For the competitive analysis, I found the following:
- Current apps us a counter system to track substance usage.
- There is an aspect of community in the apps.
- There is a mix between apps for specific addictions and general ones.
- They use bright colors and hopeful language.

​For my interview, I found the following:
- The technique being used is called urge surfing.
- High risk moments, product could prompt meditation, pros + cons, or call a sponsor.
- Potential phase out procedure.

Recovering Addict - Persona

4.

Ideation + Design

Application Design: After researching current products on the market and interviewing the Clinical Psychology student, I decided on making an application that would interact with electronic eyewear, called Clarity.  With the following being some design specs I gave for the initial prototype:
​- Allow for users to choose their addiction
- Use a counter system
- Give users the ability to have a community, this can be in the form of adding allies or other sponsor type people to their contact profile
- Intervene when users might act out on their addiction
- Use bright colors and hopeful language

Vision Application Design: Going forward from the application prototype, I wanted to show what someone would see when using this product.  The system would cover the sources of their addiction and replace them with their choice of their family photos or how long they've been sober.​

Meditation Flow: Finally, a feature of this product was to have the users go through meditations.  When the system detects the user is tempted, it will run them through a meditation exercise. ​This is meant to calm their mind and refocus them away from their addiction:
​- Focus users on the directions
- Bright colors and imagery
- Hopeful language
- Gathers data to assess user's progress through their recovery

5.

Deliverables

Application prototype:  The application prototype remains relatively unchanged from the last phase except with the addition of a meditation graph.  Further updates need to be made on the choice of imagery.​

Prototype can be tested here.

Vision Prototype:  Users would have obscured vision of their triggers, rather than having them have them see an image of their family. My interview with the Clinical Psychology student raised concerns that the user would begin associating their family with their addiction.

Meditation UI:  The meditation UI brings users through meditation exercises.