ENHANCING STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Emotion Cloud
ENHANCING STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Emotion Cloud
ENHANCING STUDENTS' EMOTIONAL LITERACY
Emotion Cloud
With the aim of balancing connection and solitude at a learner-centered high school, the emotion log and check-in platform promotes student well-being, encourages the community to label and recognize emotions, and supports awareness of presences in the school.
DURATION
3 months
ROLE
Product designer
CLIENT
CoB High School
SKILLS
UI/UX, user research, learning design
TOOLS
Figma
With the aim of balancing connection and solitude at a learner-centered high school, the emotion log and check-in platform promotes student well-being, encourages the community to label and recognize emotions, and supports awareness of presences in the school.
DURATION
3 months
ROLE
Product designer
CLIENT
CoB High School
SKILLS
UI/UX, user research, learning design
TOOLS
Figma
With the aim of balancing connection and solitude at a learner-centered high school, the emotion log and check-in platform promotes student well-being, encourages the community to label and recognize emotions, and supports awareness of presences in the school.
DURATION
3 months
ROLE
Product designer
CLIENT
CoB High School
SKILLS
UI/UX, user research, learning design
TOOLS
Figma
CONTEXT
Maintaining closeness in a larger school
City of Bridges, a learner-centered high school, was concerned that moving to a bigger building would make it harder to preserve the tight-knit community while still giving students a sense of agency and space for solitude.
The real challenge is emotional awareness
The challenge wasn’t only physical but also emotional. Students needed support building emotional literacy so frequent interaction didn’t become overwhelming.
CONTEXT
Maintaining closeness in a larger school
City of Bridges, a learner-centered high school, was concerned that moving to a bigger building would make it harder to preserve the tight-knit community while still giving students a sense of agency and space for solitude.
The real challenge is emotional awareness
The challenge wasn’t only physical but also emotional. Students needed support building emotional literacy so frequent interaction didn’t become overwhelming.
CONTEXT
Maintaining closeness in a larger school
City of Bridges, a learner-centered high school, was concerned that moving to a bigger building would make it harder to preserve the tight-knit community while still giving students a sense of agency and space for solitude.
The real challenge is emotional awareness
The challenge wasn’t only physical but also emotional. Students needed support building emotional literacy so frequent interaction didn’t become overwhelming.
PREVIEW
Turning attendance into a meaningful act of care
Turning attendance into a meaningful act of care
Encouraging emotional awareness daily, so students can:
Encouraging emotional awareness daily, so students can:
Practice naming emotions regularly
Practice naming emotions regularly
Share their emotions in ways comfortable to them
Share their emotions in ways comfortable to them
See emotional trends across the school community
See emotional trends across the school community
Respond to peers' emotions by sending messages of support
Respond to peers' emotions by sending messages of support
STEPPING INSIDE THE SCHOOL
Blurred boundaries between people and spaces
Using contextual inquiry methods, we immersed ourselves in the school environment. We learned that there are limited boundaries between private and group-oriented spaces, and lines between students and teachers are often blurred.
STEPPING INSIDE THE SCHOOL
Blurred boundaries between people and spaces
Using contextual inquiry methods, we immersed ourselves in the school environment. We learned that there are limited boundaries between private and group-oriented spaces, and lines between students and teachers are often blurred.
STEPPING INSIDE THE SCHOOL
Blurred boundaries between people and spaces
Using contextual inquiry methods, we immersed ourselves in the school environment. We learned that there are limited boundaries between private and group-oriented spaces, and lines between students and teachers are often blurred.
More group than individual activities
Only one room is available for individual space
Majority of interactions are in-person, face-to-face
Few interactions with or exposure to technology
Alone time limited by frequent interactions with peers and teachers
More group than individual activities
Only one room is available for individual space
Majority of interactions are in-person, face-to-face
Few interactions with or exposure to technology
Alone time limited by frequent interactions with peers and teachers
More group than individual activities
Only one room is available for individual space
Majority of interactions are in-person, face-to-face
Few interactions with or exposure to technology
Alone time limited by frequent interactions with peers and teachers
More group than individual activities
Only one room is available for individual space
Majority of interactions are in-person, face-to-face
Few interactions with or exposure to technology
Alone time limited by frequent interactions with peers and teachers
The problem isn't closeness—it's emotional awareness
The problem isn't closeness—it's emotional awareness
Talking to 6 CoB students and the school principal revealed an underlying concern: overreliance on teachers for support inhibits peer-peer emotional awareness and students' self-awareness.
Talking to 6 CoB students and the school principal revealed an underlying concern: overreliance on teachers for support inhibits peer-peer emotional awareness and students' self-awareness.
"Right now, the closeness is already too much."
"Right now, the closeness is already too much."
"Right now, the closeness is already too much."
"The support is very teacher-student. Like if we need help or something we just text our teachers, they’re always there."
"The support is very teacher-student. Like if we need help or something we just text our teachers, they’re always there."
"The support is very teacher-student. Like if we need help or something we just text our teachers, they’re always there."
"We have closeness almost all the time, like, you see the rooms are connected with one hallway."
"We have closeness almost all the time, like, you see the rooms are connected with one hallway."
"We have closeness almost all the time, like, you see the rooms are connected with one hallway."
"We need more individual space if possible."
"We need more individual space if possible."
"We need more individual space if possible."
Quotes from COB students
MOVING FORWARD
How might we facilitate students' awareness of peers' emotional states and needs?
MOVING FORWARD
How might we facilitate students' awareness of peers' emotional states and needs?
MOVING FORWARD
How might we facilitate students' awareness of peers' emotional states and needs?
IDEATION
Co-designing with students
Co-designing with students
Through storyboard speed dating to test 10 ideas with students, we learned that we need to empower students with more agency to check themselves in for attendance while facilitating peer-to-peer support, without compromising personal boundaries.
Through storyboard speed dating to test 10 ideas with students, we learned that we need to empower students with more agency to check themselves in for attendance while facilitating peer-to-peer support, without compromising personal boundaries.
Keeping flexibility and agency in mind
We conducted prototype testing with 4 students and 1 teacher to learn how they respond to sharing their emotions on their own terms and how well the platform supports emotional awareness.
Keeping flexibility and agency in mind
We conducted prototype testing with 4 students and 1 teacher to learn how they respond to sharing their emotions on their own terms and how well the platform supports emotional awareness.
Keeping flexibility and agency in mind
We conducted prototype testing with 4 students and 1 teacher to learn how they respond to sharing their emotions on their own terms and how well the platform supports emotional awareness.
TIPS FOR SHOWING SUPPORT
Before
Uses vague language
Uses vague language
Uses vague language
Lacks guidance
Lacks guidance
Lacks guidance
After
Added specific examples
Added specific examples
Added specific examples
Included phrases students can easily build on
Included phrases students can easily build on
Included phrases students can easily build on
EMOTION-SHARING PREFERENCES
Before
Limited options
Limited options
Limited options
Misses diversity of preferences
Misses diversity of preferences
Misses diversity of preferences
After
Increases flexibility
Increases flexibility
Increases flexibility
Caters to students' diverse comfort levels
Caters to students' diverse comfort levels
Caters to students' diverse comfort levels
SOLUTION
Creating opportunities for emotional expression
Creating opportunities for emotional expression
Our reframed direction became to create a digital platform that reimagines attendance-taking as an opportunity for emotional expression which, over time, empowers students to develop the skills of expressing their emotional needs and supporting those of others.
Our reframed direction became to create a digital platform that reimagines attendance-taking as an opportunity for emotional expression which, over time, empowers students to develop the skills of expressing their emotional needs and supporting those of others.
Logging emotions
Logging emotions
Students can explore a repository of emotions to choose one that best captures how they're feeling, developing emotional granularity. Explaining the reason behind their emotion encourages deeper reflection and comfort in expressing emotions.
Students can explore a repository of emotions to choose one that best captures how they're feeling, developing emotional granularity. Explaining the reason behind their emotion encourages deeper reflection and comfort in expressing emotions.
Supporting peers
Supporting peers
Students can become more comfortable sharing their own and recognizing others' emotions by exploring the community emotions cloud. Another key skill for students to build is offering nonjudgmental, compassionate support to peers, encouraged by the built-in messaging platform.
Students can become more comfortable sharing their own and recognizing others' emotions by exploring the community emotions cloud. Another key skill for students to build is offering nonjudgmental, compassionate support to peers, encouraged by the built-in messaging platform.
Takeaways
A client's ask doesn't always address the real challenge; users reveal the underlying needs.
Working with a non-traditional high school brought about several challenges. We had to navigate ambiguity by uncovering the true needs hiding behind the perceived need for more space. We also learned to tackle emotional literacy skill-building in a way that was comfortable to hesitant students by incorporating it in ways sensitive to various comfort levels.
Takeaways
A client's ask doesn't always address the real challenge; users reveal the underlying needs.
Working with a non-traditional high school brought about several challenges. We had to navigate ambiguity by uncovering the true needs hiding behind the perceived need for more space. We also learned to tackle emotional literacy skill-building in a way that was comfortable to hesitant students by incorporating it in ways sensitive to various comfort levels.
Takeaways
A client's ask doesn't always address the real challenge; users reveal the underlying needs.
Working with a non-traditional high school brought about several challenges. We had to navigate ambiguity by uncovering the true needs hiding behind the perceived need for more space. We also learned to tackle emotional literacy skill-building in a way that was comfortable to hesitant students by incorporating it in ways sensitive to various comfort levels.
