 Part 1: Feedback Format

 For this assignment I created a survey with Google Forms

 I chose this for accessibility as well as because I felt my prototype

could currently benefit from general feedback from a potentially larger pool of

people.

 Thought Redirect - Google Forms Survey

 Google Sheets

 Part 2: Feedback Participants

 I gathered information from several friends and family members.

They were specifically chosen because they either tend to seek self-

improvement/self-coaching methods and so would potentially be my

audience or they already have their own methods and so might have more

insight into my product’s strengths and weaknesses.

 Overall, my results were varied from a mild to more solid interest.

An interest in the concept and the opportunity for learning were strong and

most seemed to see its potential usefulness for themselves or others.

 Part 3: What did you learn from the responses?

It is funny how sometimes what you think you’re learning is not what stands out

after you go through the process. As with most academic learning, so much of what

we’re taught is not only about the content being learned but also the means by which

we get there. This project, which I chose to do in survey form, was no different. While I
went in believing I’d gain some information about how to improve my current prototype;

upon seeing the responses, I am now reflecting more on how I could have better

approached questions. From what information I truly hoped to gain on multiple levels to

how to word them for my respondents, I feel better equipped to create more effective

future surveys.

To begin with, if I could go back in time, I would begin at the end. I would ask

myself what I would wonder after participants had viewed my content and taken my

survey. For instance, “I wonder if they went through it the way I had indented.” This

would aid me in understanding how different paths (intended or not) might affect what

the take-aways for the viewer were. And now I know to ask how they exercised their

slide sequence options. By putting myself in the position of the curious analyzer, rather

than the assignment completer and proud prototype mother, I could better see what

information I hoped to gain upon this project’s conclusion.

In addition, I would have more thoroughly examined my chosen participants more

at the beginning of the survey creation. Questioning who am I asking to complete it and

why? Though I began with a clear understanding of who I was inviting to my survey and

the reasons behind the decisions, those reasons were not fully present while forming

my questions. In hindsight, I would approach the survey from the two angles by which I

had approached my current audience selection.

 Part 4: How can you improve your solution?

While the results of my survey left me with more questions than I began with,

there has been one factor I have zeroed in on. That is the “fun” factor. While the content

of my solution does not necessarily call for entertainment, there was an intention of
drawing one’s interest and engaging one’s brain on a similar level as an interactive

game might. If redirecting one’s thoughts, whether relaxing into fresh ones or learning

about them, is an enjoyable process, then people are more likely to engage.

With that said, what might those improvements look like? First, I could create

additional slides with more unexpected content. Whether using more vibrant, artistic

visuals which match aspects of the current path choice or other engaging modalities

(such as GIFs, Memes, or comics), having less content rich slides which set the viewer

up for the next path choice might be one way to build in more fun.

In addition, finding ways to give it a more game-like quality would be exciting. It

could be a game demonstrating perceptions, giving the participating “thought redirector”

a lesson in the nature of reality and how theirs might be less factual than they previously

believed. Another way would be having detours in the form of a mini mind adventure –

those taking the visitor down the path of viewing their thoughts in a more exciting way.

 Part 5: Final Thoughts 

As someone who mentally jumps to the end product, I will often skip the physical

steps to get there. With this unit’s projects building on one another, I surprised myself by

genuinely enjoying the process. And the reason for it is clear to me; it played off of my

inherent inclinations, just as John Dewey had believed.

And by combining my natural draws with technological allowances, this learning process

has been further elevated and given me ideas for future uses. From taking a subject I

already care about and using tools to create solution oriented concepts, I feel more

capable of making my ideas come to life. Before this unit that notion would have been

overwhelming, but now it’s an exciting thought.