Designer & artist, SF-based.

Currently

CCA MDes Interaction Design.

Previously Cuberg, Anthro, Stanford materials science.

Fortes

Interactive experiences for physical, digital, sound. I love objects, unserious charts, old Internet, creating ethically, fearlessly, & with technical rigor.

Rume: A Rest Stop in the Digisphere

Project Type

Student project

Role

Interaction designer

Tools

Figma, Figjam, Google

Team

Mai Kao, Mackenzie Hart

Mentor: Blake Hudelson

Contribution

User Research

Journey Mapping

Ideation

Visual Identity
Wireframing

Prototyping

Outcome

Mobile app concept

Duration

Semester-long project, 15 weeks

Overview

Rume is a memory collection app concept to encourage reflection through objects. We invite users to sift through recommended memories (photos, videos) and preserve them within Rume.


Over time, Rume uses object recognition AI to extract important objects from memories and preserve them in a gallery for reflection.

Background

“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” – Herbert Simon

In a digital-first world, cognitive overload from the data that surrounds us is a recipe for stress and disconnection. With little time to reflect and pause, it's hard to reflect on the memories within our digital artifacts: photos, videos, and notes.

Insights from People

We interviewed a few people around us to understand their journeys with stress from digital overload, and how people reflect on their day in the time that they have.

How do people feel about digital overload?

Our interviewees all felt exhausted by dealing with stress, and more specifically stress from handling digital information.

“lost”

“disjointed”

“delirious”

“forgetful”

“mechanical”

“tired”

“scatter-brained”

“can’t catch a break”

“low morale”

“overwhelmed”

“I have different pinned pages in my notes app where I sketch for fun"

How do people try to reflect?

Drawings, photos, playlists: people's reflections are rooted in concrete artifacts of their past

Reflection is a key to being present. And to better reflect, we can turn to physical objects.

“When people choose among the objects in their everyday life, the dominant characteristic of the objects on which they place the greatest value is the capacity to evoke memories.”

Job Stories & Wireframes

User Job: Onboarding


When I want to reflect with Rume, I want a delightful and understandable way to reflect on objects from my past memories.

User Job: Uploading Memories


When I'm ready to add memories to Rume, I want to quickly add photo/video recommendations that Rume provides

User Job: Viewing Objects


When I want to reflect with Rume, I want a delightful and understandable way to reflect on objects from my past memories.

The Nature of Rume

We thought deeply about Rume's identity from the outset: shapes, colors, objects that define the core of our concept. We were drawn to motifs surrounding refuge, learning, and ritual. We looked to round, soft edges with room to contain things, and luminescent colors that are both comforting and evocative.

The Mood of Rume

We looked to round, soft edges with room to contain things, and luminescent colors that are both comforting and evocative.

The Name of Rume

Rume's is multifaceted. Phonetically it evokes a refuge of reflection, a place of lumination and meditation, a room of sorts for things to happen. The synthesis of these ideas is what makes Rume.

The Shapes of Rume

“Rume" is multifaceted. Phonetically it evokes a refuge of reflection, a place of lumination and meditation, a room of sorts for things to happen. The synthesis of these ideas is what makes Rume.

Design Solution

Onboarding

Welcome

Uploading Memories

Reflecting with Objects

Object Gallery