Pronax
Re-imagining sticky notes in the context of critical design.
PROJECT SUMMARY
Background: An individual project from the course: 5D Fundamentals: Experience and Drawing.
Objective: Explore and re-imagine an object in everyday life in the context of critical design.
Timespan: Fall 2019; 3 weeks.
Audience: Students.
Goal: Discuss stigmas on stress through re-imagined functionalities of sticky notes.
PROMPT
The goal of this assignment is to explore the world of tangible interactions by investigating and understanding your own experience in a direct way and engaging in research and data collection. Time, research, observation, and reflection are integral to finding or inhabiting a new perspective.
THE PROBLEM
Stress is a main factor that contributes to our lifestyle and leads to many common mental illnesses. One of the leading stress sources I observed stems from meeting deadlines of various forms: assignments, projects, registrations, exams, and more.
Deadlines? More like dated deaths.
The word "deadline" can be daunting, for taking the word apart into "dead" and "line" suggests literal deaths as date or time dues. It feels especially real to me when I use sticky notes to remind myself of deadlines. The adhesive notes develop almost a clingy relationship, that I have to take full responsibility of the task assigned until completion or even perfection, almost like a promise I vow to fulfill. On top of that, the more sticky notes I use, the more it weighs me down and piles on to my already-existing stress.
However, all those worries are based on the mindset believing stress is harmful. I was inspired by an estimation quoted in Kelly McGonigal’s Ted Talk, that "Researchers estimated that 20,000 Americans died prematurely annually, not from stress, but from the belief that stress is bad for you." In other words, we increase our chance of living just by befriending stress!
THE SOLUTION
Introducing: Pronax!
People can personalize their drug by writing down the deadlines on a sticky-note-like sheet. Depending on the time, number of tasks, and stress level detected through penmanship, the sheet will customize a prescription that suits the individual's needs. Fold the sheet in eighths to generate the prescribed formula, and it will be activated as it dissolves with saliva. The formula will release chemicals that acts on oxytocin synapses in the brain to implement positive thoughts that deals with stress.
Initial sketch.
Style guide and versions of Pronax logo.
THE OUTCOME
I presented my project as a branded pharmaceutical product that aims to alleviate stress. It comes with some of the most trending drug features on the market: color-coded flavors, vague and suspicious drug facts, and expensive pricing. Respectively, it is to reflect modern medicine's impracticality of not treating underlying problems but simply easing symptoms, the lack of research on long-term effects, and the dis-affordability that leaves needy people suffering.
Branding and digital Marketing components.
Physical Mockup
Product Landing Page
I revisited the project in Summer 2020 and created a project landing page on CodePen using the newly acquired basic HTML + CSS skills. My goal in the near future is to style it according to my style guide as I learn more about web development!
