Pakku | UI/UX + Research
A mobile app designed to effortlessly capture meaningful moments, offering a chance to store and revisit these experiences in the future. I helped develop the concept, research, and final prototype. My primary role was developing the revisit experience, while my partner developed the documentation experience.
UI/UX Design | UX Research
UI/UX Design | UX Research
Team
Sophia Hao
Sophia Hao
Duration
5 Weeks
Fall, 2023
5 Weeks
Fall, 2023
Programs
Figma
Figma
01. What is Pakku?
Main App Features
Pack → Ship → Collect → Receive → Deliver
1. Pack
Users capture memorable moments with photos or videos. Then, Pakku automatically locks the app, allowing the user to fully immerse themselves in the present experience.
2. Ship
After capturing, users ship their package by adding additional details, like emotions, personal notes, and music and before shipping it to their future selves.
3. Collect
Users can revisit past packages after a designated time after recording and plan for upcoming events.
4. Receive
Pakku sends notifications of the user’s “1 Year Ago Today” package. Users are led through a step-by-step process to revisit the experience.
5. Deliver
After revisiting their package, users can deliver their package to loved ones. Pakku is designed to spark conversation and keep people in touch.
Flow Diagram
02. What’s the problem?
Primary and secondary research.
Problem Context
In our fast-paced lives, the internal emotions tied to experiences can easily go unnoticed or become difficult to recall accurately, as we may not fully process them in the moment. Without a means to revisit our memories, they often fade into faint traces that are not a precise recollection.
How might we motivate users to document their lives for future reflection while also allowing them to live in the moment?
What motivates users to continue documenting?
“
What motivates me is being able to easily look back on moments that I like and feel a sense of nostalgia. The methods that I use will allow me to look back at any time, therefore it isn't much of a hassle in the first place.““
Although I don't keep a consistent daily record, I like documenting days that are especially good or especially bad—I can look back on them later to see how much my mindset has changed and how I would deal with those situations now.”What discourages users to continue documenting?
“
I think it just got easily too monotonous...ngl beReal started making every moment too unspecial, compared to when I recognize when an event is special and want to take photos...if there was a way memory documentation knew my calendar and encouraged me to document these special events rather than just document everything.”“
TIme-consuming (journaling): The more and more I skipped, the less I would continue to keep my journal. Social anxiety (BeReal): less inclined to post if you see other people's BeReal. Less meaningful (Snapchat): the contents are mostly meaningless, people send random pictures for the sake of streaks instead of sharing.”
03. What did we do?
5 Design Challenges and Solutions
Challenge 1
Commitement to regular documentation is difficult due to time constraints, inability to form habits, and potential disruption of special moments. How might we infuse excitement into the documentation process while ensuring it remains quick and effortless?
Documentation is time consuming.
Commitement to regular documentation is difficult due to time constraints, inability to form habits, and potential disruption of special moments. How might we infuse excitement into the documentation process while ensuring it remains quick and effortless?
Solution 1
Quick and Effortless Snapshot
Pakku limits users to choose either a photo or video during the first documentation round, ensuring a quick and easy process.
Quick and Effortless Snapshot
Pakku limits users to choose either a photo or video during the first documentation round, ensuring a quick and easy process.
Challenge 2
How can we create a balance between allowing users to document moments for future reflection while ensuring they can fully live in the present without disruption?
Recording disrupts the moment.
How can we create a balance between allowing users to document moments for future reflection while ensuring they can fully live in the present without disruption?
Solution 2
2-Step Process
After snapping a photo or video, Pakku would automatically lock users out of the app to allow them to fully immerse themselves in the present experience. Users later receive reminders to ship their packages where they can add emotions, notes, and music before shipping to their future selves. This streamlined 2-step process captures the moment without entirely disrupting it.
2-Step Process
After snapping a photo or video, Pakku would automatically lock users out of the app to allow them to fully immerse themselves in the present experience. Users later receive reminders to ship their packages where they can add emotions, notes, and music before shipping to their future selves. This streamlined 2-step process captures the moment without entirely disrupting it.
Challenge 3
BeReal and Snapchat prioritize authenticity and connecting with the outside world, but the social aspect of these apps can lead to social anxiety and compromise the essence of personal documentation. How might Pakku offer a different take on documentation?
What makes this different from apps like BeReal or Snapchat?
BeReal and Snapchat prioritize authenticity and connecting with the outside world, but the social aspect of these apps can lead to social anxiety and compromise the essence of personal documentation. How might Pakku offer a different take on documentation?
Solution 3
Building towards a greater collection.
Pakku distinguishes itself by highlighting that each brief documentation contributes to a larger collection of memories for users' future selves. On the memoir collection page, users can visualize their progress of building memories. Additionally, users can plan ahead for upcoming events by syncing their Pakku calendar with other calendar apps.
Building towards a greater collection.
Pakku distinguishes itself by highlighting that each brief documentation contributes to a larger collection of memories for users' future selves. On the memoir collection page, users can visualize their progress of building memories. Additionally, users can plan ahead for upcoming events by syncing their Pakku calendar with other calendar apps.
Challenge 4
Unboxing a package evokes anticipation and excitement, a sensation Pakku aims to replicate. When is the ideal moment for users to rediscover a forgotten experience?
When is the best time to revisit a memory?
Unboxing a package evokes anticipation and excitement, a sensation Pakku aims to replicate. When is the ideal moment for users to rediscover a forgotten experience?
Solution 4
Remembering annual milestones.
Notifying users of receving their 1-Year-Ago-Today package marks an appropriate milestone as memories might be hard to recall and users can reflect on personal growth.
Users are led through an immersive step-by-step process which takes them through everything they documented. The asethetic of the revisit experience co-aligns with the emotion they documented the day of. This revisit experience aims to sparks meaningful conversation bewteen individuals and themselves.
Remembering annual milestones.
Notifying users of receving their 1-Year-Ago-Today package marks an appropriate milestone as memories might be hard to recall and users can reflect on personal growth.
Users are led through an immersive step-by-step process which takes them through everything they documented. The asethetic of the revisit experience co-aligns with the emotion they documented the day of. This revisit experience aims to sparks meaningful conversation bewteen individuals and themselves.
Challenge 5
Are personal memories worth sharing?
Some users experience social anxiety from social media apps while others find it comforting being able to share and know what others are up to. How can our app effectively cater to both aspects of social and personal documentation?
Are personal memories worth sharing?
Some users experience social anxiety from social media apps while others find it comforting being able to share and know what others are up to. How can our app effectively cater to both aspects of social and personal documentation?
Solution 5
Linking with external platforms for sharing.
Pakku links with external apps for users to deliver their packages to loved ones, allowing users the choice of sparking conversation with others or preserving their memories privately within the Pakku app.
Linking with external platforms for sharing.
Pakku links with external apps for users to deliver their packages to loved ones, allowing users the choice of sparking conversation with others or preserving their memories privately within the Pakku app.
04. Our Process
Research → Wireframing → Prototyping → Testing
Brand Guidelines
Straying from modern UI/UX design aesthetics, a muted color palette was selected to evoke nostalgia and tangibility. Abstract shapes were designed to symbolize various emotions (users also have the option to generate their own shapes). Additionally, a subtle noise effect was applied to each frame to soften color saturation.
Several Iterations
Many prototypes were created to test various user flows for each feature. The documentation feature prioritized speed and simplicity, while the revisit experience aimed to be immersive and enjoyable.
