FEEL

FEEL (Frequent Emotional Experience Logger) attempts to address the long-standing problem of youth and young adults’ difficulty with being in touch with their emotions. This issue has created a widening gap between the individual’s overall mental health and performance. FEEL explores potential ways a handheld device can become trusted, and users can become habituated to logging their daily emotions, resulting in knowledge of their mood patterns, eventually leading to improved mental health and productivity by becoming conscious of their emotions and taking meaningful actions to address their psychological needs.

FEEL consists of two main components, a hand-held clicker powered by a lithium-ion battery and a microcontroller, paired with a companion application. Through the research process, it became clear that most existing solutions in this space are predominantly “digital-first”, existing entirely on-screen without any physical component. This informed FEEL’s core approach, which combines a physical clicker with an application that allows users to customize the emotions they track, fostering a sense of collectiveness and control over their inner experience. The app’s core purpose is to offer insights derived from past emotional entries collected from the physical device, helping users recognize personal patterns and develop a deeper understanding of themselves over time. Physically, FEEL was designed to feel approachable and familiar to a young target audience, drawing inspiration from the iconic flower-shaped highlighter for its rounded edges, comfortable grip, and recognizable silhouette, which is compact enough to carry and fit naturally in the hand. Finally, because emotions are inherently dynamic, shifting in both type and intensity throughout the day, FEEL’s visual identity was built around the concept of range, utilizing gradients and motion. The digital interface was designed with a purpose: to welcome users whenever they are ready, with no streaks or pressure, just them and their emotions!