Unconscious

This project is an application designed to make psychological concepts easier to understand and more accessible. It revitalizes traditional theories by presenting them through modern, relatable examples.

While designing this I mainly focused on trying out different interactions that would be immersive to a user while keeping a low learning curve.

CONCEPT

Over the years, psychologists have developed theories and conducted experiments in an effort to understand the human mind. While much remains unknown, many influential figures in the field devoted their lives to uncovering why we think and behave the way we do. Unfortunately, their work is often dense and difficult to grasp.

To illustrate this concept, this "section" of an app breaks down Sigmund Freud’s theories into digestible, bite-sized lessons. Users begin by exploring simplified experiments that introduce the core concepts through interactive elements. They can then dive deeper by reading detailed explanations of each experiment and its significance. The app also offers access to contrasting psychological perspectives, encouraging users to explore and compare different schools of thought.

THEORY

By reframing classical theories with contemporary, real-world examples, it provides an updated and engaging learning experience.

The app presents each theory through a playful, unbiased “experiment.” For instance, the experiment illustrating the Structural Theory of Personality uses a live camera feed with graphic overlays to demonstrate how the conscious and unconscious mind respond in different situations. There is also an option to read about the theory in detail after as shown in the video.

Another concept I wanted to explore was based on research by Harvard psychologist Daniel Wegner, who proposed the 'ironic process theory' of thought suppression - trying to suppress a thought makes it more likely to come to mind because of a two-part process: a conscious effort to avoid the thought and an unconscious, automatic process that ironically monitors for that exact thought.

I created a number clicker interaction where I specifically tell the reader not to think of a "green flamingo", then while reading an unrealted body of text I urge them to click on a simple number counter to record how many times they actually thought of the words.