Design makes all sorts of things better, easier, more efficient, cooler. But can good design take unpleasant experiences and make them joyful? In April, Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen asked you for suggestions of things that could use a joy makeover. We got a lot of good ideas, from the DMV to taxes and the morning commute. We handed your suggestions over to the design firm IDEO, and they picked an ambitious challenge: to bring joy to Mondays.
IDEO devised three concepts for making Mondays more joyful, and we took a trip over to their New York offices to test them out. Check out IDEO’s microsite to see more of the inspiration and design process.
Lolzzz
That Monday morning alarm clock. IDEO zeroed in on one of the most painful aspects of the start of the work week and designed Lolzzz, an alarm clock that wakes you with the sound of a child’s laughter. As it giggles, it rocks back and forth. You can make it laugh even louder by tickling it.
Learn how to set up the audio file as your phone alarm for iPhone or Android here.
Sincerely
IDEO wants to snap us out of our Monday morning resentment that our weekend time with friends is over. Sincerely is an app that lets you send warm little thoughts to your buddies or lovers. IDEO’s prototype sends the messages through a Bluetooth version of an actual tin can-and-string… the thing kids use to share secret messages.
Send your own text-based message of gratitude by clicking here.
PopUp & Notifly
IDEO’s PopUp is a calendar app that fights that dreary calendar of appointments you face when you walk into the office every Monday morning. PopUp introduces a little joy, perhaps by reminding you that in the next meeting, this is someone you’ve never met before. It might alert you to the wonderful piece of street art near your lunch date or point out the meteor shower happening around bedtime.
And even more fun is the add-on appointment feature to PopUp called, Notifly. It’s a spherical object that sits on your desk. Instead of buzzing or beeping at you, it emits a soap bubble.