Review: How DO We Feel?
Author
Anthony Thanh Jung Cao-VoCan an app truly shape the way we perceive and process emotions? If so, what are the implications and why is it important research and sidestep known emotional pitfalls? How We Feel is a emotions tracking app on Apple Store and Google Play Store. The app was created by How Feel Feel Inc., an organization that aims at transforming the relationship with our feelings.
And while the design is innovative in how emotions are displayed in an array instead of ranges, it fails to consider the negative impacts of its binary system for categorizing emotions. Is it possible that in an attempt to create something good, the How We Feel team has created a language that perhaps perpetuates a culture of self-gaslighting and emotional suppression? Let’s find out.
While Ben Silbermann’s team did a great job designing an innovative language that not only uses well, but looks great. Our only gripe is but how emotions are presented in a binary system—despite winning Apple’s 2022 Cultural Impact Winner we believe it still misses the mark when it comes to capturing the nuances of human emotions.
The app’s strengths don’t stop at its visual appeal, its attempts at destigmatize and reframe emotions amongst the general public, are apparent.
The first step in logging an emotion is decide between a double binary system (High Energy Unpleasant, High Energy Pleasant, Low Energy Unpleasant, Low Energy Pleasant). This is perhaps How We Feel’s first, final, and most fatal flaw.
It is clear that the design team intended to reframe emotions, especially the ones typically classified as being “negative” or “unpleasant” such as “anger” or “depression.” It’s also likely just as clear why, that labeling an emotion as “good” or “bad” only incentivizes some and disincentivizes others. 1
While the impressive UI design does leave one charmed upon first use, upon continued use, we realized the impact on our experience of how the app incentives the logging “pleasant” emotions over “unpleasant” ones by nature.
Vulnerable as “Low Energy Unpleasant”
Additionally relying on self assessment when it comes to something as long lasting as emotional and mental health can have serious implications. It really does not have to go beyond the possibility of training users to prioritize certain emotions over others. 2
Yes, yes, I’m sure other apps commit the same mistake—and to them I say, “Yes, but you did not have this much potential to be a perfect app.”
Rather than leaving the problem on the metaphorical floor, we present a solution. If the error is in the language, and if the app’s language is based on a binary (even if it’s a 2x2 grid) framework of emotions, and that has the potential of leading users down wrong paths of emotional intelligence—then one solution could be a different language.
By language, we don’t meant the visual language such as colors, shapes, or typography, much of that can be classified as style. By language we are referring to the system behind the design. The current system’s flaws only became apparent with continued use and through old school daily journalling.
We suggest a system that rather than focusing on a feeling or emotion, a mood, which is a state that comprises feelings and emotions as a part of it—but also contains other things such as: body temperature, heart rate, perception of time, body awareness etc., Notice how certain items mentioned go beyond the emotional realm and enter the physical body.
That’s right, that’s because it’s hard to attach intention to our body’s emotional reactions—so a system that measures and tracks the body’s responses to feelings would paint a more nuanced and unbiased picture of a user’s emotional health.
We leave you with the question of, how do you feel?