spArc is a mobile browser and curator
When
2023
With
Professor Cliff Shin
Where
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
WHY
The internet is overwhelming.
It’s giving us everything, from everywhere, all at once.
Our stories, our thoughts, our wisdom, and everything we consume, is rooted in the depths of our experiences. We understand information that we relate to, from sources we trust, in ways we choose.
WHAT
spArc is a task based interface to create, curate and browse experiences.
Instead of presenting you with a complex set of apps and features every time you want to complete a task on your device, spArc organizes tasks specific to you. It arranges a workflow with an itinerary you could follow.
CREATE
Initiate tasks with spArc
Karaoke Night is a new spark, and you can create an itinerary of apps that will facilitate the process of planning and curating the experience.
CURATE
An itinerary of pinned apps
From a google map location, a photo album, to even a direct payment channel so your friends can Venmo you when you split the bill...it's all here.
BROWSE
Search memories, spark them again
Older sparks may hold information like images and expenses, and can be reignited to keep up with traditions!
CATEGORIZE TASKS
Different spaces, for different sparks
Just like the Arc Browser allows for various work spaces, the spArc spaces allow you to curate different aspects of your life separately.
SOCIAL SPACES
Celebrate your social life and share it however you choose
PROFESSIONAL SPACES
Curate different versions of your resume and portfolio
THE GOAL
To spark something tangible instead of getting lost in logistics
I wanted the process of initiating an experience to be as simple as communicating an emotion with an emoji. With this goal, I prototyped multiple iterations of what spArc could be.
PROTOTYPING
Again, and again.
Drawing inspiration from the mental models of successful applications and exploring new possibilities, I continued to prototype interactions on Figma and reach out to people for feedback.
CONTEXTUALIZING
Spark to spArc
Spark was initially just a social media platform, but then I stumbled upon Arc, by the Browser Company. The vision for Arc resonated with my goals as a designer, and I was inspired to align my concept with their brand. Initially called Spark, I now renamed my product to spArc, a mobile concept for Arc.
The Browser Company is building a better way to interact with the internet. Their desktop browser worked so well for me, I couldn’t stop thinking about the possibilities on the mobile. On the mobile, it could be more than just a browser. With the Spark concept, it could be a curator too.
DESIGNING WITH PEOPLE
People that inspired spArc
When I design, I like to keep in mind the people that inspire the product; people I know and understand. Throughout the development journey, I regularly talk to these potential users in an effort to recognize assumptions that may be distracting my designs.
Keeping the range of users in mind, I tried to speculate what the future of digital interaction would look like. I wanted to create something that would force people to interact with the real world rather than increasing screen time with my product.
Critique
My design process with spArc had multiple turning points. Having access to a resourceful community of experts and friends to get feedback from helped drive this journey. Almost every other day, I was pitching my idea to someone new and asking them for feedback. Every conversation not only sparked new directions for my project, it also fueled my drive to see it come alive.
CRITIQUE
Prototyping outside Figma
Professor Salman Raheel recommended that I explore more prototyping tools. While Figma component libraries and prototyping capabilities are accelerating the visualizing process, it may also be dictating my ideation process. When I moved towards prototyping with paper and other materials, I was able to break free from the creative restrictions of screens.
CRITIQUE
Take information away
Create impact to trigger the want for something tangible. If the product gives too much away, it could become the final destination for people, rather than behaving as a tool. You can’t read or watch something and know, you have to live it. So, how can the design itself embody this spirit. While it may be tempting to add multi-functionality like an inbuilt calendar view or inbuilt apps, sometimes, removing information will simplify the user experience.
CRITIQUE
The scope of spArc
It’s exciting to build a community product as a student. I can step out of my apartment, walk down Green Street and see all the people who could turn into potential users. I meet some of them at coffee shops, run my prototype by them and receive immediate feedback. Is there the potential to use the same framework of this product in different fields, other than a tool to support social life? How would it work in a city? In the medical industry? In the sports industry? It was this conversation with my neighbor back home in Bangalore, Chengappa Uncle, that forced me to take a step out of the social media app idea, and explore spArc as something more: as a tool to communicate better, with intent.
READING
Books that fueled my design process
READING
Descartes’ Error
Our emotions are a consequence of our feelings, rooted in time and experience. Our ability to feel and lack there off, significantly controls our decision making process. So what happens to our feelings, and consequently our reasoning, when we are exposed to virtual experiences? With an abundance of information at our fingertips, all influenced by trends and ads, is our ability to form deep rooted experiences taken away?
“Try to imagine it. Try to imagine not feeling pleasure when you contemplate a painting you love or hear a favorite piece of music. To know but not feel”
I want to design products that help people achieve something tangible. So be it a physical product or digital experience, the end goal is to spark something tangible.