Claudio Quintana

One eighty is a design speculation that provides a new way of engaging with self-based work in improving mindful wellbeing in the age of burnout.

Those who are already engaging in the space know that there are hundreds of apps, reminders, timers, and concepts as to how we should be managing our burnout. But is the screen the best medium for such an intervention? Can we really use the same medium that fatigues, us to cure us?

One eighty provides a tangible response through a lens that questions how we could engage with a guided practice. The system utilizes technology: taking personalized quiz results and tailoring 21 day mind wellbeing program. Rooted in science, academically research principles, as well as expert review, the concept proposes a scenario that is seemingly realistic.

In just an hour a day, the participant can work towards better mindful wellbeing by performing the tasks which have been custom designed as part of this exploration. Experts have suggested that one of the biggest challenges in these sorts of programs is accountability. Digital apps have incentives to keep you in their app, for longer, and for more investment, over time. One eighty. seeks to challenge this notion by suggestion that the services exists in analogue, tangible form. There are no subscriptions nor a need to participate past the first month.

During each daily engagement with the system, the wax drips down onto cards that catch that day's Journey. This journaling concept requires minimal time, and effort, and creates a reward mechanism in the process that is rooted in a seemingly altruistic style.

Finally, after 21 days of using the system, one is left with a series of mini-artwork visualizations of each day. Some days might be blank, some might have recorded both the work and the journey, and some days might end up with a mixture of the different colors.

one eighty. provides a response to my critical perspective of the existing digital wellness space. However, has this created a healthy solution that plays by its own rules? Or does the need to take on a new protocol, with twice daily suggestions, many nudges, and a reward mechanism at the end, allow for a new game to play, a new signal for social clout, and a new thing to become "good at?" Even when everything is built with the research, iteration, and expertise in mind -- one must ask, can we become really great at preventing burnout without changing the way we work?