Designing Ready
A Real Life Social Primer
I’m shy.
I’ve spent the past several months building emotional & social skills through classes, books, & daily practice.
Now I can reliably start conversations with new people, make a good impression, & establish rapport when we have something in common. Most importantly, I’ve made quality relationships in the process.
I decided to design a way to help others do the same.
The design process began with observing & interviewing people looking to improve their social skills & social lives. I observed their attempts to meet new people in informal situations & networking events.
The most common issue those interviewed have when trying to meet new people is their fight-or-flight response getting triggered — they get defensive, or leave. Another problem is that they don’t know what to say to start a conversation in the first place.
How do we solve those problems?
I studied the work of executive coaches, neuroscientists, & social skills trainers.
Performing specific exercises beforehand dramatically increases someone’s comfort level in a social situation. Practicing common conversation-starter phrases up-front keeps them fresh in memory.
Priming is key.
The design guides users through simple activities to prepare them for a social interaction.
Many interface layouts & activities were tested. The final design incorporates the most effective.
The underlying goal of the design is to enable repeated success in social interactions —to build’s the user’s confidence, &, in the long-term, mitigate their shyness.
The app gets you ready to meet new people. I named it Ready.
