Ambivalent Notebook
The Ambivalent Notebook, a self-reflection kit, is the result of a two-year master's research project. The research paper addresses the question: "Lost Emotions: How can design trigger self-reflection in people who suffer from emotional instability?" This study explores the current state and feasibility of design for emotional recovery within the design domain. To conduct systematic research, it investigates two distinct fields: Psychodynamic Psychotherapy and Communication Design. The goal of the research is to find methods for inducing self-reflection in individuals with emotional instability within these two fields. Many studies suggest that deeply exploring emotions hidden in the unconscious can be effective in resolving emotional issues fundamentally. The outcome, named the Ambivalent Notebook, consists of three distinct interaction design objects specially created to explore the unconscious. These three objects—the Ambivalent Pencil, Ambivalent Notebook, and Ambivalent Torch—interact simultaneously to help users observe their unconscious and bring repressed emotions into their conscious awareness. For detailed information, please refer to the research paper.
*Research Paper: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19e-IeQUJCNJKOsLwJvvNr8czd_JzpbzE/view?usp=sharing
The Ambivalent Notebook is an experimental platform that integrates design with psychodynamic psychotherapy. It utilizes established techniques for observing the unconscious, such as the Sentence Completion Test (SCT), Word Association Test (WAT), and Rorschach Test, which have been used in modern psychotherapy for over a century. These techniques are applied through graphic and product design methods to create an interactive self-reflection tool.
The Ambivalent Notebook consists of three objects. The "Notebook" features pages printed with invisible, incomplete sentences and free words designed to elicit the unconscious, using UV-reactive ink visible only with the Ambivalent Lamp. Additionally, sentences can be completed using the invisible core of the Ambivalent Pencil. The interplay of "visible" and "invisible" elements serves as a metaphor for consciousness and the unconscious, providing users with opportunities to be more honest with themselves when encountering sentences, words, and random images in an invisible state.
The kit is designed as a complete package and includes a USB-rechargeable working model for user interaction. Future plans include creating a platform where users’ written content can be verified by experts via a mobile app or network service, should mass production become feasible. Originally developed with USB charging, the technology can be upgraded to wireless charging through electromagnetic induction as of 2016.
The three products are designed in physical forms to avoid the digital feel, with all elements crafted for tactile interaction and mechanical features like power buttons excluded to maximize psychological focus. After completion, the project was presented in a seminar with medical staff at Royal Marsden Hospital in London and exhibited at DWAV (Design With A View) 2013 in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. It received positive evaluations from psycho-dynamic psychotherapists and psychiatrists in Korea as a promising adjunctive therapy for clinical counseling.
Although statistical validation has not yet been performed due to the lack of mass production, several hundred postcards containing 2–3 sentences were distributed with UV lamps during the exhibition period to gather diverse feedback. A silk-screen poster and UV-reactive offset print poster featuring circuit images were produced for promotion and exhibition purposes.
The Ambivalent Notebook is an innovative experimental platform that integrates design with psychodynamic psychotherapy. This tool combines established techniques for exploring the unconscious—such as the Sentence Completion Test (SCT), Word Association Test (WAT), and Rorschach Test, which have been used in modern psychotherapy for over a century—with graphic design, product design, and various other design methods to create an interactive self-reflection tool.
The Ambivalent Notebook comprises three objects. The "Notebook" features pages printed with invisible, incomplete sentences and free words designed to elicit the unconscious, using UV-reactive ink that can only be seen with the Ambivalent Lamp. Additionally, sentences can be completed using the invisible core of the Ambivalent Pencil. The interplay of "visible" and "invisible" elements serves as a metaphor for consciousness and the unconscious, providing users with opportunities to be more honest with themselves when engaging with sentences, words, and random images in an invisible state.
The kit is designed as a complete package, including a USB-rechargeable working model for user interaction. Future plans involve creating a platform where experts can verify users' written content via a mobile app or network service, should mass production become feasible. Although originally developed with USB charging, the technology can be upgraded to wireless charging through electromagnetic induction as of 2016.
The three products are crafted in physical forms to avoid a digital feel, with all elements designed for tactile interaction. Mechanical features like power buttons are excluded to maximize psychological focus. After its development, the project was presented in a seminar with medical staff at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and exhibited at DWAV (Design With A View) 2013 in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. It has also been evaluated positively by psycho-dynamic psychotherapists and psychiatrists in Korea as a promising adjunctive therapy for clinical counseling.
Although statistical validation has not yet been conducted due to the lack of mass production, several hundred postcards containing 2–3 sentences were distributed with UV lamps during the exhibition period to gather diverse feedback. A silk-screen poster and a UV-reactive offset print poster featuring circuit images were produced for promotional purposes.
The Ambivalent Notebook is an innovative experimental platform that merges design with psychodynamic psychotherapy. It utilizes well-established techniques for exploring the unconscious—such as the Sentence Completion Test (SCT), Word Association Test (WAT), and Rorschach Test—which have been used in modern psychotherapy for over a century. These techniques are applied through graphic design, product design, and various design methods to create an interactive self-reflection tool.
The Ambivalent Notebook consists of three objects. The "Notebook" features pages printed with invisible, incomplete sentences and free words designed to draw out the unconscious, using UV-reactive ink visible only with the Ambivalent Lamp. Additionally, the invisible core of the Ambivalent Pencil can be used to complete the sentences. The interplay of "visible" and "invisible" elements serves as a metaphor for consciousness and the unconscious, offering users the opportunity to be more honest with themselves when engaging with sentences, words, and random images in an invisible state.
The kit is designed as a complete package, including a USB-rechargeable working model for user interaction. Future plans include creating a platform where experts can validate users' written content via a mobile app or network service, should mass production become feasible. Originally developed with USB charging, the technology can be upgraded to wireless charging through electromagnetic induction as of 2016.
To avoid a digital feel and enhance tactile interaction, all elements are crafted in physical forms, with mechanical features like power buttons excluded to maximize psychological focus. After its development, the project was presented in a seminar with medical staff at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London and exhibited at DWAV (Design With A View) 2013 in Fiesole, near Florence, Italy. It has also received positive evaluations from psycho-dynamic psychotherapists and psychiatrists in Korea as a promising adjunctive therapy for clinical counseling.
Although statistical validation has not yet been conducted due to the lack of mass production, several hundred postcards containing 2–3 sentences were distributed with UV lamps during the exhibition period to gather diverse feedback. A silk-screen poster and a UV-reactive offset print poster featuring circuit images were produced for promotional purposes.
