The app has two key functions. It helps users record the coping strategies that worked for them and recall them in difficult situations. And it encourages progress toward self-defined goals through positive reinforcement, gamification and community support.
Remories is a prime example of where designing by intuition falls short. More than 100 hours of co-creation with young people with Asperger's, their parents, teachers and therapists helped us derive a set of design principles that guided both the interface and the copy, with therapists reviewing every line.
One early experiment tracked users' mood and suggested challenges when they felt good. It failed in testing, and psychologists pointed to two issues. First, people with Asperger's often struggle to interpret metaphors and symbols, so we replaced the smiley-face slider with a clearer list that combined text, icons and color. Second, feeling good doesn't automatically mean feeling ready for a difficult task, so we built a way out into every step.
