獨白
Monologue
an investigation of how visualization
could be used to help us
record and reflect emotion

Danni Li
Master of Design, 2021 | April, 2021
at Emily Carr University of Art + Design

"They are normal not in what may be called the
absolute sense of the word; they are normal only
in relation to a profoundly abnormal society. Their
perfect adjustment to that abnormal society is a
measure of their mental sickness."
—— Huxley, 1931

Contents
Acknowledgements
Abstract & Keywords
Glossary of Terms
I. Context and Framing
Prologue: Personal Experience
Background of Social Anxiety
Social Anxiety in Chinese Social Cultural Context
Rationale of the Study
13 II. Methodology
Methods
Initial Exploration: Heuristic Inquiry
User Involvement: Cultural Probes
Refining Representations: Emotion Visualization
48 III. Design Outcomes
"Monologue"
Visual Metaphor
Prototype
62 VI. Conclusion:
Analysis and Reflection
Future Thinking
65 References
68 Appendix
4
5
6
8

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Acknowledgements
I am overwhelmed in all humbleness and gratefulness to acknowledge
my depth to all those who have helped me to put these ideas, well above
the level of simplicity and into something concrete.
I would like to express my special thanks of gratitude to my supervisor,
Cameron Neat, who gave me continuous support to complete this
study, which also pushed me to explore the possibilities, and I came to
know about so many new things. I am really thankful to him.
Secondly, I would like to thank all Emily Carr faculty who have helped
and taught me a lot, for giving me the opportunity to have this journey
in Vancouver and providing invaluable guidance throughout this
Masters program, especially in this very unusual pandemic period. Your
dynamism, vision, sincerity and empathy have deeply inspired me.
Finally, I am extremely grateful to my parents for their love,
encouragement, caring and sacrifices, and for always standing behind
me throughout my life, and providing the best they have.

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Abstract
China's unique social development of rapid urbanization, high
population density, and the emergence of new culture have put
heightened demands on my generation (Millennials) and increased the
need to care for our mental health. As my generation became satisfied
with their material life, our demand for spiritual healing surfaced
and increased. But traditional cultural ideology, stigma surrounding
mental health issues, and the lack of psychological education and
consult resources make Chinese people less likely to seek psychiatric
healthcare. Social Anxiety Disorder is one of the neglected but
ubiquitous emotional disturbances among the young generation in
China. This study addresses the cultural and social context of Social
Anxiety as well as the needs of individuals who suffer from Social
Anxiety for a healthy way of emotion expression. This thesis studies an
interdisciplinary approach of design through borrowing concepts from
professional psychotherapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
Mindfulness Meditation, and Art Therapy to explore the possibility of
self-emotion management for socially anxious individuals, and design
a language which records and translates emotion data visually and
can be used systematically. Using research methods such as Heuristic
Inquiry, Cultural Probes, and Information Design, I have developed an
interactive emotion tracking tool, which provides users the opportunity
to record and reflect their emotional experiences in order to gain selfawareness, and achieve emotional healing and regulation.

Keywords: Design for Well-being; Mental Health; Social Anxiety
Disorder; Emotional Self-Awareness; Cognitive Behavioral Theory;
Information Design; Emotion Visualization

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Glossary
[Social Anxiety Disorder]
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD), also known as social phobia, is an
anxiety disorder characterized by sentiments of fear and anxiety in
social situations, causing considerable distress and impaired ability to
function in at least some aspects of daily life ("Social Anxiety Disorder",
2020).
[Social Situation]
A social situation includes any situation in which you and at least 1 other
person are present. Social situations tend to fall into 2 main categories:
performance situations and interpersonal interactions ("Social Anxiety
Disorder", 2020).
[Cognitive Behavioral Therapy]
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a psycho-social intervention
that aims to improve mental health. CBT focuses on challenging and
changing unhelpful cognitive distortions (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, and
attitudes) and behaviors, improving emotional regulation, and the
development of personal coping strategies that target solving current
problems.
[Art Therapy]
Art Therapy is a mental health profession that combines the process of
creative art expression with models of counselling and psychotherapy
to enhance emotional, physical, and mental health.
[Mindfulness Meditation]
Mindfulness meditation is a mental training practice that teaches you
to slow down racing thoughts, let go of negativity, and calm both your
mind and body.

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[Emotional Self-Awareness]
Self-awareness refers to the individual's self-experience, self-cognition
and self-regulation of the content, process and result of his/her own
psychological, thinking and behavioral activities. Emotional SelfAwareness is the ability to know and understand your own emotions
and their effects on your performance. You know what you are feeling
and why—and how it helps or hurts what you are trying to do. It is the
ability to recognize and make sense of the emotions.
[Emotion Management]
Emotion management is the ability to realize, readily accept, as well as
successfully control feelings in oneself (and sometimes others).
[Emotion Visualization]
Along with the principle of information and data visualization, in
my study, emotion visualization refers to the attempt to use visual
representations to express our emotionality. Structured for the
collection of emotion data and experience, and gives shape and context
to emotional experience in a visual communication context.

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Context & Framing
Prologue: Personal Experience
When I left China, I flew far away to start my study in the United States
at the age of 17. I was in a very anxious mood for a period of time,
because of the completely unfamiliar environment, the lack of fluency
in the English language, the nostalgia for family and hometown, the
western culture that was hard to fit in, and the pressure of academic and
interpersonal communication. After the novelty of going abroad wore
off, I began to feel anxious about everything, and I chose to escape
at this time. I was reluctant to talk with others, and prayed that my
negative feelings would disappear automatically by sleeping it off. But
overthinking, sleeplessness, fear of judgement, and repeated negative
emotions kept surrounding me. I wanted to ignore those negative
feelings, and wanted them to perish into non-existence. Yet, they did
not; instead, they remained predominant until I realized every feeling
deserves to be heard, not extinguished. Events can't crush you, but
emotions can. And when we try to avoid negative emotions, our ability
to experience positive emotions is correspondingly reduced (Schiraldi,
2009). We care deeply about ourselves and how we feel. It is why
there are more and more attempts to have a wider conversation about
emotion. Perhaps the best part of being human is the opportunity to
experience a wide range of emotions, and feeling all feelings.

Background of Social Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) known as one of the most common
anxiety disorders. People with Social Anxiety Disorder tend to feel quite
nervous or emotionally uncomfortable, fear, apprehensive, or worry
about social situations, interactions with others, and being evaluated or
scrutinized by other people ("Social Anxiety Disorder", 2020). Statistics

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from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America show that 6.8%
of the population between 18 and 54 years of age is affected, less than
5% of people with Social Anxiety Disorder seek help within a year of
their initial onset, and more than a third experience symptoms lasting 10
years or more before seeking help ("Social Anxiety Disorder", n.d. ).
Various treatment options can help people manage their symptoms, gain
confidence, and overcome their anxiety. The two most common types
of treatment for Social Anxiety disorder are psychotherapy (also called
psychological counseling) or medications or both. Cognitive Behavior
Therapy (CBT), which is known as the main treatment of Social
Anxiety, is a structured, short-range, cognitive-oriented psychotherapy
developed by American psychiatrist Aaron T. Beck. CT in 1960. It
focuses on changing the way of thinking and cognition. It tests our
perception of what's wrong with our minds to redirect them in a way
that will reduce anxiety and other emotions that negatively impact our
lives. CBT is based on the belief that the purpose of treatment is not
only to address the external behavioral and emotional manifestations,
but also to examine the patient's thinking activities and strategies to
cope with reality, and to recognize and correct the wrong cognition
(Henderson & Zimbardo, 2014).

Social Anxiety Disorder in Chinese Social
Cultural Context
In order to fully understand the social and cultural aspect of this mental
illness, it is essential to have adequate knowledge about the society,
culture, and people I am concerned with. To do this, I conducted expert
interviews and secondary research about what roles social environment,
cultural beliefs, and communal attitudes play in mental health, and refer
to the current situation of Social Anxiety Disorder in China.

Social Environment
Social environment is one aspect which plays an important role on
mental health in Chinese context. Due to rapid urbanization and

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development of science and technology and economy, the social
pressure on young people is increasing. "Real-time coverage of
depressing news about explosions, wars, murders, accidents, natural
disasters can raise our level of personal anxiety" (Sweet & Mihotich,
2017). In this digital age, a busy and stressful lifestyle is taking a toll on
our bodies and minds, especially as media such as television, computer
and phone continue to fill our lives. Social stress comes from the daily
rush of news, gossip, social media, party invitations, and even weather
reports that start as soon as you open your phone. Moreover, in a
country that is urbanising at a rate of about 15 million people a year,
people often feel isolated in bustling cities (" 别怕陌生人 ", 2011).
Privacy and personal space are often unfamiliar luxuries to people who
live in crowded Chinese cities. According to the survey from Chinese
National Governance, those born in the 90s are more likely than those
born in the 80s to be affected by interpersonal distress and are more
likely to show disappointment and pessimism about life (2018). More
and more young people are trying to find spiritual healing and inner
peace in this noisy and crowded world.

Cultural Beliefs
Social Anxiety is largely observed and investigated in western
populations; in other cultures, Social Anxiety is much less understood.
Different from western culture, Chinese traditional culture emphasizes
the interdependence and harmony with others (Fan, & Chang, 2015).
"The Chinese are emotionally more reserved, introverted, fond of
tranquility, overly considerate, socially overly cautious, and habituated
to self restraint" (Tseng, & Wu, 1985, p.2). We are a culture of
emotionally reserved manners and self-discipline. We are even taught
that holding back our own emotions is a sign of good manners.
Those cultural factors also make Chinese groups less likely to seek
psychiatric healthcare (McLeod, 2020). Moreover, under globalization,
and influenced by western culture, there is the emergence of a new
culture in mainland China that emphasizes individuality and selfexpression, which has an impact on our traditional beliefs. Our society
and environment have started to need and praise the character of
enthusiasm and openness, which is opposite to the traditional reserve

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and introversion. Moreover, our society has begun to increasingly
emphasize the importance of socializing with people and maintaining
interpersonal relationships. Chinese young people are facing an
unprecedented cultural conflict, resulting in anxiety in need of today’s
social age, which heightens the incidence of Social Anxiety.

Communal Attitudes
The concern and realization of emotion disturbances in China is
undoubtedly later than the west. Because China lacks psychological
counseling resources and acknowledgement of mental health issues,
there is still a large number of people who don’t realize, or even
reject, the importance of mental wellness. In the last decade, China's
psychiatric treatment has started to pay attention to emotional disorders
(" 别怕陌生人 ", 2011). In China, Social Anxiety Disorder is one
of the neglected emotional disturbances. As early as 2007, a Chinese
magazine conducted a survey of "Social Anxiety" and found that
60.76% of them thought they had some degree of Social Anxiety,
especially the young people born in the 90s (" 别怕陌生人 ", 2011).
And there are still a majority of Chinese people who are not willing to
admit that they have psychological problems and accept psychological
treatment. In China, there is still significant stigma surrounding mental
health issues, with many barriers and avoidance to receiving treatment
or support ("Depression and Anxiety", 2019). The state of most
Chinese individuals is that they have some degrees of psychological
disturbances and needs, but which are not serious enough to the extent
of mental illness. According to expert interviews I conducted during
summer 2020, individuals with Social Anxiety rarely go to the hospital.
The people who choose to seek hospitalization are more likely to have
severe levels of Anxiety Disorder, needing drug intervention. The
number who are willing and able to receive psychological counseling is
still in the minority.

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Rationale of the Study
While many efforts, including providing greater access to professional
mental health treatment and better acknowledgement of mental health
issues, should be part of our response to the problem of mental
illness, we should also carefully and seriously consider under Chinese
particular social and cultural context, how can design plays the role of
supporting health and well-being, and evoking pleasurable experiences
or for the prevention or lessening of negative ones. My research is
rooted in trying to investigate the possible way of healthy expression
and better management of emotions for individuals with Social Anxiety.
Compared to traditional methods of expressing and recording emotion,
visualization, with its fluency in graphics, is a tool for conveying
information’s complexity and narrativity. So my research activities
started by asking:
How can emotion visualization create new experience recording
and reflecting methods that will improve individual emotional
self-awareness in managing Social Anxiety Disorder for Chinese
youth?
To address this question, I proposed an interdisciplinary approach
to design visual solutions for recording and reflecting emotional
experience. I used self-inquiry as a primary research approach to
interrogate the feasibility of professional psychological techniques
(Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness Meditation, & Art
Therapy), conducted participatory activities to gain insights from
users about recording process, and played with emotion visualization
to create better representations of emotional experiences. The goal
of this study is to begin an interdisciplinary conversation among
psychology, emotion research, and visualization. Borrowing main
concepts from psychological theories, and translating them into visual
language, to discover what systems need to be in place for recording
and visualization of emotional experience and to what extent a
representation of experience can help express complex emotions, and
correct negative thinking loops. The aim of this research is to provide a
self-help tool for users to increase emotional self-awareness through the
process of recording and visualizing emotional experiences.

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Methodology
My study was conducted as the combination of psychological theories
and exploratory design research. The fundamental approach is Action
Research which takes various design actions into account. It can be
understood as a series of exploratory designs as means of investigation,
which contribute logically to the emergence of final design outcome.
Research and design methods that I have adopted during my research
include, as follow:
Secondary research:
Literature Review and Precedent Research - Researching and analysing
related and relevant readings and artworks.
Primary research:
Expert Interview - Interviewing with two Chinese Psychological
Consultants during summer 2020, and Spring 2021.
Field Trips - Visiting a Buddhist temple in Chengdu China in July
2020.
Heuristic Inquiry - Heuristic Inquiry is a research method that
discovers the nature and meaning of phenomenon through internal
self reflection, exploration, and discovery (Djuraskovic & Arthur,
2010, p1569). I used self inquiry and self dialogue to have a better
understanding of professional psychological theories and emotion
recording. This methodology encourages a researcher to explore openly
and pursue the creative path that originates inside of one’s being and
that discovers its direction and meaning within oneself (Djuraskovic &
Arthur, 2010, p1572).
Cultural Probes - In my study, Cultural Probes act as an approach of
design as research, to obtain perceptions from participants. Collecting
data, feedback, and interviewing participants through using Culture
Probes, which is a research method that helps to understand the
everyday challenges, goals and needs of users at the beginning of a

13

design process, to capture participants’ real behavior themselves, and
gain largely unbiased insights from their perspectives (Murphy, 2006).
Information Design and Emotion Visualization - Information
design is the key aspect that runs through my works and serves as a tool
to process and formalize emotion data, that then is organized and given
structure to create meaning for an individual in a visual communication
context. With the use of information design, individuals can more
readily access information they can remember, interpret and retain
(Screven, 1999). Large amounts of information are simplified and can
then be accessed and quickly adapted by individuals. Borrowing the
mechanism of information and data visualization, emotion visualization
refers to the attempt to use visual representations to express our
emotionality, and translate personal emotional experience into visual
language.
In the course of the study, design not only plays the role of resolution,
but also an exploratory research method. In the section that follows, I
will illustrate how those key methods take different approaches to each
phase of the research process.

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Initial Explorations: Heuristic Inquiry
Based on the preliminary research on the background of Social Anxiety
Disorder and modern psychotherapies, my self-study during summer
2020 focused on self inquiry of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy(CBT),
Mindfulness Meditation, and Art Therapy. The utilize of Heuristic
Inquiry method provided internal understanding and in-body knowledge
of how those psychological techniques work, and the feasibility to be
used for self help. More importantly, it helped me create empathy of
emotion expressing and recording physically and psychologically, and
define the potential pain point for future discovery. Only through fully
engaging in the research topic and spontaneous expression of my own
experience and personal reflection in the process, I could gain a deeper
understanding and paint a picture of the experiences of the target
group in my research (Douglass & Moustakas, 1984, p. 42).

Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT): Workbook Exercise
Through following the CBT workbook and exercise, I noticed that the
key principle of CBT was to reshape thinking patterns and cognition
by changing negative attributional style and remodeling of self-concept.
Through doing Social Interact Log, Subjective Units of Distress Scale,
and all those self-document forms, which is a way used in the process
of CBT of qualifying emotions with words and data, I built in-body
knowledge and empathy about how it works to take control of our
negative emotions, thoughts and cognition, and to be aware of our
withdrawal behavior, and anxiety experiences (Henderson & Zimbardo,
2014).

FIG. 01-03
Book cover of CBT workbook &
Samples of my workbook exercises.
Scanned by me. 2021.

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During the course of CBT workbook exercise, I discovered recording
emotions itself is a way of emotion management. Which reminds me
that when I was encountering difficulties or suffering major setbacks,
I would record my inner feelings in the diary, or vented my inner
resentment in the way of words. Before writing, I was so trapped in the
negative emotions, and felt really struggling. But as the words flowed on
the paper, the depressed moods gradually tend to calm through writing.
Interestingly, as the time passed, when I looked back to and reread the
situation and negative thoughts I used to face and have, I found my
ability of self-cognition management was growing with my age. The
things and thoughts that used to be hard to deal with became more
acceptable and clear. Perhaps this kind of review is also a kind of reexamination of self-worth, and only the descriptive retrospect of the
different stages of the mind’s journey is the best witness of the upgrade
of self-cognition. Moreover, psychologists have established Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy as the gold standard, problem-solving approach to
discussing emotional experiences. Using it, we can focus on the way we
perceive things and how they make us feel, and record and reflect our
emotion in a more logical and academic-based way.

Mindfulness Meditation: Field Trip
Mindfulness meditation which is highly used in modern psychological
treatment, and comes from Buddhism and other meditation practices. It
is a type of meditation in which you focus on being intensely aware of
what you're sensing and feeling in the moment, without interpretation or
judgment (Sweet & Mihotich, 2017). During the process of meditation,
I noticed that to face the anxiety you must change your mind, get rid
of the "naturally" values in your head, and face things as they are. This
is why the Buddhist concepts of "mindfulness" and "meditation" from
thousands of years ago have been assimilated into modern psychology.
They do make people calm down to observe the world, or observe the
fluctuations of their ideas in the third person. As an old Chinese saying
goes, " 當局者迷，旁觀者清 " (Generally, for matters under heaven,
those closely involved cannot see as clearly as those outside). Only when
you get out of the way to see yourself, you are able to manage your
emotions more easily.

16

I went to a Buddhist temple near my home, and wished to have a
deeper understanding of the meaning behind Mindfulness. A monk
here told me that there was a word called " 禪 " (Zen, The state of
mind at peace). And the main principle of being at the state of peace
was the ability to identify the existence of diverse emotions, and look
at them obviously, instead of obsessing about self feeling. Unlike CBT,
which is very medical and logical in its approach, teaching you to think
and act less negatively; Mindfulness Meditation, on the other hand,
aims to direct you to the present moment. Despite these psychological
treatments taking different approaches to address mental problems,
both of them point out emphatically the importance of emotion
awareness and management. Only if we have the ability of being aware
of and realizing our negative emotion, we can take further actions to
regulate.

FIG. 04-05
Photos of the Buddhism Temple "Da Cheng
Yuan" in Chengdu. Photography by me. 2020.

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Art Therapy: Collage
Collage exercise combines the principle of art therapy and mind map,
which can help us get curious about our anxiety and better understand
its motives. In psychological practice, visualization is often used to
mentally rehearse an action or bring a patient to a state of relaxation
(Baumgartner, 2011). It can help us access calm, reminding us that ease
is actually within us. Moreover, as a designer, I regard it as an attempt
to portray anxiety and investigate the bridge between emotions and
visual language, it is a wider exploration space for expressing freely and
subjectively.
I divided the collage exercise into two parts, the first part was about
"Anxiety Expressing Itself". For this exercise, I used any materials
or art-making techniques I liked, combined paying mindful attention to
my body while making intuitively. I did this exercise when I was feeling
anxious. Closed eyes. Checked in with myself, and noticed how anxiety
felt in the body. Noticed where in the body I felt anxiety and how it
looked like.

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FIG. 06
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 01. 2020.

19

FIG. 07
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 02. 2020.

20

FIG. 08
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 03. 2020.

21

FIG. 09
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 04. 2020.

22

FIG. 10
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 05. 2020.

23

FIG. 11
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 06. 2020.

24

FIG. 12
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 07. 2020.

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The second part was called "Calm & Safe". This exercise was about
creating a visual reminder of calm and safe. Through arranging different
materials to create an overall image or metaphor, which spoke to what
it’s like to feel safe or at ease, what it felt like in the body, evoked all
senses to really embody the feeling (Tartakovsky, 2015).

FIG. 13
"Calm & Safe" Collage 01. 2020.

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FIG. 14
"Calm & Safe" Collage 01. 2020.

27

FIG. 15
"Calm & Safe" Collage 03. 2020.

28

FIG. 16
"Calm & Safe" Collage 04. 2020.

29

FIG. 17
"Calm & Safe" Collage 05. 2020.

30

FIG. 18
"Calm & Safe" Collage 06. 2020.

31

FIG. 19
"Calm & Safe" Collage 07. 2020.

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I believed that visualizing personal experience and feelings is a method
of mediation between perception and reflection. And it has the magic
power of communicating messages. Through visual imagery, it has been
an effective way to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas since
the dawn of humanity. In the field of psychology, visualization can
not only be used as a vision concrete to our better selves, but also as a
cognitive tool accessing imagination to realize all aspects of a feeling,
action, or outcome. With the characteristic of communicating concrete
and subjective information, visualization made me see the possibility of
using visual language in expressing and recording emotions.

User Involvement: Cultural Probes
Along with my self inquiry about different psychological theories,
it is clear that there is a long tradition of recording as a path to selfknowledge and realization of identity, especially in psychotherapy
settings (Henderson & Zimbardo, 2014). Describing emotion in a
therapeutic setting places a large dependency on the ability to symbolize
and qualify feelings, it provides a powerful tool for emotion regulation,
influencing emotion and upgrading self-cognition. Borrowing the idea
of self document from CBT workbook and visualization techniques
from art therapy, I put my emphasis on investigating different methods
of recording emotion, and conducted a cultural probe to get users
involved. At this phase, I used Cultural Probes as a research method,
in order to gain insights from participants. I wasn't trying to reach an
objective view of the Chinese young people’s needs through the probe,
but instead a more impressionistic account of their daily lives and
desires, their aesthetic preferences and cultural concerns. Moreover,
I intended to open up a wider conversation about expressing and
recording emotion.

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Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording
As Shiota and Kalat stated in the book Emotion, the scientific
research methods of studying emotion mainly included self-report,
physiological measurement and behavioral response. And self-report
was still considered as one of the most useful and primary ways to
access emotion (2015). Although It may not be very precise and
less technology-dependent, it does encourage a sense of conscious
awareness and management about our own emotion. In CBT, mood
tracking is considered as a useful way to keep track of your mood
fluctuations across days or weeks or months. This is great for helping
you understand patterns in your mood. Especially for socially anxious
individuals, borrowing the concept of Social Interact Log used in
therapy setting: to better understand your feelings and thoughts through
daily documentation, and help you take control of your own negative
thoughts and to be aware of your negative emotions, withdrawal
behavior, and anxiety experiences (Henderson & Zimbardo, 2014).
Just like taking a diary, recording emotion encourages the ability of
emotional awareness and management. It can be the first step to you
better understanding how your external environment and cognition
affect your feelings. And a way of encouraging self-confidence and a
sense of independence. Since "the only person who can help you is you,
and only you" (Board, 2017).
However, for centuries, we used written or spoken language as a means
to express our thoughts and feelings. But we are sometimes unable to
find the right words, we are restrained by our language. So if it cannot
be said, can it be shown? Emotional experiences can be thought of
as our "data'' and our emotion history as one of our natural datasets.
When you accept the framing of emotions as data, you are freed up
to engage with emotions in ways you previously ignored or avoided.
You are able to realize that emotions are variables that can change and
evolve quickly, and thus are never indicative of character, ability or other
more long-lasting states in people (Nino-Murcia, 2018). As you learn
how to identify and express your emotional experiences as data, you
will glean insights from the patterns that emerge. And because this data
is soft and qualitative, maybe our articulation of it should be a creative

34

interpretation. Not limited to well-worded text, or precise numbers, but
to have empathetic and abstract graphic language which liberates further
potential for action.
Cultural probes (also called diary study) is a technique used to inspire
ideas in a design process. It serves as a means of gathering qualitative
data about people's lives, values and thoughts through a series of
activities (Murphy, 2006). In my study, the aim of conducting cultural
probes is to get insight into the lives of the participants and in
particular into their daily feelings in social situations, when they socialize
and interact with others (no matter in-person or virtually). Moreover,
based on the preliminary discovery of recording emotion, I wanted
to investigate different qualifications and expressions of emotional
data. On this basis, I planned to develop a set of activities for testing
the recording system and exploring different methods of recording
emotional experience. Gathering data about how people perceived their
emotions and which means of expression and storytelling they felt
representative and intuitive to record and reflect the emotion.
The probe design was a survey which asked participants to record their
emotions in social situations for 12 days and qualified them through
three different recording systems: linguistic (with written words);
statistical (with numbers); and visual (through radar charts and collages).
And after handing back the kits, they were asked to have a short oneon-one interview to share feedback and thoughts about recording their
emotion.

35

FIG. 20
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion
Recording". Probe kits. 2020.

36

FIG. 21
"Cultural Probe Project:
Emotion Recording". Probe
kits instruction. 2020.

37

FIG. 22
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording".
Probe kits collected back from participants.
"Linguistic & Statistic Log" parts. 2020.

38

happy & excited

anxious
& depressed

sad

nervous + shy

indifference
+ tired

stimulated
indifference
& peaceful

depressed & sad
happy but
little nervous

anxious

happy

nervous &
embrassed
nervous & excited

FIG. 23
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion
Recording". Probe kits collected back from
participants. "Visual Log" part. 2020.

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Experimenting with cultural probes created an interesting relationship
between designers and participants: They stated that they felt like they
were given a gift and gave back by participating in the activities in a
generous and personal way. The types of insights I got were varied
and opened various discussions. I am glad to see how participants use
different shapes and colors freely to build up their very own emotion
collages. According to the feedback, most of the participants responded
that, compared to verbal and written information, using non-verbal/
non-textual language to depict emotional experience was more intuitive.
They thought radar charts were most useful for detecting patterns, and
expressive visualizations were most fun to express freely within a range
of choices of colors and shapes. With visualization displays, individuals
are easier to pick out new patterns as they occur and thus can respond
to changes in the patterns quickly (Card, Mackinlay & Shneiderman,
1999). Especially when talking about our experiences and emotions,
which are highly elusive and intangible, by using visualization, we
can see things in a new way. If we could find a way to mix these two
languages, that of numbers and concepts with that of shape, color and
pattern, then we could really begin to visually depict "softer" data.

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Refining Representations: Emotion Visualization
An earlier use of the term “visualization” meant an attempt to
construct an image in the mind as a way of using mental processing to
initiate real-life health improvements. As I’ve discussed, visualizations
after their creation also play a role as an important communication
tool. Emotion visualization can act as reinforcement or rehearse for an
emotional experience, which expresses something that we already know
but need to reveal and reflect in a meaningful way.
In 2016, psychologist and emotion researcher Paul Ekman conducted
a survey of emotion researchers to gather data on what they all agree
about. And then created the project “Atlas of Emotions'', a unique map
about the landscape of emotions. It builds our vocabulary of emotion
and illuminates our emotional world, including where they come from,
and how we react to them. The goal is to gain greater control over
what triggers our emotions and how we respond. Another example of
visualization is “Dear Data”, which is more expressive and experimental
types of visualization. “Dear Data” is a project made by information
designers Giorgia Lupi and Stefanie Posavec (2015). They are living
on different sides of the Atlantic, by collecting and hand drawing their
personal data and sending it to each other in the form of postcards,
they become friends. It is the process of recognition and naming,
together, through visual expression. For each week, a topic was chosen
(like instances of indecision or frequency and type of complaints) as
well as a system with which to visualize the data. Some of the systems
reflect traditional patterns but others are more expressive. Both because
of the project’s hand drawn quality and its allowance for imprecise
representation, a visual dialect is constructed that conveys more than
numbers and categories. Just like expressive collage exercise in my
cultural probes project, ambiguous shapes and colors not constrained
by accessibility give a freedom of expression to these instances of very
personal experiences. The process of visualizing emotion or personal
experience, as we’ve seen from Ekman, Lupi and Posavec, one becomes
more aware of themselves and their surroundings. Nonetheless, if an
expresser is not skilful enough when presenting their experiences, they
have little chance to translate the language back into the experience, and
reflect upon it.

41

42

FIG. 24-26
"Emotion Data Visualization
Poster". Marimekko Charts. 2021.

43

FIG. 27-29
"Emotion Data Visualization
Poster". Radar Charts. 2021.

44

45

When exploring further how the representations could look like, the
initial iterations of visualizations tended to follow traditional patterns.
These were quite recognizable as mainstream data visualization. The
one on page 42-43 uses Marimekko Charts, which are used to visualize
categorical data over a pair of variables. Visualization representing
five dimensions individually with variations in size and color. The one
on page 44-45 adaptes Radar Charts with color variation for different
emotions. Which are useful for comparing multiple quantitative
variables and seeing which variables are scoring high or low within a
dataset, making them ideal for displaying outcomes and picking out
patterns.
However, in two ways, I found that these explorations weren’t
expressive enough for emotion data. First, they lacked the inclusion
of the contextual data in an emotional experience. For example, the
triggers, circumstances, and thoughts of our emotions, which are hard
to be quantified. How to mix these two languages (contextual and
visual) to depict "softer" data is what I am attempting to do. Second,
the visualization of emotion is meant to be an attempt to make visible
a process that is largely invisible and only partially perceived by the one
experiencing it. It must reflect the narrative quality of our personal
histories, even if only as a visual metaphor. To do that, the visualization
must be engaging. What we make of our emotional experiences helps
us create our identity. If we can express our emotionality through a
visualization, we are able to connect with, engage with and reflect upon
it. And to see the bigger picture of our cumulative experience.
Through analyzing the emotion information, I also realized that for
most of the time, there will be multiple emotions appearing during
one social situation. And for individuals with emotion disturbance, it
is very important to encourage them to notice each emotion, even less
visible one. So that they can understand the importance of emotional
awareness and observe themselves more deeply. And it also becomes
clear that an emotion tracking tool, which takes into consideration
how a user would want to record personal data, should be digital and
interactive. Which enable efficient and intuitive interaction, and allow
diverse visual variables.

46

Gamifying Recording Process
Gamification refers to the use of game thinking and game mechanics
in non-game contexts to engage users in solving problems and increase
users' physical or psychological pleasure. There is a recent trend
involving the creation of "serious games'' with a psychoeducational
component designed to improve particular mental conditions. Serious
games that are specifically designed as interventions or supplements
to treatment have been delivered to people undergoing Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and experiencing depression, anxiety, stress,
eating disorders, autism, or other conditions (Shah et al., 2018).
Research shows that there are many people who use digital games
specifically for the purpose of mood enhancement and certain
serious games have been developed to aid mood disorders and
related conditions (Shah et al., 2018). Such as "SPARX", a CBT
game designed for adolescents with clinical depression, significantly
improved depression, anxiety, and hopelessness with better remission
rates than treatment as usual (TAU). "SPARX" is a seven-level fantasy
game with the goal of restoring balance by addressing the negative
thoughts affecting the fantasy world. Another CBT and mindfulness
game designed for individuals with anxious and depressive symptoms
is "Worrydolls", in which players are given a small doll who is ready
to listen to what is worrying you. Tell your worry to the doll, then
track it over time. Meditation games such as "PLAYNE", helps players
learn and build a daily habit of meditation. Through growing and
transforming the game world by meditating, to help players build
resilience to stress, experience calm and relaxation.
Depending on the game types and target audiences, serious games
can vary from simple puzzle-type games to more complex games
involving additional components: fantasy, story genre, immersion into
the game, visual enjoyment, and level of interactivity. They all work
as interventions or supplements to particular mental conditions from
very different angles and aspects. Moreover, individuals often show a
preference for computerized screening over face-to-face psychotherapy
when the subject matter is sensitive in nature (Bradford & Rickwood,
2015). Therefore, the use of gamifying mode for the design outcome
not only meets the needs of being digital and interactive, but also brings
a sense of engagement and leisure.

47

Design Outcomes
"Monologue"
My final design outcomes are the prototypes of an interactive emotion
tracking tool for socially anxious individuals, including Graphic User
Interface and possible final models. The app "Monologue" is a mobile
screen-based game, and designed for socially anxious people to record
their daily emotions in social situations and generate a unique daily
visual image based on customized personal emotion data.
The name "Monologue" comes from dramatic media. In theatre, a
monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to
express their thoughts aloud. And in psychology, inner monologue is
referred to as "internal dialogue", "the voice inside your head", or an
"inner voice". Borrowing from those definitions, in my study, it means
a private space and an inner solitude isolates from all noise, anxiety,
restlessness, to seek a quiet dialogue with the self. My intention of
designing this tool is not meant to replace therapy. Rather, it is an idea
that can be used to answer the lack of intuitive visual solutions for
recording and expressing our experiences. I present just one possible
solution for supporting when a person is struggling in Social Anxiety or
emotion disturbances and is interested in or feels needed to understand
mood and anxiety on self-report measures.
With "Monologue", it can do more than daily mood tracker, though,
it can also be used as evidence-based mental health supplement, but
in the form of gamification. The centerpiece of Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) is learning to identify negative and distorted thinking
patterns to change your emotions and your behaviors for the better.
In CBT, a "emotion/thought record" guides you through the steps of
identifying, challenging, and reinterpreting negative thinking patterns. In
it, you can document your emotions, analyze flaws in your thinking, and
re-evaluate your negative thoughts into more balanced ones. Through
translating these key principles into a visually recording process, people

48

are able to reshape thinking patterns and cognition by changing negative
attributional style and remodeling of self-concept. "Monologue" also
highlights the idea of expressing itself as a kind of healing. With
the design of visual representations, precise style and interaction, it
is dedicated to provide a private space for expressing and relaxing.
Not limited to traditional self-report techniques, this project aims to
offer a system for emotional experience recording, a visual language
for representing emotion, and a personal experience for prompting
reflection.

Visual Metaphor
To achieve the objectives of expressiveness and engagements of
emotion visualization, using visual metaphor in visualization can
help readers use their existing knowledge to explain the unfamiliar.
Metaphor is foundational to human thought, and using it creatively in
visualization can help strengthen its impact and beauty (Risch, 2008).
For this project, I employed a metaphor of an iceberg to apply and
interpret the core principle and main elements of CBT's ABC theory
in a visual way. This metaphor comes from Freud's description and
analogy of his three-level interpretation of how our minds work: the
consciousness, precociousness, and unconsciousness. Not only does
iceberg fit Freud’s description of our consciousness, but it also reflects
the model of ABC theory, which is a basic CBT technique framework

FIG. 30
"Monologue". Freud‘s metaphor for the conscious
is illustrated. How the metaphor is adapted for the
visualization is illustrated on the right.

49

for the assessment and formulation of emotion disturbances with three
major components: activating events, beliefs, and consequences. I will
break down the anatomy of the emotional experience using the iceberg,
and to start experimenting with more detailed visualizations that took
into consideration visual metaphors that we already or easily understand
in reality to help us make sense out of other, less well understood
phenomena.

Freud’s Iceberg Model
Sigmund Freud used the analogy of an iceberg as a visual metaphor
to describe the three levels of the mind. Freud (1915) described the
conscious mind, which consists of all the mental processes of which we
are aware, and this is seen as the tip of the iceberg. The preconscious
contains thoughts and feelings that a person is not currently aware
of, but which can easily be brought to consciousness (1924). The
preconscious is like a mental waiting room, in which thoughts remain
until they "succeed in attracting the eye of the conscious" (Freud, 1924,
p. 306). Finally, the unconscious mind comprises mental processes that
are inaccessible to consciousness but that influence judgments, feelings,
or behavior (Wilson, 2002). According to Freud (1915), like an iceberg,
the most important part of the mind is the part you cannot see. Our
feelings, motives and decisions are actually powerfully influenced by our
past experiences, and stored in the unconscious.

Cognitive Behavior Therapy’s ABC Model
The ABC model was created by Dr. Albert Ellis, a psychologist and
researcher. It is a basic CBT technique which focuses on behavioral or
emotional responses and the automatic beliefs that might be behind
them. The basic idea of the ABC model is that "external events (A)
do not cause emotions (C), but beliefs (B) and, in particular, irrational
beliefs (IB) do" (Sarracino et al., 2017). It aims to build a more helpful
and rational thinking loop to replace the obsessive rumination and
repetitive thinking. Through applying this healthy thinking pattern into
the recording process, and utilizing the iceberg as a visual metaphor
into the project. Which enables us to illustrate a more comprehensive,
intelligible and engaging visual perception of our emotional experiences.

50

Lower Part: Triggers & Thoughts
The process of emotion begins with activating events (triggers), the
things that trigger emotions in us can be both internal or external. In the
visualization, triggers are represented as the base of the iceberg form,
and sit under the water. Sometimes they are difficult to uncousicouly
identify but they have the power to move us, and happen at the very
beginning phase. We don’t always notice the automatic thoughts and
beliefs we have for our emotional experience, especially when we fall
into an unhealthy thinking loop. Through improved recognition of
our irrational belief, we can increase the likelihood that we are able to
identify and correct negative cognitions in the future. Following ABC’s
model can help us think of the explanation about why the situations
happened, and make sense that our beliefs about the cause of the
adversity set off our reaction - how we feel and what we do. Just like the
preconscious part of Freud’s iceberg, which is hidden in the lower part
and links A (Activating Events) and C (Consequences). Additionally,
B (Beliefs) is considered to be the most important component in the
process of recording emotion experience.
Triggers - Color of the form
Recording a trigger represents the "stimulus" part of the emotion
process. Triggers can range from external events like natural phenomena
and the behaviors of others to internal events like behaviors of
ourselves when we, for example, reflect on memories and feel nostalgia.
In the application, a user is able to choose between four categories when
reflecting upon what caused the emotion they’re tracking. The triggers
are visualized as the base of the form, supporting Freud’s iceberg
metaphor. I used four colors with different hues to represent the four
choices, since they don’t have progressive relation with each other. But I
retained a similar value and saturation to maintain the overall unity and
harmony.
person

activity

place

others

51

Thoughts & Cognitive Distortion - Shape of the form
People with Social Anxiety have a different mindset compared with
confident individuals. They often have negative thoughts about
themselves and their performance in social settings that appear
automatically. Such thoughts include "No one will ever like my
presentation." "I look like an idiot with my stammering." "I can’t do
this, I’m such a failure." or so on. By identifying the distortions in our
thinking, we can begin to understand the source of our anxiety. Typical
cognitive distortions include (Kim, n.d.):
Perfectionism
All-or-None Thinking
Mind Reading
Discounting the Positive
Prospecting for Flaws
Overgeneralization
Emotional Reasoning
Turning Predictions into Facts
Assuming You Are the Center of the Universe
False Theory of Relativity
Using the shape (the number of triangles) as the direct representations
of the number of cognitive distortions we have exactly.

52

one

two

three

four

five

six

seven

eight

nine

ten

Upper Part: Dimensionality of Emotion
After our brain and body have already experienced the trigger (the
situation or event) and formed beliefs (thoughts about that event),
we will be aware of what we feel and how we feel. The consequences
(emotions/behaviors) act as the consciousness part, which is the most
manifest and easiest to identify, and build the form of the iceberg
above the water in the visualization. Emotions, in general, are always
subjective and immeasurable, but by analyzing the dimensionality of
emotions we were able to qualify, analyze and understand emotions
from different aspects. The dimensionality of emotion refers to some
inherent characteristics of emotion, such as dynamic nature, excitement,
intensity and tension of emotion. The range of variation of these
characteristics is bipolar, that is, there are two states of opposites
(Shiota, & Kalat, 2015). Wilhelm Wundt (1896) believes that emotion
is composed of three dimensions: pleasure - displeasure, excitement
- inhibition (tranquilization), and tension - relaxation. Each specific
emotion is distributed in different positions between the poles of the
three dimensions. The four dimensions included in the visualization
were chosen based on Wundt's three dimension theory and Subjective
Unit of Distress Scale(SUDS) rating for SAD during Cognitive
Behavioral Therapy. Their metaphorical references and how they are
visually represented from 0 to 100 (five levels) are as follows:
Intensity - Height of the form
How intense was it? Intensity is about how strongly we feel emotions. It
can be placed between tension and relaxation. Using height to represent
the intensity level is based on a traditional metaphor in data visualization
that the larger the area, the greater the value of the area. Therefore, if
the form of the iceberg in the visualization is high, then how intense
the emotion experience would also be high - and vice versa.

not intense

very intense

53

Pleasantness - Color of the form
How pleasant was it? It refers to the level of pleasantness or
unpleasantness of the situation. Emotions can be positive, pleasant and
give good feelings. Emotions may also be negative, unpleasant and cause
discomfort. Any emotion can be placed on a scale between extreme
pleasure and extreme unpleasant. In Chinese culture, cool colors like
blue usually represent sad, cold. And warm colors like red have the
representation of happy and hot.

not pleasant

very pleasant

Arousal (Physical Reaction) - Texture on the form
How did you respond physically? How aroused was your body? It is
a state your body feels from the range of calm (no/low aroused) to
heart out the chest (over aroused). The arousal dimension is based
on the metaphor that: Chinese young people tend to use " 我裂开
了 (I’m cracked)" to represent the feeling of frustrated and collapse.
It is a popular Chinese net cultural neology recently. Therefore, the
more fractured the form is, the higher the scale of physical reaction is
responded.

not aroused

54

very aroused

Overall Anxiety Level - Color of the background
How anxious was it? This variation is borrowed from the Subjective
Unit of Distress Scale (SUDS) rating in CBT, and it is the key aspect
of identifying the overall discomfort and anxiety level of a particular
social interaction. It can range from feeling completely relaxed, enjoyed
and no fear, to extremely anxious, fear of negative evaluation, and a
tendency toward avoidance. As it is an overview of the whole emotion
experience, background color takes the direct visual representation.
From “0” to “100”, the background color will gradual change from light
yellow to dark orange. Since high saturation colors usually represent
more emotional feelings, and low saturation colors represent calm and
peace in China. Here, red-ish colors are adapted again for two reasons.
First reason is for the sake of simplicity, only through comparing the
saturation, users can tell and compare the brilliance and intensity of the
color easily. Secondly, except happy and hot, red-ish color also has the
meaning of strong emotions in Chinese culture, such as high-intense
anger or anxiety. It can also be told by expressive visualization in the
Cultural Probe project that participants used red color to represent
both positive emotions such as happy and excited, and strong emotions
such as angry and anxious. Since this conflict sets deeply in our cultural
specific nature, ideally it won’t affect the user experience. It is also
crucial to note that in existence encoding elements are based on my
preliminary research and assumption, they still need to be tested and
verified through user testing.

not anxious

very anxious

55

FIG. 31-37 (Page 51-56)
"Monologue". Visual variables for
each category. 2021.

56

Prototype

FIG. 38
"Monologue". Wireframe
of the app. 2021.

57

Review all
visual imagery

Home Page

Emotion Labeling

58

Click to add new

Activating Events

Emotion 1
Dimensionality

Triggers

Emotion 2
Dimensionality

Beliefs

Cognitive Distortions
Click to see the detailed
explanation about what is
cognitive distortions, and what
does each one stand for.

Click to see the detailed
explanation about what
each dimensionality
means, and different
examples of different levels.
e.g. 0 in Physical Reaction
could be really peaceful
and calm. 100 in Physical
Reaction could mean heart
out the chest.

FIG. 39
"Monologue". Graphic
UI interface kits. 2021.

Overall Anxiety Level

59

Examples Display

ec. 09

Dec. 11

er: Others
itive Distortions: 8 (Perfectionism;
-None Thinking; Mind Reading;
unting the Positive; Prospecting for
; Overgeneralization; Emotional
ning; Turning Predictions into Facts)
tions: Shy (Intensity:50 Pleasantness:0
cal Reaction:75); Embrassed
nsity:75 Pleasantness:0 Physical
ion:75); Confused (Intensity:0
antness:50 Physical Reaction:0)
all Anxiety Level: 25

60

Dec. 10
Trigger: Person
Cognitive Distortions: 5 (All-or-None Thinking;
Mind Reading; Overgeneralization; Turning
Predictions into Facts; Assuming You Are the Center
of the Universe)
Emotions: Shy (Intensity:75 Pleasantness:100
Physical Reaction:50); Anxious (Intensity:50
Pleasantness:25 Physical Reaction:25)
Overall Anxiety Level: 50

Trigger: Person
Cognitive Distortions: 3 (Mind
Reading; Discounting the Positive;
Overgeneralization)
Emotions: Anxious (Intensity:50
Pleasantness:100 Physical Reaction:50);
Overcautious (Intensity:25
Pleasantness:75 Physical Reaction:0)
Overall Anxiety Level: 100

Dec. 12
Trigger: Person
Cognitive Distortions: 4 (Perfectionism; Allor-None Thinking; Mind Reading; Discounting
the Positive)
Emotions: Happy (Intensity:75
Pleasantness:75 Physical Reaction:25);
Nervous (Intensity:50 Pleasantness:25 Physical
Reaction:50)
Overall Anxiety Level: 25

Dec. 13
Trigger: Place
Cognitive Distortions: 9 (Perfectionism;
All-or-None Thinking; Mind Reading;
Discounting the Positive; Prospecting for Flaws;
Overgeneralization; Emotional Reasoning;
Turning Predictions into Facts; False Theory of
Relativity)
Emotions: Nervous (Intensity:25 Pleasantness:25
Physical Reaction:50); Anxious (Intensity:50
Pleasantness:0 Physical Reaction:50)
Overall Anxiety Level: 50

Dec. 14
Trigger: Activity
Cognitive Distortions: 2 (Overgeneralization;
Emotional Reasoning)
Emotions: Helpless (Intensity:25 Pleasantness:25
Physical Reaction:25)
Overall Anxiety Level: 0

Dec. 15

Dec. 16

Trigger: Activity
Cognitive Distortions: 6 (Perfectionism;
All-or-None Thinking; Mind Reading;
Overgeneralization; Emotional Reasoning; False
Theory of Relativity)
Emotions: Nervous (Intensity:75 Pleasantness:25
Physical Reaction:75); Anxious (Intensity:25
Pleasantness:0 Physical Reaction:50); Embrassed
(Intensity:50 Pleasantness:50 Physical Reaction:50)
Overall Anxiety Level: 100

Trigger: Place
Cognitive Distortions: 7
Mind Reading; Discountin
Prospecting for Flaws; Ov
Emotional Reasoning; Tu
Facts)
Emotions: Worried (Inte
Physical Reaction:25)
Overall Anxiety Level: 2

FIG. 40
"Monologue". Examples
Display. 2021.

61

Conclusion
Analysis and Reflection
This thesis investigated a systematic visual language for recording
emotion and promoting reflection. Ambitiously, its intent is to help
individuals with Social Anxiety to gain emotional self-awareness, and
have better ability of emotion management. And it enables users to
see their emotional experiences as mini-stories of an external world
affecting an abstract character. Such mini-stories serve as mini-identities
that make up a user's full emotionality. The design solution presented,
"Monologue", is only one iteration of a tool for achieving emotional
self-awareness. For users, the iceberg metaphor may act as a narrative
visualization tool. This representation distances us from our own
subjective perspectives and promotes the rational deliberation we do
when recounting the things that happen to us. In the moment of an
emotional experience, these are the same rational deliberations that
are so hard to do, but can be practiced by impersonal observation and
reflection.
This tool only offers one thematic visual output, which allows individual
categories to be widely comparable. However, there may be nuance in
shared compatibility, since the scales for each dimension are individually
defined by the user. For instance, my "score 75" in intensity might be
more or less intense compared to another user’s scale. We are using
our own private standard of experience. Therefore, If shared, these
nuances would need to be interpreted. But for self report, Even if the
scale of an individual is different from that of others, such exercises can
indicate internal variation of dimensions, and demonstrate an improved
understanding of our emotional experiences.

62

Moreover, the visual system itself needs to be tested and iterated. As
it is only a prototype, its first steps in development should continue
with user testing to know if this design concept is successful or not,
and the effect of using this tool will have on people. In February
2021, I contacted a clinical psychologist, Doctor Zhengzhong Zhao,
who worked in Chengdu Fifth People's Hospital in China, and asked
about how he saw this design as a potential tool to support emotion
management and regulation for individuals with Social Anxiety. Dr.
Zhao believed that mental health apps had the potential to reach
people who would otherwise not receive help by removing the barriers
to treatment. "Sadly, only a small percentage of people actively seek
professional help for their mental health problems in China," he said.
"This could be for any number of reasons: they may not be physically
able to leave their homes due to severe anxiety or lack of mobility, or
they may not have the financial means." As for the utilization of visual
representations of emotional experience in this app, "Many people learn
best by following a visual approach – retaining information far more
successfully if that information is given to them in a visual manner.
Using visual language to help users apply CBT into everyday lives is
a good try to alter their thought patterns," Dr. Zhao explained. "If a
person is actually in need of therapy, these can be a great supplement,
but they cannot take the place of engaging with someone who can offer
individualized interpretations and insights that an app cannot provide."
While ideally this tool for emotion recording shouldn’t be a repair shop
for our emotions or replacement for traditional therapy, but rather an
assessment test and an additional help in addressing emotion regulation
needs, and also bring awareness and empathy to the topic of mental
health.

Future Thinking
Over the course of the work concerns about the application of emotion
visualization in mental health have emerged through my research and
design practice, I acknowledge that currently, my work is not yet capable
of solving all the problems I have encountered and uncovered. And
I still have many more questions and propositions to make and work

63

through even at this stage. Fortunately, I have already found my passion
and interest to be a visual communication designer, and I would love to
continue exploring "healing" the visual language can bring in the future.
Even though design is limited in what it can do, especially in the field of
psychology, it may not be possible to save lives or solve problems in any
direct way. It is more likely to inspire expression and bring awareness,
and to have a better, healthier world.
For the future directions, I would like to expand on my current research
and continue to pay mindful attention to the development of mental
wellness, especially in China. As I’ve discussed, visual representation of
emotion is the enrichment to our written and spoken methods of selfawareness. Which creates a greater awareness of our emotions and an
openness to communicate them is obvious progress for our personal
lives. I believe that there is much more to be discussed and advocated
about the utilization of information and data visualization. Whether
I have the chance to work in the field of mental health design or not,
I would love to go on explore the bridge of visual language and our
emotions.

64

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Appendix
List of Figures
FIG. 01-03:
FIG. 04-05:
FIG. 06-12:
FIG. 13-19:
FIG. 20:
FIG. 21:
FIG. 22:
FIG. 23:
FIG. 24-26:
FIG. 27-29:
FIG. 30:
FIG. 31-37:
FIG. 38:
FIG. 39:
FIG. 40:
FIG. 41-43:
FIG. 44-47:
FIG. 48-49:
FIG. 50:
FIG. 51:
FIG. 52-53:
FIG. 54:
FIG. 55:
FIG. 56:

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Book cover of CBT workbook & Samples of my workbook exercises. Scanned
by me. 2021.
Photos of the Buddhism Temple "Da Cheng Yuan" in Chengdu. Photography
by me. 2020.
"Anxiety Express Itself" Collage 01-07. 2020.
"Calm & Safe" Collage 01-07. 2020.
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording". Probe kits. 2020.
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording". Probe kit instruction. 2020.
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording". Probe kits collected back from
participants. "Linguistic & Statistic Log" parts. 2020.
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording". Probe kits collected back from
participants. "Visual Log" part. 2020.
"Emotion Data Visualization Poster". Marimekko Charts. 2021.
"Emotion Data Visualization Poster". Radar Charts. 2021.
"Monologue". Freud‘s metaphor for the conscious is illustrated. How the
metaphor is adapted for the visualization is illustrated on the right. 2021.
(Page 51-56) "Monologue". Visual variables for each category. 2021.
"Monologue". Wireframe of the app. 2021.
"Monologue". Graphic UI interface kits. 2021.
"Monologue". Examples Display. 2021.
"A Visual Exploration of Emotion". 2020.
"Emotion Pattern Design". 2020.
"Social Anxiety Handbook". 2020.
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion Recording". English version. 2020.
English version of SUDS and Social Interaction Log. Scanned from book
Helping Your Shy and Socially Anxious Client. 2021.
"Emotion Data Visualization Poster". Sketches. 2021.
"Monologue". Sketch. 2021.
Certification of Research Ethics Approval: Cultural Probe Project. 2020.
Certification of Complication: Panel on research ethics. 2020.

FIG. 41-43
"A Visual Exploration
of Emotion". 2020.

69

FIG. 44-47
"Emotion Pattern
Design". 2020.

70

FIG. 48-49
"Social Anxiety
Handbook". 2020.

71

FIG. 50
"Cultural Probe Project: Emotion
Recording". English version. 2020.

72

FIG. 51
English version of SUDS and Social
Interaction Log. Scanned from book Helping
Your Shy and Socially Anxious Client. 2021.

73

FIG. 52-53
"Emotion Data Visualization
Poster". Sketches. 2021.

74

FIG. 54
"Monologue". Sketch. 2021.

75

FIG. 55
Certification of Research Ethics Approval:
Cultural Probe Project. 2020.

76

PANEL ON
RESEARCH ETHICS

TCPS 2: CORE

Navigating the ethics of human research

Certificate of Completion
This document certifies that

Danni Li
has completed the Tri-Council Policy Statement:
Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans
Course on Research Ethics (TCPS 2: CORE)
Date of Issue:

1 February, 2020
FIG. 56
Certification of Complication:
Panel on research ethics. 2020.

77

獨白 Monologue: an investigation of how visualization could be used to
help us record and reflect emotion
By
Danni Li
BA in Media, Indiana University Bloomington, 2018
Supervisor: Cameron Neat
A CRITICAL AND PROCESS DOCUMENTATION PAPER SUBMITTED
IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE
DEGREE OF MASTER OF DESIGN
EMILY CARR UNIVERSITY OF ART + DESIGN
© Danni Li, 2021