Skip to content

Sensation

Jump to bottom
amanda southworth edited this page Mar 29, 2022 · 1 revision

We want to get people to a future they're meant to have, and that means developing a design system that creates specific sensations and emotions across multiple software platforms. This goes into the themes, implementation, and sensory experiences Aureus works to build towards.

Inspiration

We’re not just building an app, a design, or a mockup. we’re designing a greater experience for the user. Our goal is to augment pre-existing experiences in the users life, not replace them. We’re not the destination, we’re the transportation getting them there.

The inspiration for the sensations of Aureus is the feeling of getting onto a plane, or a bus to some place you feel comfortable at. You're on the way there, you're comfortable and excited, and you look out from the window. You take the time to look around you, knowing you're going to get to your destination safely.

That's what Aureus aims to feel like: looking outside while someone gets you to a place that's going to be safe for you.

Foundational Themes

  1. Shapes Almost all UI components have rounded corners or are circular. Nothing has harsh or uncut lines (unless full width button or other full width element where corners blend in with screen).

  2. Dreams Our resources look like a dream. They feel comfortable, cohesive, and like someone put a pane of glass over a scene of nature. We use opacity of color to convey priority instead of color.

  3. Clean All UI items have minimal elements, and are extremely clear in their purpose. All elements are properly aligned, centered, and consistent across the application with no variations (except between outlined variations.)

  4. Cycles / Circles Circular ecosystems are what Astra primarily works in, and we integrate circles into our designs to reference them. We use circles in our logos, navigation icons, and in other components to create a more 'friendly' feel and consistent brand / call back to the circular systemic issues we work in.

  5. Symmetry All items have balance and to purposefully use hiearchy and visual cues to properly communicate to the user. Contrast is used well to highlight what needs to be seen, and items are visually balanced to be clear without being boring or visually overwhelming.

  6. Mirror Some forms in nature replicate in patterns of data. If you look for these symmetries, they appear everywhere. To integrate forms of nature and data into our work, we mirror common themes of nature, like the sky, circular patterns, and more.

Internal Base // Variations

Since all of our resources fall under one design system, internally we've adopted a system (referred to as) Base // Res that defines what unites and separates our resources.

Base

Base is the way that resources align. These are NOT the only ways resources will align, but everything below is where all things MUST be unified.

  1. Must follow product formula, mission of Astra, and complete / follow the mission, ethics, and vision of the future outlined in our foundational documents. If it doesn’t match our foundation, it’s not an Astra resource.
  2. Implements Aureus in its' UI and adopts the Safety Plan / Accessibility functionality.
  3. Half of all of the gradients in the product need to be the standard shade of lavender for the specific shades (light / medium / dark). One other accent shade in those 3 variations may be used alongside lavender.
  4. The resource needs to carry all of the themes defined within the foundational tab. When the foundational themes and the resource theme overlap, the foundational themes take precedence over the resource theme.

Variations

Variations are the ways in which resources can differ. These are the ONLY variations allowed from the Universal Design System currently. Other variations will be allowed, but need a vote from the design team and need to be adopted amongst all products unanimously.

A resource

  1. Has its’ own name that should stand alone within the names of our resource. The names should sound like an an actual person’s name from a few years into the future (Aetheria, Verena) and not the name of a product (AnxietyHelper, Isolated Not Alone).
  2. Has its’ own unique resource color that transforms into 3 different shades. No neon / bright colors or repeats from other products.
  3. Has its’ own mission, and its’ own role in the Astra Ecosystem as a supporting pillar to our greater mission. There should be little overlap between individual products. If a new idea falls under the general area of another, expand that original product.
  4. Has and provides guidelines for a circular style. This style should extend to navigation icons, assets, and the logo.
  5. Has its’ own “theme”. This theme should carry across the entire resource and should stand alone amongst the themes. They should also relate to the mission, and act as a tie in for the user. (E.G: Aetheria = Sunsets and Eclipses, Verena = Mazes and Escape, Zenith = Mountains and Peaks)
  6. Breaks from Aureus when complying with the guidelines compromises the ability of the resources to be accessible or safe. This will be decided at the discretion of the design and development team. (E.G: Verena's Incognito mode isn't governed by Aureus because it's meant to look exactly NOT like our apps for the users' protection).
Clone this wiki locally