MIO Mind Optional Play Objects
mio are mind optional play objects that encourage adults to visually and physically realize their emotions and thoughts. A mio set can be used as a communication tool with others when words aren’t enough or as a personal meditation tool. It is color customizable and endlessly stackable via magnet connections. The hope is that someone would create a language with the toys, when different elements are combined, different feelings are expressed. The main intention is that everyone will interpret the objects differently.
Mood Board
Brief
Why: Addressing mental health is a multidimensional process that entails a lot of mental work. It can be difficult to communicate your thoughts, feelings, and emotions to others and sometimes even to yourself.
What: Having the tools to physically realize thoughts, emotions, and feelings can be valuable when trying to communicate experiences to yourself or others. Using abstracted objects that have different weights, forms, and abilities can assist people in visualizing and physically encountering what they are experiencing in their heads and bodies.
Who: The target audience for these objects of play are people who would like to have visual tools to express themselves or use them as meditation devices. The objects are geared towards adults in both a private and therapeutic setting. Therapists can also integrate these objects into their practice.
Process
To create the forms I ran an online survey and asked questions about how people experience their emotions and what objects they resonate with. I learned that most people view themselves as spatial and layered so I incorporated that in the objects as much as possible. I then consulted the Atlas of Emotions, where data scientists mapped the 5 basic emotions: anger, fear, disgust, sadness, and joy. I decided to make forms for each one.
