The Concept

Somnibus is an app for recording and cataloging dreams. When the user wakes up from a dream, or remembers a particularly interesting dream, they open the app on their PC or smart phone and record their dream. After writing a description of their dream, users are prompted to create an abstract visual based on their dream. Afterwards, this dream is sent to a "dream collage"- a collection of all the users visuals. From this, the user can browse and read other dreams, filter the dreams by certain keywords, locations, or visuals, and find interesting patterns in the dreams of others.

This app will aid in the recording and recollection of dreams by individual participants, and through mindful dreaming act as an aid for future lucid dreaming. However, its more fascinating application is in the visualization and representation of dreams from many different participants. Using factors or tags like "scary" or "happy" to filter different dreams and their respective visuals, we can study patterns and commonalities in how people view their dreamscreating an interactive, collaborative piece of art.

Schedule

• March 4 - Form successfully submits and displays others posts using mySQL
• March 18- Begin build of drawing functionality, start building and styling web app around form
• March 25- Browsing features enhanced- working tags, filters, and search results
• March 30- Location functionality implemented, can filter by location. All pages for web app created
• April 1st- Web app fully styled and responsive, begin user testing
• April 8th - integrating feedback from user testing, troubleshooting
• April 15th - Continued refinement of app UI/UX, app should be fully functional by this point

Visual Development

Moodboard

For the branding we were looking for softer, darker colors that were easy on the eye when just waking up. Our moodboard focused on simplicity, readability, and an interface that makes one think of nighttime and sleep.

Identity

Eventually, we settled on this branding, using the font Audimat and a color scheme of purple, pink, black, and white. For our logo, we wanted to resemble a cloud as well as a brain, to evoke the idea that the dreams you have and log onto Somnibus become part of a larger whole- going from your brain to a cloud.

Process Diagram and Site Map

Wireframes

Implementation

After wireframes had been approved, development began on the front end by Elizabeth Kane. In the interim, all team members worked individually to ensure each piece of the program worked. The site was first completely built in HTML5, CSS, and jQuery before the php was added. PHP was connected to a mySQL database that handled user logins, submitted entries, and location data.

The drawing app used was drawingboard.js, a lightweight and easily customizable app that was chosen for its compatibility with mobile and touch displays, as well as its ability to save to the mySQL database. From the get-go it required little customization save for the canvas size.

Along the way, several aspects of the app were depreciated or phased out. For example, the original plan was to make the drawing portion of the application more abstract, and thus less prone towards abuse. However, building one from the ground up was not a prudent use of time. Also, the Mood option was phased out due to possible redundancy with the tags.

Final Product

Visit the Site

Video