Couch Potato App
Deliverables: App Prototype, Logo Animation, Website Prototype, Video Advertisement
Art Direction: Anthony DeLuca
One of my hubrises (hubris’? hubri?) is binge watching. We all do it. Couch Potato is an app designed not to keep you from binge watching so much as it shames you for how much you watch. The app takes the time you’ve watched and compares it to other silly things you could have done (ex: how many bowls of soup you could have microwaved).
I wanted the logo to be simple but reflect the idea of an eye that’s binge watched for so long that it has bags underneath it. A play button replaces the pupil of the eye, you know, for symbolism.
The animation was my first foray into using After Effects, which is now a program I love and cherish. If this app was real this animation would play right as you open it.
I chose a rounded sans serif (Proxima Nova Soft) that wouldn’t hurt your eyes to look at for a long time, unlike something else (I know, ha, ha).
I used various shades of blue for the color palette to remind users of screen blue light (and also a little bit of the blue screen of death).
The core of the app is centered around the sarcastic “awards” that make fun of how long the user has binge-watched by comparing them to things like life events, amount of times their heart beat, etc. It also has a function to compare the percentage of time spent on various sites as well as what content is being watched the most. It is not an app that actively keeps the user from binging, instead its goal is to shame the user so much that they change of their own volition. It simply gives them a very aggressive push.
The website is very simple as it is mostly used for promotion of the app. It gives readers a taste of what the app is about without hitting them over the head with it, letting them decide for themselves whether or not they too would like to be guilted forever.
I wanted to make a video ad that would be tongue-in-cheek about binge watching culture but still advertise the app itself. I used Beatfreakz’ “Somebody’s Watching Me” because I thought it would be funny. And I was right.
This project is one of my most in-depth app prototypes, and I wish it was real. I probably need it (I don’t have a binge watching problem, I swear I’m fine!).