Temporal Illusions: Distorting Our Perceptions of Time

Temporal Illusions distorting our perceptions of time

cheryl zhang 1

Temporal Illusions distorting our perceptions of time

cheryl zhang 1

2

6

RESEARCH

30

CO-CREATION WORKSHOP

50

SKETCH DUMP

60

SPECULATIVE FUTURE

66

SLO-SCRO

96

SLO-CAFE

134

SLO-MO

142

SLO-CAFE & SLO-MO EXPERIENCE

3

4

Research

5

Fast Subjective Time Low Enjoyment

Low Productivity

Low Mindfulness

6

As people age, they may perceive time passing quicker than in their youth. However, this phenomenon may not apply to Gen Z, whose perception of time is unique compared to previous generations.

GenZ, as the first generation to grow up with technology, their excessive use of smartphones blurs

the line between virtual and reality, altering their time perception.

When our subjective time passes fast, we do not have control over how we perceive time. It is a problem because it can lead to problems like decreased enjoyment, decreased productivity, and increased stress.

7

Anxiety

MINDMAP This is the Visually Exploring mapping the very relationship initial out ideas mindmap between and connections perception where I wasofbrainstorming time, to dopamine, dopamine explore ideas and and serotonin. the relationships serotonine. surrounding andsubject patterns “Fear”. that might not be immediately apparent.

Imagining worst out Pain

Cognit

Needle FEAR of Horror Fear of Hospital

Haunted house

Horror movie

Jumpscare Hospital Mirror Psycological Mechanism Ghost Under the bed Unprepared Dark

In shock Unpredictable

W Creepy

Increased during quarant Keeps track on time

Alone

Didn't

FEAR of death

Time feeling im

Limited time Unfinished tasks Unfulfilled goals Things you will miss out:

You wish: Go to places you haven't been to Travel Have your own time/space

Gaming Food Fear in Gaming

Breathe

Movie Excessive gaming

humans are only being that think about death Second hand fear Second hand embarrassment

8

Family/friends

Gaming Disorder

Improving Social Gaming

tcome Clock with no #s

tive Behavioral Therapy Release endorphins

Exposure Therapy

This emotion of thinking its already so bad, that its not worth making it better. Thinking "My day is ruined."

Exercise Treatment

Chronophobia is the extreme fear of time or time passing. It can cause severe anxiety, feelings of dread, obsessive behaviors and depression.

Chronophobia: Time

Always rushing

Can't focus/relax on doing daily things like cooking, watching tv, or even sleeping.

FOMO

Who is at risk?

Increased heart rate/breathing Panic attack

Elderly or ill

What are the things that reminds people of time?

Intrusive thought of time

Who had traumatic experience Days left countdown

Sleep disturbance

tine Near death experience

Anxiety

t have control over the passage of time

Own mortality of fear of death/dying Mad at myself when I plan to go out at 2 but wasted 1 hour getting ready, I would think "I'd rather stay home, it's won't be as perfect/happy day since it passed the time I planned"

Time moving too slow

mmense/overwhelm

Films that impacted ppl Not being able to finish daily tasks efficiently

"Not enough time in the world"-Kaylan

Social Phobia

Solo players

Jaws

Toxicity

People afraid to go to the beach

Unbalance gaming experience

Jeffrey Dahmer

Serial Killer

Fear of death

Multi-player Matchup against 5 players

Cheating, AFK, Bullying Social Platform Social Isolation Awareness & Interaction Loneliness & Anxiety

Coping Mechanism

conscious strategies used to reduce unpleasant emotions.

9

What if the things that remind people of time passing are changed/redesigned?

MINDMAP

Super "fine slicing" time/frame rat Sense of passage of time disrupted Feels like more time you spent with them

Feels

Exploring the relationship between perception between dopamine, of time, dopamine, dopamine serotonin,and and and serotonin. of time. serotonine. perception

Increase of dopamine

Didn't sleep well Overclocking

Going to 3 different places with diff ppl Exact same amount of time

vs.

More novelty with someone

Doing something fun

Feels

Shape how we relate to a place/person Better cognitive to complete hard task, precise, rigid work ,such as math

"Fine Slicing" time

Higher dopamine

High frame rate

Creative thinking, w answer(constraints

Increase

First half of day

Second half of day Elevated

Elevated

Feels like less time you spent with them

Place & Person Time perception

Staying at the same place with same ppl

Dopamine

Over

Internal Clock

estim

Serotonin

Slower frame rate

Underestimate

ate

Sense of time Illusion time is passing faster than normal

More Dopamine=More Time=Functional Human

Dopamine and serotonin modulate perception of time

Control our perception of time

1. Time passes slowest for people who practice mindfulness 2. When we’re occupied, we don’t notice the time go by (“This week flew by!”)

3. We get bored when we lack distractions from ourselves (“GMOH” – You on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon)

Slowdown

Doing Novel things

Speedup

Technology

Mindlessness

Circadian Rythyms Mindfulness

Factors that change our circadian ry See, touch, smell, hear, taste

Light from electronic device i Jetlag

10

te

Distorting time through emotions/music

Perceive things happen

Ultra Slow motion

Trauma

ed

mp

Sta

Rate stored into

Memory system

Time pass fast

Looking back

Neural activities repeated

n

dow

Memory playback stored with particular rate based on when it happened during the event Emotions

Space time recorder

HOW TO REDUCE FEAR OF TIME PASSING TOO FAST

Longer memory than actual experience To stretch time with higher frame rate

Flies

work that doesnt have specific s) such as creative work, brainstorming Frame Rate

Brain refresh rate

Human

Visual Processing:Change blindness

Train to increase our frame rate

Games

60 frame rates per sec

Cocaine

Time pass fast

Time pass slow

lose sense of self

more related to arousal system

Doing something happy

Waiting for bus

Alcohol Time speed up Dont form profound memory reminiscence effect

ythyms

in night time

acceleration of time as age

Time judgement-emotional judgement

11

Young

Old

Everything happened first time

Everything feels same, nothing sticks out as surprise or interesting

MINDMAP Looking into time & aging anxiety.

Getting inspirations from animals posture and cues.

This does not mean making time for them. Instead, think of where you will incorporate these moments into your life.

Anxieties

S h

Purpose in Life

Death Anxiety

Time Anxiety

Fear of running out of your time

Fear of wasting your time

Psychology Happiness

Define what “time well spent” means to you

Future time anxiety

Existential time anxiety

the sense of lost time slipping away and never to return, which many people experience in a more acute way when thinking about death.

the daily feeling of being rushed that makes us feel overwhelmed and panicky.

Make space for these moments

Gaming Movie night Shopping Food Gym

Different forms

Current time anxiety

Affects your overall hapiness

without overthinking about how feasible the final outcome would be.

thoughts about what may or may not happen in the future, which are the cause of worry and “what if” types of internal questions.

After homework Friday night Saturday Weekend Before homework 1. Time exists 2. You can’t stop time from moving or slow it down 3. All you have control over is what you do in the future

1. Body: What do you like to do to feel healthy and active?

2. Mind: What pushes your mind in a good way?

3. Love: Who do you love spending time with?

4. Work: What work or tasks make you feel good?

5. Money: How do you want to use the money you do have?

6. Play: What hobbies or rest activities do you really enjoy?

Body

Mind

Love

Work

Play

temporal bisection tasking

How play impact animals

12

Mo

Maximizer

Satisficer

Makes perfect decision

"its good enough" Social interaction

Spend time on happiness

SHORT TERM

FEAR OF PASSAGE OF TIME

Cut out time-consuming distractions

LONG TERM

Novelty memories

New motor skills

To stay young Symptoms

FEAR OF AGING

Laugh more Continue to learn

Plastic surgery Feeling total loss of control- feeling as if one is going mad Thoughts of death or dying Inability to think or express oneself clearly- feeling disconnected with reality Partial postures

oney

Playful mindset

Mindfulness Try new things

Allowing urself to expand the number of outcome that you are willing to entertain

Play posture Reduce eye size for less aggression

Animals engage in playful behaviors for the longest time

Animals with less play

Greatest degree of neuroplasticity

Rigid brains that don't learn new things

Soft eyes

Dogs/animals

Lowering their head

Eye open, tongue out

Playing a game you are not good at

Humans

Engage in something you are not proficient, but you enter because it is LOW STAKE

Head tilt, eyes open/ raising eyebrow

People make themself small

13

Time pass slower

HOW YOUNG & OLD PERCEIVE TIME Our subjective time passes slower when we are younger, and as we grow older, our brains process information at a slower rate than when we were younger.

This means that our ability to perceive time passing slows down and moments that used to seem fleeting can feel like they last longer.

Young

Time Passes Slow

More Memory Frames

Mindfulness Novel Experience

14

Familiar Routine Less Memory Frames

Mindlessness

Old

Time Passes Fast

As we go through more experiences and memories, our brains have more information to process and recall. This can make time seem to pass more quickly because our brains are constantly busy processing and recalling memories, and our perception of the present moment may be less acute. As we age, we tend to settle into routines and engage in less novel experiences. When we were younger, everything was new and exciting, and our brains were constantly processing new information. As we age and settle

into routines, our brains have fewer novel stimuli to process, and time may seem to pass more quickly as a result.

There is also the psychological phenomenon known as the “holiday paradox,” which suggests that time seems to pass more quickly when we are happy and engaged in enjoyable activities. As we age, we may find ourselves more content and fulfil in life, leading to the perception that time is passing more quickly.

15

GenZ 1997-2012

Perception of time passes faster than

Previous Generations 1946-1994

However, in today’s technology world, generations’ perception of time seems to flip oppositely. The digital age has significantly shrunk how GenZ perceives time. With

17

the constant flow of information and stimuli from social media and smartphones, it becomes difficult for them to differentiate between past and present events.

GENZ’S RELIANCE ON TECHNOLOGY

92% MULTITASK

Multitask while browsig internet

GenZ’s perception of time is shrunk by excessive usage of smartphones.

Because the more you mindlessly scroll, the higher the brain release dopamine. Therefore, it will feel like time is passing more quickly.

This is because the brain is not actively engaged in processing

new information and instead relies on the repetitive and familiar nature of the digital content.

When our subjective is shorter, it can cause negative health and emotional problems like anxiety, low productivity, and even memory loss.

18

61%

SHORTER ATTENTION SPAN Prefer short videos under 1 minute

85%

INSTANT GRATIFICATION Prefer automated customer service interactions over phone calls

19

SOCIAL MEDIA AD GenZ loses active attention to ads after 1.3 seconds less than other generations and we can see from the infographic that social media platforms start to adopt GenZ’s behaviors and adjust the social media ads.

1

2

Social media platform ads are designed to capture the attention of GenZ's short attention span.

The attention span of GenZ is typically less than 8 seconds, which means that ads must be short and to the point.

3

4

Social media platforms have recognized this trend and have created ads that are visually engaging and easily digestible.

These ads are typically designed to be mobile-friendly, with bold images and minimal text.

21

Why do we perceive time at a different speed?

22

To better understand human perception of time, I looked into how flies perceive the world. While human eyes are capable of perceiving motion at around 60 frames per second (fps), flies can detect motion at a much higher rate of up to 200 fps.

23

HUMANS FRAME RATE

24

FLIES FRAME RATE

25

“Fast moving stimuli involve a high rate of change in visual information and thus stretch our perception of time.”

FRAME RATE

PERCEPTION OF TIME SPEED

Our subjective time can pass slower if we have a higher frame rate because the brain processes visual information in discrete frames. A higher frame rate means that more visual information is being processed in each second, which can create 27

the illusion that time is passing more slowly. This is because the brain is able to process more visual detail in the same amount of time, making it feel like time is stretched out.

28

Co-Creation Workshop

29

CO-CREATION BRIEF

Activities TIMELINE 1. There will be an oversize paper (timeline) with section past and future.

2. All the participants will write down their highlighted memories, or a period of time they wish to make on the timeline.

30

REFLECT

SHARE

1. Participants will write down why they feel like the passage of time was fast/ slow.

1. Participants will share what they have put down on the timeline.

2. Write down moments if they wish it could pass faster/slower. Why?

31

2. It will be like a casual discussion where everyone can share thoughts/ ask questions.

CO-CREATION GOALS

To gather data on participants’ highlighted memories in their life.

32

How technology impacts memories. To analyze the main factors that made their subjective time pass fast or slow.

To find commonalities on what/when/why does people find the passage of time is fast/slow.

33

34

PARTICIPANTS

DURATION

1.Arshi Auleear 2.Kaylan Tran 3.Jaemin Cho 4.Xinyue Wu 5.Nigel Keen 6.Sama Srinavas 7.Heba Jaleel 8.Ria John 9.Rohita Remala

45 Minutes

LOCATION POD South Class Room

PHOTOGRAPHER Cathy Tung

35

36

37

WHAT DID THE WORKSHOP CONFIRM?

1

2

People have the illusion that the passage of time is faster than normal when they are having a good time, however, when they reflect back, the memories seem very long.

People’s sensation of time speeds up when technology reminds people of repetitive daily schedules or contents. Time slows down when technology brings them back to their happy memories.

38

3 The comments received about technology are mostly positive.

People look at technology as an enhancement of their good memories, omitting technology negativity.

39

40

41

42

WHAT DID THE WORKSHOP CHALLENGE?

1

2

3

How can we integrate the idea of slowing down good memories into the process of using technology?

How to slow down people’s perception of time in this hyperconnected world?

In the process of doing mindless scrolling on our phones, how/what can our memories serve as a tool to pull us out from being so hooked?

43

44

45

MY NEW LEADS AFTER CO-CREATION WORKSHOP

1

2

3

To draw a clearer broader between the virtual world & reality. To recognize/be more mindful of the moment of using technology.

People want to slow down good experiences and explore how to distort how people perceive time.

To explore how people’s perception of time is affected by this hyperconnected world through technology.

46

47

48

Sketch Dump

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

Speculative Future

57

58

In this world, it is messed up, chaotic, and violent.

Time travelers are hunted by tyrannical governments, they take advantage of never-ending power struggles between powerful entities.

The consequences of time travel create alternate timelines, leading to chaotic and unpredictable outcomes, and changing reality. So the crime rate is

59

super high. People would teleport to banks to rob, teleport to jail to save their friends, or even time travel to the future to look at the lottery result and buy lotteries. Everyone does whatever they want to. The jail is especially useless for prisoners, they can escape at any moment. So the government only built specific jails for those who committed extreme crimes such as murder.

60

People are forced to live in fear of the unknown and the unknowable. In this world, power is derived not just from physical strength or political influence, but also from the manipulation of time itself.

Only rich people own a time machine. So rich people would just become more wealthy, they use their power and time machine to steal resources and change futures. Therefore, poor people usually work for a monopoly and are controlled by them.

61

62

A app that helps you gain control over your subjective time.

63

WORK PROCESS From defining problems and gathering research to developing solution concepts.

Rsearch Define

PROBLEM

64

Prototype

Usability Testing

Finalize

SOLUTION

65

GOAL

Slow down Subjective Time

66

Create ownership To have more control over smartphone usage

To increase frame rate To break the cycle of mindless scroll

APP KEY FEATURES The app includes four main features that help to slow downsubjective time.

MANAGE SCREEN TIME

CREATE OWNERSHIP

Screen Time Report & Limit

Customize Characters

Manage & prevent the overuse of smartphones.

Build a stronger sense of engagement.

68

BREAK MINDLESS SCROLL

INCREASE FRAME RATE

Pop Up Window

Cognitive Games

“Forcefully” redirect users away from mindless scroll.

Train mental reactions to improve users’ information processing speed.

69

MINDMAP 2D VISUAL DIRECTION Exploring different the relationship character between perception of time, dopamine, dopamine and and combinations. serotonin. serotonine.

70

71

LOW FIDELITY PROTOTYPE

72

73

USER TESTING TAKEAWAYS After user testing from GenZs who uses smartphones for over 6 hours a day. I received some feedback to further explore.

Consider if it is a solo game or plays with friends.

Consider a reward system for users that spent less screen time or punishment for long screen time

Consider how to measure if you have gained more control over time after using the app.

74

75

CHARACTER MOVEMENT

HI

JUMP

76

CATCH

77

HIGH FIDELITY PROTOTYPE

SCREEN TIME REPORT

SELECTED CHARACTER

78

SUBJECTIVE TIME

REACTION TIME

MANAGE SCREEN TIME

79

REACTION TIME REPORT The reaction time report generates your cognitive abilities from your gaming performance.

80

A faster reaction time can make us perceive time as slower because our brain is processing information more quickly, which allows us to take in more details and perceive time as moving more slowly.

When we experience a stimulus, such as an object moving towards us, our brain processes this information and generates a response, such as moving out of the way. The time it

takes for us to process the stimulus and generate a response is known as our reaction time.

Therefore, this app improves our reaction time through reaction games. Playing reaction games can help to train and strengthen our neural pathways, which can improve the speed and accuracy of our reactions over time.

81

SCREEN TIME REPORT The screen time report feature is an essential tool that empowers users with valuable information about their device usage.

82

By analyzing the user's screen time, the report provides deep insights into which apps and activities are consuming the most time. This helps users make informed decisions about how they allocate their time and prioritize their activities.

Furthermore, the screen time report provides comprehensive data about the frequency of device unlocks and the amount of time spent on specific apps.

This data allows users to identify patterns and make changes to reduce excessive use of certain apps or activities.

One of the most intriguing features of the screen time report is its ability to analyze game performance. By tracking the user's reaction time during gameplay, the report provides valuable insights into their cognitive abilities and performance.

This information can be used to identify areas for improvement and develop strategies to enhance reaction time and overall gaming performance.

This information can be used to identify areas for improvement and to develop strategies for enhancing reaction time and overall gaming performance.

83

SUBJECTIVE TIME REPORT The subjective time report calculates the subjective time accuracy for each user.

84

The app measures users’ reaction time during gameplay, which can indicate their cognitive processing speed and responsiveness. It also tracks their screen time, capturing how much time they spend actively using the app. By analyzing this data, the app generates a report that compares the users’ current reaction time and screen time with their previous performance.

Based on this analysis, the app calculates the subjective time accuracy for each user. If the users’

reaction time has declined, and their screen time has increased, the app may show that their subjective time has “shrunk” by a certain percentage. For example, if a user’s reaction time has slowed down by 10% and their screen time has increased by 20%, the app may estimate that their subjective time has shrunk by 15%.

This subjective time accuracy report provides users with valuable insights into how their cognitive processing speed and time perception may have

85

changed over time. It helps users become more aware of how their in-game performance and screen time habits may impact their perception of time. This feature also encourages users to reflect on their screen time usage and strive for a healthy balance between virtual and realworld activities.

CHARACTER CUSTOMIZATION Users can create their own virtual avatars forn different apps that they have set on screen time limit.

86

Users can choose from a wide range of customization options, such as changing the character's color, hair style, eye shape, mouth shape, and even weapons or accessories. This allows users to express their individuality and make their characters truly their own.

The customization options are not only limited to the initial creation of the character, but also evolve over time based on the user's in-game performance and screen time usage. As users progress through the app and achieve milestones

or complete challenges, they earn rewards in the form of new customization items. For example, if a user wins a battle or completes a difficult level, they may unlock a special weapon or a unique outfit for their character. Similarly, if a user spends a certain amount of time playing the app, they may receive exclusive customization options, such as rare color palettes or hairstyle options.

87

Reward System The mystery weapons will be unlocked as the user’s subjective time increases by 5%.the app and achieve milestones

88

89

If the users are scrolling through TikTok, and have reached their screen time limit. A notification will pop up, inviting you to change your phone orientation.

Users will receive a 30-second randomized

90

game that trains their reaction speed, which helps to increase the frame rate.

Here, TikTok being the top enemy on the rank will come and attack you at a faster speed.

When the game ends, the app will assign you a number of slo-scrolls based on your performance. Now, when you go back to tik tok, the 3 scrolls will be in slomotion, and the app will be locked after the 3 scrolls.

91

92

A cafe that helps people enjoy more time in reality.

93

35% PEOPLE AGED BETWEEN 18-25

Must have their phones for every meal

94

Out of 2,000 people surveyed, 35 percent of participants aged between 18 and 25 admitted to having the urge to use their phones for every meal they eat. This is an issue because when people scroll and eat simultaneously, they get an instant double hit of dopamine, causing them to perceive time faster.

95

When you're engaged in multiple tasks, your brain has to split its attention between them, which can make it harder to fully focus on either one. As a result, you may not fully register the passage of time or the details of what you're doing.

Scrolling through social media or watching TV while eating can limit the sensory input you receive, making it easier to tune out and lose track of time. Without enough variety in your sensory experiences, time may seem to pass more quickly.

96

Scroll

Eat

DOUBLE DOPAMINE HIT

SUBJECTIVE TIME PASSES FASTER

97

Fast Subjective Time Overeat

Poor Digestion

Acid Reflux

98

Scrolling and eating at the same time can lead to health problems such as over eating, poor digestion, and acid reflux.

99

100

I really miss my childhood.

When we were constantly exposed to novel experiences and learning new motor skills. Inspired by that, I designed Slo-Cafe.

A collection of dinnerware that stretch our subjective time through novel eating experiences.

101

It’s commonly understood that dinnerware is intended to aid in efficient eating.

However, I was devoted to exploring unconventional forms that encourage users to try inefficient eating.

102

103

After many iterations of observing patterns in how humans interact with their food and dinnerware. I explored forms that require the use of both hands, eliminating the usage of phones during meals.

104

105

UTENSIL 106

Slo-Cafe includes a utensil that features a single curved tine pointing upwards, which adds a more challenging eating process, by requiring us to move our mouths in accordance with the angle of the curve.

107

108

The utensil is double-sided with a wavy handle that invites users to be creative in ways of holding them.

109

BOWL SET 110

A bowl with a small opening that adapted the shape of the spoon. So users can easily get all the food out of the corners. Ensuring that they don’t miss any of the delicious bites.

111

112

The cup has a negative accent at the bottom where it rests on the bowl. Users must hold onto the cup while they eat to prevent it from tipping over.

113

PLATE SET

114

An elegant spoon is included with the plate set for users to add any desired flavors to their beverages.

115

116

For those who want to enjoy a smaller portion of a Michelin-like meal, here is a plate with no edges, allowing food to be beautifully presented.

However, users should be mindful to prevent the food from sliding off the plate.

117

118

119

120

121

122

123

124

Oooopppssss....

125

Phone down

126

127

128

129

130

An Apple Watch app that uses a motion sensor to track the user’s eating speed.

131

132

The app is as simple as setting up a workout app.

Before you start your meal, you will select from the five main food categories.

133

134

Next, you can set a desired eating speed. After the 3 seconds countdown, relax and begin your meal.

135

The app uses motion-tracking sensors accelerometer, and gyroscope to monitor your eating speed. When you exceed your target speed, the app will buzz and remind you to slow down.

136

137

138

Slo-Cafe & Slo-Mo Experience

139

140

Now, I want to see how they work in real life. I offered participants two sets of different dinnerware.

With a vibrometer app attached to their wrists, as a replacement for slo-mo to track their movement speed.

141

154