Overview

 

Strands of life (http://www.strands-of-life.com) is an interactive journaling platform that supports users in creating memorable and meaningful tourism experiences with their photos taken and other information from their journeys. The platform draws reference to two scientific frameworks namely, character strengths and Labovian narrative model. Character strengths, which stemmed from positive psychology, highlighted that the experience of meaning could emerge as a result of using one’s character strengths purposefully. Labovian narrative model, on the other hand, could guide users to create a comprehensive narrative with both textual and visual elements. This platform is composed of features that allow users to connect the explicit dimensions of experience (e.g., people, place, activity, and peak moment) with the implicit psychological factors (e.g., emotion, character strengths, and values) on their meaningful experiences. A user study showed the platform deepened users’ self-awareness and allowed them to identify meanings that were hitherto obscured to them. This project sheds light on the research of quantified travelers, smart tourism, and self-development application.