Reflect on the User Interface (UI):
There are some shapes on the bottom toolbar. Home, friends, create a new video, inbox and profile. I also notice the button to go to the livestreams in the top left, and then on the top in the middle you can chose following, shop, or for you. On the top right corner there is a search button. It seems to be a simple layout, for you to focus on the video or the ads to try to get you to buy something. There is sounds from the videos. You can swipe up to go through the videos, or side to side to switch between following, shop and for you. I think that the designers were intentional about putting the shop page in between the following and for you pages, so you swipe past it every time you go between the two. They designed tik tok for you to be able to scroll indefinitely, as there is no end to the videos.
Reflect on the User Experience (UX):
Unfortunately, the UI on this app makes it hard to stop scrolling. I could easily spend upwards of 2 hours watching a variety of things. Usually, I have a decently short attention span, however I waste a lot of time in the evening and before bed on this platform. Since I have been using Tik Tok, if I want to know something I just search it on Tik Tok instead of on the internet. I like watching short videos instead of reading long articles because sometimes I have a hard time reading and not skimming and the videos, especially with recipes I can have a better idea of what to do and what it should look like. I did previously know that I probably spend too much time on tik tok, but at the same time I usually relax a bit and de-compress from the day while watching it. I always thought the shop page was annoying, but now I think they did this on purpose. Also, lately I have been noticing many more ads for shop items.
Reflect on how this resource might impact or support Digital Wellness:
I think this app has benefits to me personally but also has some negatives. The negative is definitely the time consumption, but the benefits are decompressing, and learning new information. You can model digital wellness to your students by teaching them how to consume social media without overconsuming. Tik tok logs your usage, allows you to set screen time, and offers digital wellness information. There is also a family paring option for parents to limit access to kids. I have my sleep reminder turned on, so it reminds me its time for bed at 11:30 and turns off notifications for 7 hours. It also will remind me to take a break after 30 minutes o use on the app. These are all helpful to me for digital wellness.
Reflect on the accessibility of the application or tool you chose:
Tik tok is very easy to use. The content is easy to access, and watch. Not much reading is involved. The videos are usually captioned if you have that setting on, but many popular creators also add in their own captioning as well. There is an option to remove photosensitive videos for people prone to seizures. This is a free app.
Finally, think about the ways in which being aware of Digital Design and Digital Wellness could benefit you as a teacher?
Digital design and digital wellness are a good thing to keep in mind as a teacher when assigning assignments to students. You wouldn’t want to assign something that would be too confusing for them to understand, or something that might be very distracting.