I do like the traffic light idea. It's hard with the battery constraints of a wearable, but e-ink and a larger display might help give even more nuance.
I previously worked on a similar project focused on office interruptions, where you could display short statuses on an e-ink display on your desk - here's my teammate's writeup: https://www.timmychiu.com/dash . We didn't really get the chance to test it in the field, since COVID-19 hit that semester...
I could never understand what “social batteries” ever mean. If you are low on “social”, that seems… bad? Does it mean I should approach to talk and cheer/charge you up with some “social”? I guess if I can see you then you could be in public on purpose. However, why is it red? Red is generally not a friendly color…
People with lacking social skills (hi) are probably least likely to understand such a mixed signal.
To anyone planning to make another one of those: be clear and call it simply “sociability”. Then it’s quite obvious, red means stay away and green means I can talk. That said, it’d eliminate the fun “my social battery is out of battery” failure mode…
I have multiple chronic pain and health issues that can make extended social situations hard for me. Often it sneaks up on me.
"low social battery"/"spoons" doesn't mean you should avoid them or try and fix anything. What you should do is take it as a signal to not take offense and be patient if they need to leave suddenly, get distracted, or have difficulty. You can be welcoming while still making them some space to be tired or in pain.
My experience is that people who are lacking "social skills" aren't actually lacking social skills, they are lacking "social instincts". For people who have them, those social instincts work great 80% of the time, and most people just let them fail 20% of the time instead of applying critical thought to the situation (taking offense where none is meant or just miscommunicating).
Bluntly put, this tool is likely not meant for your consumption and your "lack of social skills" probably makes it much less necessary. You have to use critical thought every time you are in social interaction, so a reminder to do so is just signal noise to you.
I've only heard the term used by introverts, neurodivergent folk, etc to describe limited capacity/stamina for being in social situations before they become fatigued and overwhelmed.
I know that I have a social battery. Basically, I get warn down on conversations and social interactions. Typically, this manifests in two ways:
* I'm more prone to day dream/wander away from the conversation.
* I'm going to struggle to actively keep a conversation going.
I don't think I could ever wear a pin like this, but for me low social battery would indicate "I'm less likely to be highly engaged in a conversation". Could be the most interesting conversation in the world, but I'd simply be unable to engage at a high level.
> I got the same email the next morning and soon after that I got another email saying that due to having too many policy violations I would be unable to achieve ‘star seller badges’, and that any further violations would result in my account being permanently suspended.
Ah, classic Etsy move. They really went downhill, all I can see in my cosplay bubble on Twitter/Mastodon is complaints.
I would be very curious to discover what the actual issue with Etsy was. Not sure if that will ever be discovered, but if anybody from Etsy is here / reading this would love to hear your insight on what might have been the hiccup!
Yeah I'd love to know. Although a part of me is glad that I wasn't able to follow the path of least resistance here. It was frustrating and dissapointing to be rejected with barely any explanation, but ultimately I've learned more by having to sell these by myself (and I get to keep a much bigger cut of the sales than I would have on Etsy!)
I would like one that was just red and green.
By default: red.
Then I can shift it to green which automatically starts a countdown
to shift to red after 15 minutes.
It would be even better with the countdown being visual with a bar of
lights that starts up "full" and then decreases by one light until the
time has expired.
Must have the feature to extend the conversation should that ever be
a desire. You can find good conversations with luck.
Most desired for me would be automatic detection of conversation and
start the countdown.
I haven't had any problems with it yet and I've sent enough abroad now that someone would have complained by now if there were issues (I hope!). I'm just using the basic Royal Mail international postage option which is DDU (delivery duty unpaid - something else I learned through doing this!) so tax is the responsibility of the buyer.
Customs is the part I found most stressful trying to work out. I have to attach a declaration which has an HS code[0] on it. Working out the 'correct' code was a bit of a guessing game. I've gone with '853120' which is for 'Indicator panels incorporating liquid crystal devices (LCD) or light-emitting diodes (LED)' and that seems to do the job!
This looks like a fun project! You know what I need? A social energy monitor that tells me how much I have left. I’m always caught by surprise when it’s too late.
It would be like a radioactivity monitor, perhaps inferring exposure based on voices and location, and warn me when it’s time to seek decontamination and cover. ;)
Hah, I did consider sticking a microphone on these and making them steadily tick down as people talk to you but I decided that might come across as being a bit passive aggressive... (although I have been told that pressing the button to reduce the level mid-conversation is a very effective way of getting people to leave you alone!)
Could use nearby/changing bluetooth devices as a measure of how crowded/busy a place is. A place with a low number of strong signals could recharge the battery if you stayed there for a minimum amount of time.
I've had the store up since around the start of December and I've averaged a little over one sale per day since then. The bulk of these have come from the facebook ads and whilst the cost of these isn't great, I'm selling enough that I am making a profit still. I'm also trying to compete with all the results for regular enamel badges on Google by paying a small amount to promote my link. I've got some traffic but no sales yet via that channel - although I only started this week so it's early days. Over the course of the year I'm hoping to grow some consistent organic traffic and sales so that I can rely less on paid ads.
Something that took me by surprise is how much fun it is seeing people interact with my content on facebook. A lot of people are just comenting and tagging their friends because they think it's a funny idea. Whilst I am kind of paying for the ego boost it's really nice seeing people enjoying my project even though they don't necessarily follow through and buy one.
JR1427|2 years ago
As you point out in one of your posts, the meaning conveyed by the same battery level differs between extroverts and introverts.
For me, low social battery would mean "please leave me alone", whereas for others it would mean "please talk to me".
I wonder how that could be conveyed, of if there is another analogy other than battery level? Maybe a "talk to me traffic light"?!
bobbiechen|2 years ago
I previously worked on a similar project focused on office interruptions, where you could display short statuses on an e-ink display on your desk - here's my teammate's writeup: https://www.timmychiu.com/dash . We didn't really get the chance to test it in the field, since COVID-19 hit that semester...
irq-1|2 years ago
Also: 10% 20% 60% 80% 100% ?
anileated|2 years ago
People with lacking social skills (hi) are probably least likely to understand such a mixed signal.
To anyone planning to make another one of those: be clear and call it simply “sociability”. Then it’s quite obvious, red means stay away and green means I can talk. That said, it’d eliminate the fun “my social battery is out of battery” failure mode…
blamestross|2 years ago
"low social battery"/"spoons" doesn't mean you should avoid them or try and fix anything. What you should do is take it as a signal to not take offense and be patient if they need to leave suddenly, get distracted, or have difficulty. You can be welcoming while still making them some space to be tired or in pain.
My experience is that people who are lacking "social skills" aren't actually lacking social skills, they are lacking "social instincts". For people who have them, those social instincts work great 80% of the time, and most people just let them fail 20% of the time instead of applying critical thought to the situation (taking offense where none is meant or just miscommunicating).
Bluntly put, this tool is likely not meant for your consumption and your "lack of social skills" probably makes it much less necessary. You have to use critical thought every time you are in social interaction, so a reminder to do so is just signal noise to you.
spiffytech|2 years ago
SkyPuncher|2 years ago
* I'm more prone to day dream/wander away from the conversation.
* I'm going to struggle to actively keep a conversation going.
I don't think I could ever wear a pin like this, but for me low social battery would indicate "I'm less likely to be highly engaged in a conversation". Could be the most interesting conversation in the world, but I'd simply be unable to engage at a high level.
OJFord|2 years ago
throwaway4aday|2 years ago
mschuster91|2 years ago
Ah, classic Etsy move. They really went downhill, all I can see in my cosplay bubble on Twitter/Mastodon is complaints.
michaelmcdonald|2 years ago
thip|2 years ago
ThinkBeat|2 years ago
Then I can shift it to green which automatically starts a countdown to shift to red after 15 minutes.
It would be even better with the countdown being visual with a bar of lights that starts up "full" and then decreases by one light until the time has expired.
Must have the feature to extend the conversation should that ever be a desire. You can find good conversations with luck.
Most desired for me would be automatic detection of conversation and start the countdown.
doophus|2 years ago
thip|2 years ago
Customs is the part I found most stressful trying to work out. I have to attach a declaration which has an HS code[0] on it. Working out the 'correct' code was a bit of a guessing game. I've gone with '853120' which is for 'Indicator panels incorporating liquid crystal devices (LCD) or light-emitting diodes (LED)' and that seems to do the job!
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harmonized_System
Waterluvian|2 years ago
It would be like a radioactivity monitor, perhaps inferring exposure based on voices and location, and warn me when it’s time to seek decontamination and cover. ;)
thip|2 years ago
roughsquare|2 years ago
Turn yourself into the Tamogotchi
angelgonzales|2 years ago
thip|2 years ago
nicgrev103|2 years ago
thip|2 years ago
Something that took me by surprise is how much fun it is seeing people interact with my content on facebook. A lot of people are just comenting and tagging their friends because they think it's a funny idea. Whilst I am kind of paying for the ego boost it's really nice seeing people enjoying my project even though they don't necessarily follow through and buy one.