Mood apps: gottaFeeling for iphones ****

Features:

• – gottaFeeling is a mood app with some unique benefits, most of all that it was created by Alicia Morga, an incredibly driven, educated and successful entrepreneur who created the app to help her manage her own emotions.
• – helps you identify, express and manage your emotions. According to Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, this forms the foundation for learning and making decisions. It is the platform on which other essential skills, like reading, writing, math, even social skills are built. As it is a skill, it has to be taught and continually practiced.
• – app pings you randomly throughout the day and asks: “Hi. How do you feel?”
• – it then offers you 10 broad categories of emotion. Pick one and you then see a comprehensive vocabulary of words describing each level of your emotion – more than almost any other app.
• – you can also track where you are and the date and time you felt that emotion.
• – calendar to which you can add built-in reminders
• – the app keeps track of every feeling you log, including the date, time, where you were and whom you were with, and creates a pie chart showing which feelings take up what % of your time.
• – you can share your feelings with friends on social media (Facebook, Twitter) or by email.
• – screen displays images related to each feeling and plus inspirational messages.

What’s missing?:

• – as in education, business, and her life, Alicia Morga has once again succeeded. In this case, she’s created an app that helps uncover the widest range of feelings and offers possible solutions to help manage your emotions – a problem she struggled with for many years. Does that mean it’s the perfect app for everyone? Almost…
• – numerous categories and a wide vocabulary, so the doctor and patient can better identify feelings/symptoms and expand upon them or personalize them.
• – while the app covers a broad spectrum of “feelings” and “emotions”, it doesn’t seem directed toward those for whom “moods” – such as depression or mania – can be actual cause for alarm. Those who suffer from severe mood swings could be better served by a form of medical alert, rather than the ability to tweet their followers or send a message to all their email contacts. This isn’t a flaw in the app. More of a heads up to help you find the right app for your needs.

Notes:

This app offers a comprehensive understanding of feelings and emotions, but seems well-designed for young people in their teens and twenties.

While offering help to identify, express and manage everyday “feelings” and “emotions”, it doesn’t seem directed toward those for whom “moods” can be extreme and dangerous. Patients suffering from such mood disorders as depression, anxiety or mania might be better to consult with their doctor regarding the choice of an app.

Visit the gottaFeeling website and learn more about Alicia Morga.

Mood app creation:

Benefits of the gottaFeeling app which can help us build a better mood app:

• – app pings you (randomly, but user sets how often) throughout the day and asks: “Hi. How do you feel?” This could be good for any type of illness or disorder, because it makes the patient stop and think about how they are feeling.
• – numerous categories and a wide vocabulary, so the doctor and patient can better identify feelings/symptoms and expand upon them or personalize them.
• – the app keeps track of every feeling you log, including the date, time, where you were and whom you were with.
• – you can share your feelings by email.
• – screen displays inspirational messages (this might be added to by text from discussions with doctor or from writings by authors who understand the symptoms/disorders.

Drawbacks of the Mood Reporter which can teach us how to build a better mood app:

• – because Alicia Morga developed this app to solve emotional problems, it doesn’t cover the wide swing of mood swings and bipolar disorder. Although it does a great job for what it is intended, it may be a little too sugar-coated for people who may need emergency-level help during times of crisis. Solution: upgrade to cover a wider spectrum of feelings, emotions and moods.
• – creates a pie chart showing which feelings take up what % of your time. Solution: line graph may provide much more detailed information.
• – you can share your feelings with friends on social media (Facebook, Twitter). Solution: This could be more trouble than it is worth.
• – screen displays images related to each feeling. Solution: Drop this due to time and expense.
• – web site, but little online information – Solution: add more information and video tutorials to website.