Tap Me Happy

Review, Appy Chat & Giveaway

Developer: Interactive Feelings

Review:

Who Was It Designed For?
Children and their happiness! But in particular:
* Children with Special Needs, such as those with autism, intellectual disability, or learning disability.
* Children experiencing a difficult time due to grief, illness, bullying, a parent being away for work.

 How It Works
“Tap Me Happy” is a unique little app that aims to capture your child’s happy moments quickly and easily.

Captured moments can be in the form of:
1. Photos: select “Tap to Add photos” button.
2. Videos: select “Tap to Add videos” button.
3. Audio: select “Tap to Add Audio” button.
4. Text: select “Tap to Add text” button.

You can easily upload images (new or existing), videos (new or existing), new audio, and new text.

To view your happy moments:
* Select the “Tap Me Happy” button.
* The app randomly selects a happy moment. If you want to randomly view a number of happy moments, select the “Slide Show” button when viewing this happy moment.
* To view specific happy moments, press one of the “Tap to Add…” buttons on the home page. This will take you to the category page. Simply click the image / icon on the left and the app will display that happy moment.

What I Liked About This App:
* New happy moments can be added quickly and easily.
* There are samples to get you started.
* A range of formats allow ease of use in a number of different settings.
* When the child takes their iPad with them, they can easily share happy and special moments with others – helping with retelling exciting events or achievements.

For Future Development:
* When adding text to photos: I wanted to change the colour and position of the text to suit the photo.
* A sharing option: to allow happy moments to be shared instantly with others, e.g., Mum or Dad who work away.
* Adding speech bubbles to photos – to provide additional visual cues to children, e.g., to ask another person a question about their happy moments.

How I’ve Used This App:
* Talking To-And-Fro About Happy, Past Experiences:

• The app helps prompt the child to talk about something that’s happened in the past by giving them the first step in the sequence. Conversations can then take off from here. Even if the child is non-verbal, the adult can provide verbal scaffolding and the child can engage using gestures, facial expressions, vocalisations or a voice output device.
• Often some children retell experiences, but they are mostly those negative experiences. Tap Me Happy helps teach children how to retell and share positive experiences and hence expand their social conversational skills.

* Facilitating Play Skills:

• A great way of capturing moments where the child spontaneously does something new and different in the play and you want to reinforce these lovely new developments so they happen again next time.

* A Way of Connecting:

• *When a loved one puts a nice surprise in the app and the child comes across a new happy moment that someone wanted to share with them.
• *Mixing both their happy moments and happy moments of their peers / family members has helped develop friendships and emotional connections with others.

This is a great little app for capturing happy moments quickly and easily.

Review completed on February 1, 2012  by Wendy from The Appy Ladies

Description:

Tap Me Happy is a virtual happy place for kids! Put what makes your child happy in their ‘Tap me Happy’ app! Developed by an Australian Clinical Psychologist.

Great for Kids with:
* Autism
* Intellectual Disability
* Learning Difficulties
Or Kids who are going through a difficult time because of:
* Grief
* Illness
* Being bullied
* A parent being away for work
Lots of applications!

Users add whatever makes them happy, within each of 4 categories:
•Photos – of loved ones, family members, friends, special things, special events.
•Videos – of special occasions, places, of everyday moments.
•Audio –record your own memories, happy thoughts, and ideas.
•Text – write down quotes, memories, affirmations, happy thoughts, special messages.

Features:
•Press the Tap Me Happy button for a random happy entry to display
•Watch a slideshow of entries within a category
•Add photos and videos directly to the app, or choose from the camera library
•Add audio messages and text directly to the app.
•Pre-loaded samples let you see how the app works.
•Most kids (and grown-ups too!) love to see, hear and read all the special things that make them happy.

What’s the Psychology behind the app?
Adding entries might focus attention on happy things, improving mood. Users could also go to their ‘Tap Me Happy’ app when feeling unhappy to try and make themselves feel better. Tap Me Happy may help with emotion regulation, language stimulation and understanding of cause and effect. Lots of applications for this simple, easy to use app!

Kids and adults not yet able to read and write, or with special needs can get help to make entries to ‘Tap Me Happy’ by a parent, carer, teacher or therapist (leaving out text entries). They can then independently press the ‘Tap Me Happy’ button to view what makes them happy.

Currently being trialled by teachers, carers & therapists!
Parents and teacher please note!!! No ads, no in-app purchases. What you put in the app stays in the app.

‘Tap Me Happy’ was developed by Belinda Ratcliffe, MPsych(Clin), BSc(Hons), MAPS, an Australian Clinical Psychologist with a special interest in Autism, Intellectual Disability & Mental Health.

Specifications:

Category: Emotions
Released: 05 November 2012
Version: 1.0
Language: English
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad. Requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Appy Chat:

When did you decide to develop this app?
I am a Clinical Psychologist, and have alway been passionate about making a difference to children with autism. In recent years, I’ve developed a ‘special interest’ in Autism and Mental Health. When our family got an iPad last year, my brain literally exploded with ideas for Autism Apps to help kids understand and manage their feelings! Around the same time, I lost a friend from school and wanted to do something to honour her memory. My first app, Tap Me Happy was the result!

When did you first release this app?
In November 2012

How long did it take you to develop this app?
From the idea, to setting up my business, Interactive Feelings, to delivery in the App Store – around 3 months. Pretty quick I think!

What is your favourite feature?
I love the Tap Me Happy button – this is the button on the main page. When you press it, a random ‘happy’ entry pops up. It’s fun to press the button, and even more fun to look at what makes you happy.

What is your favourite page in the app?
There are 4 categories to enter happy things under – photos, video, audio and text. I LOVE the video option the best. I try to notice and capture happy moments, particularly via video and at the end of the day take the time to enter them in the app.

What skills were you hoping to help the end user to develop?
What I like to call ’emotional intelligence’ skills – skills to understand feelings and manage feelings. As a Clinical Psychologist I have put a lot of ‘psychology’ into what looks like a simple app. There is evidence that focusing your attention on positive happy things can improve mood. So entering happy things in the app is a good thing. Using Tap Me Happy as a tool to distract your child from sad feelings is also an evidence-based. cognitive-behavioural strategy.

What age range would this app most suit?
My 3 year old loves it as much as my 84 year old Pop does!  However, I designed the app with school-aged kids fro 5-12 years in mind.

Are any new updates coming soon?
Yes, I hope to update Tap Me Happy in 2013, as well as launch my second app which will help children understand and manage their angry feelings.  

Links:

Website: http://interactivefeelings.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/InteractiveFeelings
Twitter: @intfeelings
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/intfeelings/
App: Tap Me Happy

………………………..