Final year project
Anxiety and Communication Product [Read more]
Anxiety and Communication Product
A product to help people (aged between 16-25) with anxiety, manage their friendships and relieve social pressure in a guilt free way, while also removing or mitigating the use of social media.
Initial Problem Board
General Anxiety Disorder is a common condition, estimated to affect up to 5% of the UK population. Wanting to be alone can often be misunderstood and seen as antisocial, meaning relationships often suffer due to this stigma. Undue pressure can then be levelled at a person, who is perceived by friends as antisocial or a recluse, to go out more. However, people’s socialising needs differ, some people need more time alone to recharge their ‘social battery’ and relax in a familiar environment to avoid undue stress/anxiety. Saying no to friends can be hard and often comes with feelings of guilt. Friends often just want to check and make sure everyone is feeling fine, but this can be misperceived in people with anxiety and depression who often think their relationships are worse than they are. Studies have shown social media often exasperates these anxious tendencies causing further mental challenges as users age.
Scenario of Use and Colour Key
When a user places an emotion tree in a recess on their base, the colour of the path in front of the personal house changes to match the colour of the emotion. Any of the user's houses on their friend's devices will also change to match this colour, allowing their friends to see how they feel.
A key is located in the base that shows the symbols (located on the bases of the emotion trees) and colours (depending on which recess is chosen colours will go darker or lighter shades to show availability) related to each emotion.
Product Features
The solution developed consists of:
A personal house - this house is larger than the others and works as an activation key (turning the base on and off). It can be used as an on the go anxiety device.
4 friend houses - these houses contain radio frequency identification (RFID) tags that when placed on the user's base, glow different colours depending on what emotion tree the user's friend have placed in their recesses.
11 emotion trees - Each tree is a different shape, height and colour to represent a different emotion. They all have a different symbol on the bottom to allow for easy identification via the use of the key located in the base. RFID tags and readers are used to identify each element and make the required visual feedback.
A base - The base contains two recesses (which represent available to interaction and unavailable to interaction) on either side of a path, that when an emotion tree is placed in will change the colour of the path.
Personal House
The user's personal house once removed from the base can be used on the go. It uses vibrations that mimic a heartbeat as this has been shown to help reduce anxiety. The personal house is charged on the base via wireless charging and acts as an activation key allowing for privacy and security of the device.
Friend Houses
Friend houses contain passive RFID tags that when placed on the base allow the device to link to that friend's device and glow the correct colour that matches their chosen emotion tree.
User Interface (UI) and Augmented Reality (AR)
User feedback interviews were conducted online due to COVID-19. UI screens and AR models were created to help users gain an understanding of scale, size, shape and experience which allowed for more informed feedback to be given.
Electronics and Prototyping
Through prototyping, the design was tested and developed to address problem areas brought up during user interviews. Prototyping undertaken involved card modelling and 3D printing houses and trees in different sizes to improve scale and form. Electronic circuits were tested to allow for a better understanding of the system required for the product to function.
Ruth Butler
I am an adaptable designer who enjoys learning new skills and using them to create innovative designs.
As a designer, I strive to make designs that are both practical and bring enjoyment to user's everyday lives.
I enjoy the user experience (UX) side of design and I'm interested in exploring the packaging and advertisement of products. My ideal next step would allow me to develop skills and gain experience in the commercial aspects of the design process.
Final year project
Anxiety and Communication Product
Awards
Diploma in Professional studies - Achieved 2021
Work Experience
Digital Designer - Leicestershire Police, August 2019 - September 2020
During my placement year, I was a digital designer for Leicestershire Police working across four forces (Nottingham, Northampton, Leicester, Derby). I helped to create eLearning packages for training through a variety of mixed media (videos, AR, PowerPoint). During the latter half of the year due to COVID-19, I was assigned additional work on projects with quick turnarounds and as a result of positive feedback had my contract extended.