orb

Project Definition

The Orb project aims to create an interactive product and app that helps people detoxify from their smartphones and manage their time better.

Responsibilities

User research, User design, Interaction design, Information architecture, Visual design, Product design

Problem Statement

Many people are overwhelmed by technology and spend too much time on their phones. This can lead to burnout and adverse effects on health, such as digital eye strain and lack of sleep.

A study found that cosmopolitans spend an average of 67% of their day on digital devices, check their phones 150 times daily, and spend 1.72 hours on social media. Additionally, 80% of people check their phones first thing in the morning, and 47% report missing out on sleep due to phone use.

The project Orb aims to address these issues by designing an interactive product and app that creates a smartphone detoxifying environment through sensory experiences. As part of this project, my responsibilities include user research, design, and product development.

Project Objectives

The Orb project aims to provide a sensory detox experience for cosmopolitans who suffer from technological burnout caused by excessive smartphone usage.

Quantitative Research

Media

Meditation app, Sleep-aid app, Digital detox campaign web.

Object

“Hue Go” light, “Muji” Diffuser.

Place

“Float” sensory deprivation tank, “Zen” meditation studio.

Interview

Jun:

• Goal: Time Management

• Pain Point: Need for efficient time management

Kevin:

• Goal: Better Sleep

• Pain Point: Insomnia

Ellie:

• Goal: Balanced Life

• Pain Point: Always Tired, need for lifecycle balance

• Pain Point: Need for personal space and time for relaxation without distraction

Focus Group

We conducted focus groups with potential users to understand their daily habits and thoughts about smartphone usage. Despite different lifestyles and jobs, participants shared common moments of stress related to smartphone use. Based on the discussion, we identified the most effective design period to be in the evening after work and before sleep, when users are most likely to be awake.

Pain Points

After analyzing the brainstorming points from the focus group, I discovered that the design should primarily focus on addressing smartphone detox during specific times of the day, such as after work and before sleep. Interestingly, there was a correlation between insomnia and waking up problems. Therefore, if the design can provide a solution for users to sleep better, it may partially solve their morning problem as well.

Market

After researching various designs related to meditation and digital detox, I discovered that the sensory deprivation tank is closely related to the Orb design. While the appearance of the two designs may not be similar, the core idea of removing distractions and allowing the user to focus on themselves is similar. This led me to understand that the sensory feature of a design is much more effective when it actively interacts with the user.

Potential Technology

My research suggests that sound, light, and touch are the three senses that would be most effective for sensory interaction in my design. Pink noise has been found to enhance concentration and calm heart rate. Dim red light is the least disruptive to the circadian rhythm and can promote relaxation. And for the material, a soft and smooth texture can enhance the sense of touch and promote calmness.

Ideation

This project aims to enhance the user's experience by designing an interactive object in addition to the app.

Using Insights

Aiming to create a smartphone detox environment, we focused on developing features that promote better sleep and meditation, and we prototyped various functions to achieve this goal.

Experiment

Sensory Experience

Testing a lot of different pink noise with various volume control to find out the exact point where it could help users to calm down and relax. Lights dimming is supposed to guide when to breathe in and out for meditating or concentrating. The important point was to be careful of users rather disturbed. Light strength and colour were two focal points so that users could interact with phones at night and in the morning without having inconvenience.

Basic Framework

The main idea of Orb is to gradually rebalance the life cycle by smartphone detoxifying. The user continuously checks how he/she is doing and gets feedback from the app for a better experience.

LowFi Testing

In lowfi testing, I tried to focus on designing for an ever-better experience by providing feedback regularly and interacting with the app by building their own session on their preference.

HiFi Iteration

Several rounds of user testing with high fidelity prototypes were made to gain insights for better user interaction. Seemless flow was a key point of the design and the feedback was also focused on users’ experiences.

In Context

In the final prototyping stage, I wanted to test how it looks like in reality. Using 3D model, the prototype portrayed it's function in context.

Sensory Experience

Pink noise, pink light and its round distinction also amplified the app's power and purpose.

Introduce orb

Reflection

• Orb could be used in larger organizations such as business companies to enhance their work efficiency and provide a better life cycle to individuals.

• Even if users do not use the orb perfectly, the final goal is to influence more people in trying and further form one big movement of digital detox.

• The problem statement came from the concern of cosmopolitans being exposed to digital matters not only smartphones but also computers, big screens, etc,. Ideas like orb are just a bandaid if people just live with it, it's sure to cause bigger problems.

• The essence of orb is longing for everyone's concept to shift by starting with very small trials.