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Squeezeball

Stress Relief Necklace & Companion Application

Team Member
Anika Singhania

Critics
Kimiko Ryokai, Chris Myers

Timeline
March 2021 - May 2021
8 Weeks

Contribution
Project Management, Visual Design, Arduino Programming

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Overview

Overview

Life can get stressful when facing a busy schedule, heavy workload, or complex relationships. To create calm in the inner world, one of the effective ways is to vent out stress. Inspired by the fidget toys, the design aim to create a pleasing experience to improve users' self-awareness.

Squeezeball is designed to offer a combined solution of a fidget necklace to destress yourself and a mobile app that can help you understand your mental condition.

The Challenge

How to help people aware of their stress condition with a digital and tangible experience?

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Solution

Bubbles as a stress metaphor + Squeeze them to destress

Stress level visualization + Tangible interaction

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Solution 01

Visualize your stress levels on mobile apps

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Moodboard

Establish color and pattern mood board from stress to calm status

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Ideation

Interface for Mental/Physical Interaction

The design focuses on the combination and interaction between the digital application and the physical squeezable necklace. The destress process is divided into three phases and they become starting points for brainstorming.

Ideation
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UI Design
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Solution 02

Destress your self with squeeze interaction

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Design

3D-Printed Elastic Necklace

Voronoi geometry and elastic material 3d print were used to achieve the soft and flexible effect for users to squeeze. The embedded pressure sensor can detect the user's interaction with the necklace and respond with led light color.

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Design

Quantify Stress Levels

Stress levels can be measured according to heart rate. When people are overwhelmed with stress, their body triggers adrenal glands to release the hormones cortisol and adrenaline. These can make people's hearts beat faster and blood pressure rise.

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Prototype
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Improvements & Reflection

Expand application scenarios of squeezeball

The necklace format of squeezeball is easy for users to carry and monitor their heart rates, but it may limit the market to users who are willing to wear necklaces. Expand the application of squeezeball into other products such as wrist bands or rings can help to increase user groups.

Accessibility for users who can’t squeeze

Not everyone can squeeze objects due to various body conditions. To make the squeezeball access to them, the mobile application should be able to provide squeeze bubble effects by just touch the screen. The ball itself also has an opportunity to become a rehabilitate device for users to gain arm strength.

Presentation is a design object

Mobile application and physical product design should have a good level of fidelity and details that help explain the functionality and decisions for presentation. Presentation is also a design object and should reflect the branding and aesthetics of the entire design system.

Reflection
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