In the contact session, we have done a report-back activity, which let everyone present their work that has done, the plan for Easter break and the concerns. It can be seen from this activity that our team’s working progress running a little behind compared with other teams due to the reason that we have been combined with another team and using the extra time to redefine our team topic. We have used the first few days in the week to finalized the assignment, but none of us finish the individual concept design. So, in the Easter break, I will finish the individual concept design and learn Arduino. I have worried about Arduino before because I haven’t learned it before this course, but I will try my best to learn it and can get support from the tutor online. So, I have no concern now.

Another activity in the contact session is that do an observation of passengers on the train. It is an activity that trains our method to do observation and evaluation in this special period. In the activity, I have watched a video on YouTube to do the observation and collecting the insight. Then I have read the shared document to find an evaluation method that can be used in this activity. I think the document is good to be collected which is useful in finding a suitable evaluation method for our individual prototype as well.

In the personal work, I have read some literature and have searched existing works relevant to our team topic. Base on the reading and research, I have summarized some stress types that university students may face, which are catching the deadlines of the assignments, fear of failing the exam, suffering from financial burden, and feeling the stress of the new social environment. I have identified some key elements that should be involved in my individual design as well. For helping university students release their stress, doing exercise, deep breathing, attracting the user’s focus, drinking herbal tea, colorful and bright environment, interact with the animal, management of the study and sleep and listening to the soft or classical music are useful. The design should have the function of personalization, which can make user setting plan or setting its work mode to fit their personal need.

I got an initial concept today base on the finding that from reading above. It is a thing that sits on the desk but can detect student's stress levels. When it detects that the student is stressed, it emits a sound and light to attract the user's attention. The student then has to play with it for a while to work this out. When it detects that the user is less stressed or has played with it for a period of time, it then encourages the user to get back to study. The student can 'snooze' it when it first comes on for avoiding it becomes annoying. It could be like a ball that the student has to bounce or throw for a while to reduce their stress. Or it could be shaped like a pretend animal that holds the ball that is used to do sport, and the cup with juice or herbal tea that may useful in reduce study stress.

Now, I am thinking about whether the concept is novel and fit the domain ‘body as controller’. I worry about whether it easy to be achieved by the Arduino kit as well. I will talk with the tutor in the next week.