This week I have finalized the individual concept after team discussion and consult the tutor’s advice. In the team discussion, we reviewed the three options of the team project. Due to the reason that one of our teammate come up with an idea that he wants to separate the work and create a game that can help students release stress as a team project. However, after discussion and consult the tutors about three options, we find that the options one is hard to achieve in this special period. We finally decide to choose option two, we share the same domain, the target user group, and one element that effective to destress that is the sport. We will develop a different prototype to help university students to release their stress and the sports is one way that can help to destress will be involved in all individual prototypes.

My individual concept is that an electronic device that sits on the desk which can detect student's stress levels and can help them destress when the stress has been detected. It will attract the user’s attention when the stress is detected by emitting sound and light. To snooze it, the user can drink water (a cup connect with the device) when the first warning comes. The other way to stop it can be to work in any warning time, which is that the user needs to play with it for a while. After the user plays it for a while, it will encourage the user to go back to study. Base on the tutor’s suggestion that a couple of different approaches for stress relief should be offered, I read more websites to find activities of destressing. I find that candy, yoga, sport, herbal tea, bright light, soft music, deep breath, nature, life, and study plan are useful in destress (Jennings, 2018) (Liu & Qu, 2017) (Melnick, 2017). Then, I come up with two designs that show in the picture below.

The one on the front part of the picture shows a digital calendar that has digital screen, stress light, boxes, and cup in the main part that sitting on the table. It links gloves (GSR), basket, and yoga blanket. The student needs to wear gloves when they study for detecting their stress. The calendar will record the user’s study plan (show weekly plan on the screen) and life plan and will warning students what they want to have warning by voice output, and will warn them to drink water, eat lunch, go to sleep and get up. The screen of the calendar will change when the stress is detected. It will show different things when the user does exercise. For example, it will show pictures of nature when people do deep breathing and will show a yoga tutorial video when the user does yoga. When the stress is detected, the stress light will shine and twinkling and soft music will be played. Users can stop it by drinking water for the first time. On the second time, the user needs to do activities to stop it. Some activities can be chosen that are deep breathing (detected by lavalier microphone), yoga, and shooting a basket. To encourage the user to do the activities, the box that contains candy (must have some chewing gum) and chocolate will be opened when the user finished the task. Sweet, soft music and herbal tea are helpful in destress.

The other concept (the bottom of the picture) is a simple device that combines with a box with a ball and a cup. It links gloves and a lavalier microphone as well. It can warn student’s drink water as well. When the stress is detected, the box will twink and the soft music will be played. Users can snooze it buy drinking water at the first warning time and can stop it by doing the activity as well. Users can choose to do deep breathing or throw the ball for a while to stop it. When the user does the deep breathing the light twinkling rate will decrease, finally, the light and the music will be turned off. The light effect change is the same when the user throws the ball.

References

Jennings, K. (2018). 16 Simple Ways to Relieve Stress and Anxiety. Retrieved 27 April 2020, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/16-ways-relieve-stress-anxiety#TOCTITLEHDR_3

Liu, C., & Qu, M. (2017). 10 ways to rlease pressure, one minute effective, let's try！. Retrieved 30 March 2020, from https://www.ntdtv.com/gb/2017/04/20/a1321182.html

Melnick, M. (2017). HuffPost is now a part of Verizon Media. Retrieved 27 April 2020, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/entry/stress-relief-that-worksn3842511