Industrial - Bachelors

Sleep-Q

Sleep-Q is a small, table-top appliance designed to create a systemic solution to sleep issues in the target audience via habit regulation and routine building in the hours leading up to sleep.

Thomas Kenyon

BACKGROUND

Sleep issues are a common issue among broad adult demographics but see little attentiveness and proactivity in the way of sustained combatting. Many issues arise in users who have tried a solution only to have it fail or to struggle to sustain efforts in maintaining good sleep. One such reason can be found in a lack of extended routines in the lead up to sleep whether due to a lack of self-control, priorities or pure distraction. This formed the basis of the following research and subsequent design solution.

RESEARCH

Research report

The download below is my initial research report and what informed the design development going forward. The report was focused on a broader demographic prior to initial concept presentations

Name
Sleep Issues in Studying/Working Adults
File Type
application
File Size
1 MB
Download File

IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES/PROBLEMS

IDENTIFIED OPPORTUNITIES/PROBLEMS

DESIGN PROCESS

ITERATION

Ideation revolved around prioritising different portions of the identified opportunities. Ultimately, I opted for a focus on the habit regulation aspect. The above image shows a summary of the key concepts I came up with initially.

PROTOTYPING PROCESS

Functional and Aesthetic prototypes were made for testing the product in a real world context. Testing sizing, geometry and the cue functions allowed me to confirm the efficacy of the product’s functions.

DESIGN SOLUTION

FiNAL PROTOTYPE

FEATURES/FUNCTIONS

Sleep-Q is a routine-building, habit regulation device that sits in a surface near the target user in the last 3~ hours of their day. When setup, it will countdown and every 30 minutes, alarms will go off, with the Sleep-Q indicating to a Cue that the user must adhere too. The idea is to create a consistent routine the user can adhere to in an effort to better prepare them for sleep at a desired time, creating a systemic change in the way the user deals with sleep scheduling.

CUE CARDS

Cue Cards are small coins with icons on them that signify the start/stopping of certain activities or tasks a user must complete. How the user interprets them is for them to decide but they are designed to guide the user to prepare for sleep in a certain way. They can be arranged into the allotted slots on top of the Sleep-Q per the users desired routine.

‘REWARD’ SYSTEM & INTERACTION

The Sleep-Q has a top-mounted OLED display. This display shows a meter that is reflective of the user’s adherence to their personal routine via the ‘check-off’ mechanism that allows the product to track how well a user is able to stick to their routine. High adherence maintains the meter and vice versa, gamifying the experience to help the user feel rewarded for their ability to sustain healthy sleep habits.

MULTISENSORY ALARM

In the typical use-case of the Sleep-Q, the user is likely distracted or pre-occupied and so having an alarm that can cut through the noise allows the user to be receptive to the Sleep-Q’s Cues and prevents it from fading out of the users attention.

APP INTEGRATION

The complimentary app unlocks more personalisation and functionality as depicted in the shown controls of each app screen. This app would allow the user to schedule Sleep-Q to set itself up in case of distractions or preoccupation prior to the effective context of its typical setup. There would also be opportunity for the user to look at routine adherence evaluations on a weekly basis that show if they have been receptive and adhering to the Sleep-Q’s routine. The app would aim to extend the capabilities of the physical product without being a necessity in case the user’s phone is a large pain point in their sleep issues.

USABILITY

In its limited, direct interactions with the user, the Sleep-Q is of adequate size for extreme-end users as seen above. The check-off system is a low actuation travel and force button that effectively acts as a touch sensor and so the product lacks interactions that could realistically strain the user in any way.

AESTHETICS

The soft-touch, HDPE comes in 3 colours and was chosen to suit the aesthetic of sleep-related device. 3 sleeve options are available in all the colourways to increase personalisation. Translucent components are frosted to diffuse harsh lights from hurting the user’s eye or becoming too distracting in its use-case. The soft-glow lamp also uses RGB LED’s to further personalisation.

USER EXPERIENCE

The storyboard above shows the Sleep-Q in a typical use-case with the twist function setup and how the Cue and check-off interaction would typically play out.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS

The Sleep-Q is designed with standard parts creating the majority of the internals. Custom parts use readily-available materials, finishes and manufacturing methods. This allows for ease-of-production.

Thomas Kenyon

Thomas is a designer who aims to create recognisably unique designs. Using a multidisciplinary skillset, Thomas focuses on combining a background in both Industrial Design and Graphic Design to create well-rounded designs with unique angles of approach on form, function and personalisation.