Umiheiwa
During my study abroad experience at Chiba University in Japan, I collaborated with fellow international students on a unique project. Rather than the conventional approach of identifying a problem and working towards a solution, our professors challenged us to reframe our thinking. We were prompted to explore solutions within our daily experiences and work backward to pinpoint the underlying issues.
Client:
DAAP x Chiba UX Studio Collaboration
Sector:
Environmental Design
Year:
2024
My Role:
Design research, Ideation, Sketching, CAD, 3D visualization and animation,
Introduction
The Sea
The UX sketch we selected represents the sea. We thought about how it can be a very common element that is not given much consideration sometimes but can be very important for people's mental health.
Why does the ocean help people destress?
Looking at the sea allows you to think.
Provides an escape from your daily life.
The sea is capable of making you feel like a child again.
The sound of the waves is calming.
How might we?
Stress Relief
The ability to reduce stress and promote relaxation. The sounds and look of the sea calm the mind and reduce anxiety.
Reduce Anxiety
Provides an escape and calm moment for people who might be dealing with stressful situations or anxiety.
Enhance Patience
By drawing or reading near the sea you can destress and focus only on yourself
Service
Immersive Environment
Provide an Immersive environment using calming elements of the ocean so children can spend time with their parents in the hospital. The space is meant to temporarily take away the stress of worrying about a sick loved one. Room design and setup would be provided with the service to create a calming space to book, users would have an app for the schedule.
Umiheiwa (海平和)
Combines the words "Umi" (sea) and "Heiwa" (Peace) and expresses
the sense of tranquility and serenity inspired by the sea.
Issue:
Stress on the children of long term hospital patients.
Users:
Long term patients, and children of long term patients.
Service Provider:
Hospitals
Haruto Takahashi
Shy but happy kid, that often gets overwhelmed by the amount of hospital visits. Very social, likes to be around other kids but also enjoys alone time. Really strong bond with his parents who help and support him a lot. Visits his mother almost everyday when she is in the hospital.
Occupation:
Elementary school student
Family:
Aoto Takahashi (Father)
Hiroko Takashi (Mother)
Place:
Hospital, Home, School
Hobby:
Playing outside, and going hiking with parents.
Worry/Problem:
He misses spending time with his mother and worries about her health.
Aim:
Spend time with mother.
“I miss my mommy, and wish
I could be with her.”
-Haruto Takahashi
Hiroko Takahashi
Hiroko is a born mother, she always knew she wanted to have a child. Is confident in her decisions and know what she wants out of life. Haruto is her number one priority. Enjoys spending time with her family. She usually stays at the hospital for 2-3 weeks and goes back home for one week.
Occupation:
Stay at home mom/ Patient
Family:
Manabu Saito (Father)
Reiko Saito (Mother)
Haruto Takahashi (Son)
Place:
Hospital, Home
Hobby:
puzzles, board games, knitting, spending time outdoors with her family
Worry/Problem:
She worries about her health and how it affects her family. She wants to spend more time with her son and give him a normal life.
Aim:
Reduce stress and find peace of mind
“I'm worried about my health
and how it affects my family.”
-Hiroko Takahashi
Environment
Elements of Immersion
To create a soothing ocean-themed environment for children to spend quality time with their parents, five cornerstone elements needed to come together just right. The result was an immersive environment that offered a tranquil space designed to temporarily alleviate worries, and provide families with quality time together. Room setup and scheduling via a dedicated app made it easy for users to book their calming experience.
Arm Chair
Comfortable seat designed for the patient and the users.
Lighting
Lighting is important for the success of the immersive experience.
Tablet
A surface for children to draw and participate in the experience.
Mobile
A companion screen app used to interact with the immersive environment.
Co-Presence
The primary means of experiencing being together virtually.
Activities
Projection Mapping
The room will feature multiple projectors encompassing the entire space, projecting ocean-themed imagery accompanied by carefully selected sounds to enhance user relaxation.
Drawings
The room will feature multiple projectors encompassing the entire space, projecting ocean-themed imagery accompanied by carefully selected sounds to enhance user relaxation.
Interactive Projection
Once the experience starts the participants can choose from a selection of templates and begin to draw and color in the templates on the tablet.
Animation
This is a 3D product visualization animation showcases what the experience might feel like for the users.