bubbl°
The History & Reason
Problem Definition
The problem tackled in this project was the lack of a specific environment due to the presence of various distractions that negatively impact people’s ability to concentrate.
Concentration, according to the University of Toronto, is the ability to give something our undivided attention to the exclusion of other distractions.
Context mapping
Existing product analysis
As any development, this one started with the research on existing products that directly or indirectly can solve the same problem. The research shows that generally all suggested solutions (direct and indirect) can be categorized in the following categories:
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Music and sounds
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Light
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Air
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Digital
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Other
Many different types of products and services may or may not solve the concentration problem, e.g., music speakers, smart LED systems, meditation software and many more, including various combinations of them. Essentially, it comes down to the individual whether they have any preferences for doing activities: some listen to certain music for deep focus, some turn on LED strips for energizing and some prefer to turn on the noise canceling on their headphones. There is software that designs specific sounds individually for users to prolong concentration, there are services that provide mindfulness. Most interestingly, there are the so-called space-in-space solutions, that are, in principle, separate containers with a desk, climate control and noise cancelation from the outside. They are designed specifically for workplaces where employees would sometimes need an hour or two of extreme concentration.
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The existing products analysis demonstrated that various tangent markets solve different concentration problems: focus or relaxation. And there are space-in-space solutions that solve the concentration problem entirely. The issue, though, is that no complex solutions are accessible for individuals - on average, space-in-space solutions cost from EUR5,000 and above. Therefore, designing an accessible individual solution, according to the analysis, would create a new branch of the wellbeing market.
Impact of the working and living environment on humans
The research shows that the environment affects the human response (emotional and physical). However, the environment is not the primary factor; things such as health, especially air quality, and lighting, and safety come first.
Thus, the future product will need to assume that these two are covered, so it can be stated that changing the environment can definitely have an effect. The product has the potential to stimulate functional and psychological comfort because 1) it will be ergonomic and 2) it will allow the user to have more control over their environment. What specifically required attention is minimizing the stress, and to do so, not only the music and light is the primary concern, but the product (and the app) should not evoke negative emotions.
The task of creating a specific environment for a specific task or group of tasks will require differentiation. It can be achieved by implementing modes. 1 working mode that adjusts the settings of the environment, like air quality, sounds and light, for 1 specific task or group of tasks. The modes will condition the user into a specific “mood” as per their mode. So different modes will evoke different emotional responses and will act as a stimulus for humans.
