Case Study 3 Understanding and treating PTSD

Background

Note: This project was done for a university assignment, and as a result, results are not "live". This project scored the highest grade for the capstone degree project for my undergrad degree in Design Computing.

For Interactive Product Design studio, we were asked to explore how we could use physical computing to aid any aspect of wellbeing. Coincidentally, this happened around the same time my university published a report on assault and harassment in the university - and after seeing the alarmingly high rate and statistics, my group and I thought it was a very crucial and important problem space to explore. 

Conducting primary research into this space was a challenging task - how does one probe such a traumatic experience without triggering uncomfortable emotions or feelings in the participant?However, we were grateful to have 10 people openly  speak to us about their experiences - including victims, psychologists and non-profit organisations. Additionally, we received ~47 detailed survey responses.

Design Challenge

Our design challenge was to help people who suffer from PTSD after being victims of sexual abuse and violence, by creating a sense of physical, psychological, and emotional safety in users. 

We aimed to empathise with users who have experienced trauma, help them heal, and empower them to become confident and healthy individuals, and design a solution that would help them overcome their fears.

Target user group

Our target user group is females aged 18-24 who are studying at a University. This is because the Australian Universities’ Report on Sexual Assault (2017) identified this user group as the most at risk, amongst other groups. 

Research

Our research was done through a number of different mediums. This includes:

Research findings

Common emotions felt by victims after a traumatic event included:

• A lack of self worth
• A feeling of isolation
• Other mental disorders such as PTSD
• Anhedonia, and apathy

Treatment strategies were centered around finding safety and comfort in the form of:

• Sleep
• Talking to reliable, trusted individuals
• Physical exercise
• Seeking therapy
• Focusing on work

Define

Based on our findings, we then collated a set of "needs" that victims had in order to recover from incidents of sexual violence and harrassment. This includes:

We then distilled our insights through the creation of personas.

These are attached as below:

Insights derived from personas include:

• Safety and security are core needs
• Victims often struggle to find a sense of belonging post-incident, so a discrete solution is necessary
• Other needs include the ability to control emotions easily, and quickly access a safe space in emergencies

Ideate

We then ideated some concepts - as attached above. These included:

1. A discrete, alarm necklace that is activated by twisting
2. A smart speaker that would "react" to certain statements (to be used at house parties)
3. A smart pillow, that would help victims sleep by activating soothing sounds and guided breathing exercises

Feasibility assessment

We then assessed each of the above ideas along the following dimensions:

1. Technological Feasibility - including voice operation when hands restricted
2. Discrete
3. Versatility - To be used as both prevention and support

We realised that one of the most successful "Wearable" products is earphones, and found an existing product where earphones were integrated with heart rate monitors.

Final Design Solution

Based on our research, our final design solution is as follows:

AURIS is a set of earphones that is able to track a user's heart rate. It integrates with a mobile application which includes content on meditation and guided exercises. Auris also has an emergency button which alerts emergency contacts when pressed. Auris can be used simply as earphones, but otherwise, also as prevention or an aid.

Prototype

Initially, our prototype consisted of low-fidelity sketches made using Balsamiq. These were then then tested with users.

We then evaluated our medium-fidelity prototype, by giving tasks to 8 users to perform, and evaluated users on:

1. Success of task
2. Understanding of task
3. Time taken to perform task

It was ensured that tasks did not use any terms from the app, and were contextually relevant, but not triggering. Examples include:

1. Perform a meditation exercises
2. Change emergency contacts
3. Find other people who also suffer from insomnia

Companion app prototype paired with a prototype to create a wearable device

Final Prototype

• After numerous rounds of testing, we created a prototype with a 3D printed component with an arduino heart rate sensor, along with a companion mobile application.

App protoype link: https://invis.io/ZHE3HUEQ4

Challenges we faced

• Issues with development for the arduino
• Conducting research in a way that did not cause any negative triggers in users

How we addressed them

• For the arduino, we did the best we could. Since it was only a studio project with a very tight frame, we prioritised functionality over design, but created a 3D printed cover to enhance the design of the prototype
• Research was conducted in a way that participants were made to feel comfortable. We repeatedly emphasised that participants should only tell us what they're comfortable with, and we made sure that all participants fully consented.

Impact

Our project was incredibly successful, and scored the highest mark in the studio unit. Additionally, it was chosen to be a "feature project" in a University Exhibit.

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