Dahoon Lee

Breath Knead Kit

Date

23 MAY 2025 05 JUN 2025 (2 Weeks)

Sensory

Breathing is so natural that we often overlook it in everyday life. As a way to notice breath, sense it, and steady the mind, I propose the Breath Knead Kit, a low-tech kit that guides a 5–5 breathing rhythm through touch and scent.

When Breath Becomes Texture

I wanted to design an experience where people can physically sense the brain’s response to everyday beauty. In moments that trigger anxious feelings, I aimed to offer a sensory experience that helps users regulate their breathing. Moving away from a vision-dependent everyday life, I focused on more intuitive forms of stimulation through smell and touch.

Scent as a Guide

Through an “elephant trunk” test, I found an early cue that noticing one’s breath can positively support calmness. I also reviewed sources suggesting that 5–5 breathing and lavender scent can help with psychological relaxation. Drawing on the imbalance of sensory attention in daily life, often dominated by vision, and the neurological characteristics of smell, including its more direct pathways, I built a rationale for a touch and scent-centred design.

The effect of breathing becomes stronger when it is noticed, so guiding awareness through a tactile and olfactory loop, rather than through visual cues, is a valid approach.

Kneading a 5–5 Rhythm

A low-tech kit that guides a 5–5 breathing rhythm through a tactile and olfactory loop.

To make “invisible breath” more senseable, I explored a cross-sensory experience using a sand-like texture. After testing different ways to add scent, I confirmed the feasibility of prototyping using lavender bath salts. I produced a short guide video and instruction cards to support the breathing rhythm, and packaged the components as a complete kit.

What I’d Improve Next

By varying the material temperature, grain size, and pouch size, the kit could extend into a wider range of everyday situations, including travel. I also received feedback that the grains felt too rough, so I’d like to prototype with alternative textures, such as clay, memory foam, or silicone-based materials.

Credits

UX Design

Dahoon Lee

Mentored by

Alaistair Steele
Tonicha Child

Project Journals

Micro UXBreath, Amplified
05 JUN 2025

Final Major ProjectHow to Knead Your Breath
19 JUN 2025