Distraction to the Present

Date

06 DEC 2024 12 DEC 2024

Week

Week 2

Unit

UX Studio Practice

Team

Dahoon Lee, Anhelina Kotik (Angelina), Anushka Monteiro, Lissy Li, Mustafa Motiwala, Uday Goel

Brief

Design an implement for modifying the present.

In short

The project explored how sensory limitation and distraction can bring people back to the present.
A cone-based bead-sorting game narrowed attention through simple, tactile tasks.
Feedback showed the experience grounded participants, with potential to expand into other contexts.

Recap

We explored how people perceive the present, what they are thinking and feeling right now, and how far the causes of those emotions extend from the current moment. From these insights, we decided to return to a simpler design direction, one that creates a sensory experience allowing users to fully focus on being present. We also discovered that distraction itself can sometimes bring people back to the present.

Ideation

Inspired by the stress ball, we developed ideas such as a giant stress ball and a sensory room offering various tactile experiences. Our main challenge was designing an activity that would help users focus on the here and now, allowing them to temporarily set aside other concerns through touch and simple, mindful actions.

We discussed several methods to encourage presence through small, repetitive gestures, eventually deciding to test the most effective ones through speed dating.

Rather than providing countless sensory options, we explored how limiting sensory input could enhance focus and immersion. We tested a number of tactile micro-tasks, such as loosening twisted threads, separating beads, and restricting hand use, to evaluate which activities best drew participants into the moment.

Speed-dating task exploring sensory limitation. Image Credit: Group

From these, we derived our final design by combining colour sorting with a cone-based game, inspired by playful challenges often seen in Korean entertainment shows.

Final Outcome

When seated, the user wears a cone hat with a small viewing hole, narrowing their visual field. They are given a simple yet engaging task: to sort and arrange coloured beads according to a pre-set pattern, while peaceful background music enhances concentration.

Although the participant’s vision is limited, this setting encourages slow, mindful movement and a gentle awareness of the present moment.

Cone prototype for visual restriction. Photo Credit: Author

Participants completing a colour bead-filling task while wearing the cone. Photo Credit: Author

Participant’s point of view. Photo Credit: Mustafa Motiwala

Game setup. Photo Credit: Mustafa Motiwala

Gameplay in progress. Photo Credit: Author

Feedback & Reflection

Participants found this to be an engaging way to ground themselves in the present through a simple, embodied task. The experience encouraged calm breathing and temporary detachment from both positive and negative thoughts. Feedback suggested that it could be interesting to expand this activity into different contexts and locations for a wider range of sensory engagement.

Reference

Hope, R. (n.d.) Counting Rice with Marina Abramović. Available at: https://rosshope.com/counting-rice-with-marina-abramovic/
The Guardian (2024) ‘The Big Idea: How to use your senses to help beat depression’. The Guardian, 30 September. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/sep/30/the-big-idea-how-to-use-your-senses-to-help-beat-depression
Healthline (n.d.) ‘Do Stress Balls Work?’ Healthline. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/stress/do-stress-balls-work#effectiveness