Fragmented AM : PM
Service-based Interaction Design; 4-month project; Self-exploration
Summary of the project
This project is a medium of exploration for the use of design practice in different areas individually and in combination. The areas:
1. Personal informatics from health devices in lifestyle management.
2. Exploration of managing some symptoms of Narcolepsy, learning about the changes impacting lifestyle and using the change as an intervention to improve lifestyle.
3. Personal introspection and lifestyle management for well-being.
4. Data visualisation for visual communication.
The outcome is a Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) designed to manage specific symptoms of Narcolepsy. This service collects data from various health devices, which is then presented to users in an app through data visualizations. To address variables that health devices may not capture, the app also includes a journaling feature for personal introspection. This approach aims to facilitate self-reflection and help users understand how their actions impact their symptoms. The prototype includes both short-term and long-term data views to allow users to assess whether their symptoms have improved or worsened over time, enabling them to take informed actions.
As a designer, I was captivated by the potential of data visualization during my interaction design course. Effective data visualization can reveal patterns in how our bodies function, and by making informed changes to our actions, we might influence these patterns positively.
Statistics
1 in every 2000 people suffers from Narcolepsy.
Source: National Organisation for Rare Disorders 2017
Narcolepsy is a neurological disorder that primarily disrupts the sleep-wake cycle of a regular human body.
Symptoms of Narcolepsy are: 1. Interrupted nighttime sleep, 2. Hypogenic hallucination, 3. Sleep Paralysis, 4. Excessive daytime sleepiness(extreme sleep attack), 5. Cataplexy, 6. Automated behaviour, etc. The symptoms and their intensity vary in each person suffering from Narcolepsy.
The reason for Narcolepsy in most people is due to a deficiency of Orexin or Hypocretin in the human body that regulates the sleep-wake cycle.
In the field of medicine, research and studies are ongoing to find a solution or cure to reverse the condition of Narcolepsy, and it will take a few more years to get there. Symptom-based treatments are available to control some conditions, but they can be temporary and require frequent doctor consultations.
Because of the serious nature of Narcolepsy, ongoing research and studies in the field of medicine, the experts do not commit or comment on the assumption or hypothesis other than what is publicaly available.
For more information, check out Narcolepsy: Cause, Symptoms & Treatments
Design question
What can design offer in managing Narcolepsy for well-being and a balanced lifestyle?
One app. available in existing services
Challenges
1
Measures
Studied and tested with regular sleep apps and devices.
Lack of research & studies
2
Used available sleep related studies to improve well-being & test my hypothesis
Complex & vulnerable user group
3
Autoethnography approch, Quantified-self method
From identifying variables to designing an app to manage Narcolepsy
Key Insights
1. Deficiency of Orexin (in most cases) produced in the hypothalamus flows through the spinal cord and the Central Nervous System(CNS) and the Autonomic Nervous System(ANS) are interconnected, causing disturbance or change in the Parasympathetic Nervous System(recovery or rest) and Sympathetic Nervous system(fight-or-flight or active state), which is the sleep-wake cycle.
2. The impact of internal changes in Narcolepsy affects the external side. Any change in physiology disrupts the regular routine, such as falling asleep abruptly in the middle of a climax scene in a Marvel movie.
3. Heart Rate Variability(HRV) is said to reflect the Autonomic Nervous System(ANS), especially during sleep or rest. Whatever one does or experiences during the day impacts HRV during sleep.
4. Studies have proven that Physical Activity and Intensity-based exercises improve sleep quality and reduce the risk of lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc. but there are no studies attempted to test if Physical Activity can manage Narcolepsy symptoms.
Deep diving into Narcolepsy impacting daily lives (Simplified)
Key Variables
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Listed all the variables that are either causing change or reflecting the change.
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Tested hypothesis with different variables, and in combination with resources available in commercial health monitoring devices. I decided to focus on daytime and nighttime devices.
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Based on research, and testing several hypotheses, variables I have picked are:
1. Heart Rate Varability: Reflection of autonomic Nervous system.
2. Sleep stages: For the initial stage, summing the stages into sleep and awake state during night to comprehend the difference between awake time and sleep time and see their progression in the long run.
3. Journaling daytime sleepiness:
4.Physical activity as an intervention
Hypothesis
Phase 2
Phase 1
Changes in HRV during sleep
can help to take measures to improve sleep quality
Measure
variables influencing interrupted sleep based on the research "sleep disorder leads to autonomic dysfunction"
Phase 3
Physical activity can reduce interrupted sleep at night to some extent.
It could also work on improving HRV. As a result, it could reduce the future risk of cardiovascular diseases and increase resilience in terms of body functioning during stress
Improved sleep quality during the night could give some control over daytime sleepiness.
based on research “Physical activity or exercise can improve sleep quality and HRV”
Testing hypothesis designerly way (in pictures below)
Outcome of hypothesis in data visualisation
After exploring different data visualizations and testing with the user, the format visual I chose aligns with the design commonly used in all health devices. The reason for this was to make the user understand the context and the concept. The user reacted and responded more where they saw familiarity in the designs
Design Process
Just like the visual below, the design process consists of several layers. It has been quite open and back-and-forth, adapting different approaches and directions based on the nature of the challenges.
The research combined different subject areas, and its nature was continuous throughout the design journey, as insights gathered from testing hypotheses became important information to explore.
Understanding and exploring different subject areas was the risk I took in this project to expand my abilities in the critical area of design out of my comfort zone, as the outcome of the project heavily relied on the risk I had taken.
Below is a simplified, summarized version of the design process:
Apple and Oura ring
Personal metrics
Quantified-self, n of 1 method
Health apps and devices
