LjUs-My Start Up Project
‍An interactive light therapy device aiming to help regulating winter depression timely at home, by integrating IoT technology and machine learning

‍

LjUs is our start-up project, together with KTH Venture, that shows the demand for mental health with the technology of IoT and smart furniture concept. The interactive light therapy device aiming to help regulate winter depression timely at home, by integrating IoT technology and machine learning.
‍
My role inside the project is the UX designer and collaborate with the product designer, electrical engineer and software developer, to ensure the customers' experience is enjoyable, useful, usable with the product-anti depressant light, and conduct more relevant user research on the winter depression topics and challenges.

The software in use are: #figma, #illustrator, #canva, #miro, #photoshop, #Rhino, #Grasshopper

01
Background

In Nordic countries, winter is long, dark and cold. Therefore, winter depression, also called a seasonal affective disorder, is a prevalent problem here and a hot topic in society. It could cause multiple bad consequences, including social withdrawal, substance abuse, and even suicidal behaviors. There are feasible ways to treat winter depression, yet most of them are not easy to reach whenever needed (imagine the appointment process, time delay and so on). Since this phenomenon could happen anytime, anywhere in winter, we think that it'll be meaningful to create a convenient, low cost, smart, private and timely solution to it.
‍
LjUs is an interactive light therapy device design for winter depression. It is the little sun that always be with you, giving you hope and warmth. We borrow from aerospace tensegrity structure to create a minimalism light. With tensegrity, the light is highly flexible with varying form possibility and form transformation possibility.

03
Prototype
01
User research
Sample projectSample projectSample project

Challenge defined

•Prevalence: It influences more than 2.64 billion people over the world
•Trend: The recorded number is increasing
•Bad Consequence: Main cause of disability and suicide
•Difficulties: Not convenient, hard to get help in time, and high cost for people from some countries...

Target Audience

Young people that has passion for fashion, wellbeing, mental health and new designs.

Goal

We want to design the new sustainable fashion Anti-depressant light that:
•Convenient
•Offers timely help
•Low cost
•Private and easy to accept

Quantitive survey
Qualitative analysis-interview
02
Define
Sample projectSample projectSample project

A.Tensigrity Structure

Tensigrity structure makes the light possible to be folded as a table lamp or spliced to a big scale allowing people to sit inside. By adjusting the string, the shape could also be customized.

B. IoT Technology

The App is used to control the light color, illuminance and other parameters, through IoT Technology.

C. Smart mode included

In smart mode, the user's emotional change will be captured through social media keywords analysis, and the App will provide reports on period effect analysis and corresponding suggestions.

03
Prototype

First, the team tests the product internally to look for technical glitches and usability problems. This is often referred to as alpha testing. Then, the product undergoes a test with stakeholders to make sure the product is aligned with the company’s vision, meets legal guidelines for accessibility, and follows government regulations for privacy, for example. Finally, there’s an external test with potential users. This is the time to figure out whether the product provides a good user experience, meaning it’s usable, equitable, enjoyable, and useful. This is often referred to as beta testing.

03
Prototype
Sample projectSample projectSample project

Stage1. Entrance interface

•Double entrances for the consumer and visitor separately
•Product introduction and anti-depression knowledge tag
•Buy based on common values and interest

Stage2. Embedded Wifi control system

•Simplified instruction based on the simplification of the interface
•Personal preference and Deep Learning archive upgrade
•Higher interaction between the customers and light products

Stage3.Emotion identification for the recommended light solutions based on data analysis

•User customization
•Light color changes as notification
•Automatic setting for the recommended light color & temp for work, study, leisure and health.

04
Test

First, the team tests the product internally to look for technical glitches and usability problems. This is often referred to as alpha testing. Then, the product undergoes a test with stakeholders to make sure the product is aligned with the company’s vision, meets legal guidelines for accessibility, and follows government regulations for privacy, for example. Finally, there’s an external test with potential users. This is the time to figure out whether the product provides a good user experience, meaning it’s usable, equitable, enjoyable, and useful. This is often referred to as beta testing.

05
Physical Product Visualization

For a physical product, the launch stage might be the end of the product development life cycle. But for a digital product, like an app or website, launching the product to a wider audience provides another opportunity to improve on the user experience. New users might find problems with the product’s functionality or features to improve that no one noticed before. So, after the launch stage, teams will often cycle back to the design and testing stages to start working on the next version of a digital product.
You now understand how products are developed and the role UX designers play in the life cycle. Everywhere you look, you’ll find products of all kinds — big, small, physical, or digital — that have been through this very process.

‍

03
Prototype
Sample projectSample projectSample project

Stage1. Render the 3D model of physical product

Render with V-ray, to test the light illuminance and effect with the interactive framework.

Stage2. Storytelling

Use Photoshop for a future scenario while people could imagine what will change in life with the special sit-in light.

Stage3. Light Effect

To high light the special structure of tensigrity and what it could bring to the variable light form, we have rendered the special product lighting effect in the dark environement.

07
Revenue potential

Market
Winter depression, also called a seasonal affective disorder, is a prevalent problem in Nordic countries. In Sweden, over 10%  (~1 million) residents have self-reported symptoms of winter depression, while over 30% (~3 million) residents reported sub-syndromal symptoms, and the number is rapidly growing through the years. That’s only the condition in Sweden, while this problem is worldwide. Therefore, our targeted market could be concluded as highly-demanded.

Revenue
Our product is composed of two parts, the actual light units and the App used to control them and generate reports. Correspondingly, our revenue also comes from two parts, the light unit selling (basic App functions included), and from subscribing to advanced functions (smart mode) in the App. Based on customer surveys, we have temporarily set our price at small unit- 699 sek, medium unit-2599 sek, large unit-5999 sek.

Feedback
In our first test sale, ~93% of the participants showed a willingness to buy our physical product, and ~100% of these potential customers would like to pay for a smart mode subscription.

Propaganda
The way we plan to promote our product is from online selling and setting product experience officers in social media (invite internet celebrities to try our product and share experiences, paid).

Awards
Back To All Projects

How about working together?

Fun fact about me: I am interested in spirituality and mysticism. Will we be destined to work together for a better future?

Back to All Projects
Next project

Created by Huizhong Cao.

All rights reserved.

HomePortfolioCVAwardsContact
Back to top