UNTANGLE – From Rumination to Meditation
Simulated with Space Engine
Introduction: For my ‘Developing Practice’ project, this was an exciting opportunity to work from my own brief, my own topic. I began with something that was not at all close to me but as the project progressed, It began to get closer to a designed experience for myself, the people I interviewed and those to whom I am close.
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Homes are shrinking due to higher density living and inflation.
UNTANGLE is an experience design project that helps (but is not limited to) young students adjust to small shared living. Focusing on flatmate relations, it tackles a social, cognitive behaviour called ‘Rumination’ a cyclical and obsessive negative thought pattern involving irrational self-criticism and excessive self-doubt, which is heightened by small shared living environments.
“Survey studies have also displayed that around 80% of the population who experienced a negative event have a persistency of ruminative thoughts for long periods of time ranging from 4 to 23 years.” – ‘The Cognitive Cost of Repetitive Thinking’ Article.
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UNTANGLE incentivises users to feel liberated through self-verbalisation. In the context of a journey through outer space projected onto bedroom walls, the antithesis of a small living space, it allows users to ponder their thought in a way that rewards participation and highlights every bit of progression and triumph. Using Space to explore emotion was decided as I had found through first hand accounts that people tend to feel more open to exploring thoughts when stargazing and feel overall improved mental peace and wellbeing. It is also to allow small living spaces to feel massive while the experience is ongoing.
“Mental health professionals suggest you can take steps on your own to help break the cycle of rumination… Change in environment, especially to a place that has positive associations for you” – American Psychiatric Association, March 2020.
The immersive 3D space simulation is designed to encourage positive thought processing behaviours and combat rumination. It displays how Artificial Intelligence can be used to create a personal response system to a user’s external monologue transforming it into a ride through space. Overcome fictitious obstacles representing real areas of obsession – whether it be a red supergiant star representing bottled up frustration or a brightly coloured nebula replacing anxiety about future collision with peers.
UNTANGLE aims to help users overcome these scenarios of doubt by helping them find new angles and inner peace through relaxation and anxiety reducing methods.
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This project revitalises old technological experiences like the home theatre through the modern tech that is available today. I was determined to stick with a projection on a wall instead of using VR, especially within this context of easing the experience of small scale living, I think VR would be too restrictive and fell too much into ‘escapism.’ I wanted the user to still feel present in reality and in their own room despite augmenting it.
Another key element of this proposal was to produce something that would replace screentime when in bed as this is a proven activity to contribute to rumination and affect healthy sleeping patterns.
“Fatigue may be an important factor affecting executive-control resources in mobile phone addicts.” – International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, November 2022
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Rumination is far more common in adulthood. As people are exposed to the stresses of adult life for the first time, this is when we see rumination spiral into obsessions. It is also why many people find comfort in escaping to positive memories from their formative years. Reminiscing is effective resistance against ruminative habits. I capitalised off of the childhood aspect of the experience, existing star light projectors and the connotations they have. Typically made for young children, this project is essentially a reimagining of this common childhood night time ritual but geared towards young adults.
“positive emotion during memory recall related to greater resilience, which in turn related to better mood.” – National Library of Medicine
