COCOON-KID Subject 3rd Year INDD Project Collaboration With Leah Pirani Duration 3 Months Sleep problems not only disrupt a child s nights - they disrupt his days, too, by making him less mentally alert, more inattentive, unable to concentrate, and easily distracted. They also make him more physically impulsive, hyperactive, or lazy. - Marc Weissbluth, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child Sleep apnea is a type of sleep disorder characterized by infrequent breathing during sleep. 2 types of sleep apnea include: Obstructive (when the throat muscles relax) and Central (when your brain doesn t send proper signals to the muscles that control breathing) Image Above Source: Google Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines are a common solution for sleep apnea patients. They are extremely evasive and often disrupt sleep patterns, positions and overall comfort of the user. Despite CPAPs quality of use, they continue to be uncomfortable for the user and often are a hindrance rather than help. They can often cause, eye infections, stuffy noses, anxiety, pressure points, and dry mouth. For Children with sleep apnea a CPAP machine can be a traumatizing experience, and the market has yet to be explored. LEAH PIRANI WORK SAMPLES PORTFOLIO 5
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY IMPROVING the overall experience for children with sleep apnea by removing the intimidating factors that are associated with CPAP machines. By making a CPAP machine that is friendly, secure, supports routine, and is comfortable and interactive, this project will help normalize the use of the medical product for children. Disability can be associated with many stigmas as required assistive devices do not always consider user experience or aesthetics. Our goal was to create a non-invasive solution for children that would seamlessly fit into their everyday routine while also promoting personal empowerment and comfort. Creating a soft product, using cuddly spheres to loop Concealed tube feature will ensure non-constricting airflow Retractable string and connectors will allow free movement between child and the caterpillar LEAH PIRANI WORK SAMPLES PORTFOLIO 6
DESIGN STRATEGIES Step 1 - Launch app in IPhone Step 2 Receive ations Step 4 - Review missed alerts Step 5 - Observe nightly sleep activity Step 6 - Compare weekly sleep activity LEARNING FROM EXPERTS SYSTEMS MAPPING RAPID PROTOTYPING EMPATHY STUDIES From speaking with a variety of doctors, engineers and healthcare providers, we were able to understand the repercussions of those with untreated sleep apnea, our refined target market and the necessary steps to further develop our project Once we decided upon a design direction, we developed a variety of systems maps to resolve how our digital app, storybook and CPAP device would work as a whole, while also being intuitively understood by parents, their children and healthcare providers. A variety of prototyping methods were used, including: material exploration, sewing techniques, CAD drawings, wireframing and clay modeling to explore form and function. By doing so, we were able to make our complex ideas more tangible, making it easier to communicate with our faculty and peers to promote and receive feedback for further refinement. To better understand our user group, a variety of empathy studies were conducted. One example involved complying with a competitive CPAP machine for a prescribed duration of 2-4 hours. This allowed us to experience the typical user scenario of a child using a CPAP device while also quickly identifying improvement areas to expand upon and resolve. LEAH PIRANI WORK SAMPLES PORTFOLIO 7
FINAL OUTCOME Cocoon-Kid is a CPAP system for children that consists of four components to positively influence children with Sleep Apnea and establish a holistic, kid-friendly experience. Snoozy the caterpillar is a stuffed toy that contains a removable CPAP machine. The CPAP machine s tubing runs through the body of Snoozy to conceal its medical appearance, and to shorten the length of the tube. A mobile app alerts parents if and when the CPAP machine s mask falls off in the middle of the night, and to record the duration of one s sleep. A story book is also accompanied to lightly introduce the concept of sleep apnea to children, including the importance of sleep. LEAH PIRANI WORK SAMPLES PORTFOLIO 8
SCENARIO OF USE - IN DETAIL 1 2 3 Snoozy is played with during the day Parent reads story to child about Snoozy the caterpillar and how the cpap machine is going to work Mask is taken out for bed time use Child sleeps with Snoozy CPAP (mask with sensors) Mask becomes dislodged, or falls off, sensors send signal to app OR 6 5 4 4 5 Parents launch the app the next day to view their child s sleep progress on a weekly and daily basis Machine shuts down, and parents are alerted through notification on app Parent re-adjusts mask Machine shuts down, app is alerted, but doesn t wake parents Parents view the missed alert, launch the app and observe how much sleep their child had with the mask on LEAH PIRANI WORK SAMPLES PORTFOLIO 9