DESIGN PRINCIPLES.

Cherished Token

Omnipresent

Stylish Wearable

PILLAR. 

A digital stone to help caregivers be cared for during stressful times.

THE PITCH.

CONCEPT.

MECHANICAL DESIGN.

The stone’s core form is a pocket size token. For an everyday look, an inset metal band can be attached to the stone and worn as a watch. For a more polished but convenient look, a metal chain can be added to be worn as a necklace.

INTERACTION DESIGN.

If the caregiver’s vitals change, a sensory cue notifies the sick spouse or a trusted recipient. A raised pulse creates a pulsing heartbeat through a vibrator. Excessive hand holding through capacitive touch creates a LED alarm and erratic vibrating pulses.

FEATURES.

CAPACITIVE TOUCH.

This sensor allows the wearer to rub the stone to send a thoughtful touch message that mimics a kind glance or reassuring hand touch. In emergency states, the wearer can squeeze for an extended period of time to send an alarm of distress.

HEART MONITOR.

This sensor constantly monitors the wearer’s stress levels. If the levels become too elevated, it notifies the recipient of the wearer’s state.

HEAT SENSOR.

This sensor is only activated when the heart monitor measures an elevated heart rate. As an emergency setting, it alerts recipients that the wearer is in distress.

PROCESS.

TREND RESEARCH.

I was asked to design a product for seniors. After conducting hours of conversations, a trend began to emerge. At this point in time, most have faced the challenge of caring for a sick loved one. Most have struggled with the stress and anxiety of care-giving all alone. So I surveyed the current market landscape. Support can be found in online chat groups, but physical products do not exist for caregivers. Only thing available on the market are monitoring devices. On top of that most seniors do not trust technology.

FORM STUDY.

With the lack of trust in technology, I knew I needed a device that is easy to use and a token of memories. After prototyping many forms, users relaxed with the skipping stone form. They literally relaxed when touching it.