Team

Me

Timeline

6 Months

Tools

Figma, Unreal Engine, AFrame.js, Mural, Zoom

My Role

Design, Research, Development, User Testing
overview

A multi-sensory experience system for relaxation and treatment.

Residents of assisted living and palliative care patients struggle with a lack of independence having to rely on their care takers to assist them. Something as simple as a hand rail to hold onto is huge for providing them with independence.



I saw an opportunity to use technology to bridge the gap. I designed a multi-sensory experience system to enable patients to benefit from natures influence on the body in the comfort of their own home or hospice while providing them with idependence.

The Problem

Patients often lose independence and spend long periods waiting for caregiver availability.

Ontario’s long term care is struggling with the demand outpacing capacity, being severely understaffed and historically underfunded.

For patients and residents who may rely on caregivers this can lead to a lot of downtime and waiting. The unique challenges of mobility issues, pain management, and the inherent risk of injury for patients makes going outside an uphill battle.

HMW

How might we support comfort and engagement for patients during long periods of waiting or low stimulation?

Goals

Enable patients to feel independent despite their unique challenges.

Create new opportunities for caregivers to tend to other patients.

Foster new ways to manage pain and consume the benefits of nature on the body.

Research and insights

1. Limited mobility restricts travel.
2. Patients share challenges in long-term care.
3. Virtual reality as a tool for pain relief ad overall well-being.

I met with the head of Sheridan’s centre for elder research and relied on secondary research to get an understanding of the challenges patients face and the technical research or testing that’s currently used in the field.

Patients with chronic or palliative conditions often face limited mobility due to health, financial, and physical barriers, along with pain, depression, and loss of independence. Research suggests virtual reality can help reduce pain, fatigue, anxiety, and depression, improving overall well-being.

Research and insights

Nature provides innate, science-backed benefits to the body.

Immersing yourself in natural environments lowers stress hormones, reduces blood pressure, and boosts immune function. Even short doses of outdoor exposure dramatically improve sleep quality, sharpen cognitive focus, and ease tension.

Market Research

Where today’s solutions fall short on comfort and control.

Comparing existing VR and calming products through the lens of comfort, accessibility, and independence for older adults made it clear no one had thought to include the other senses.

Research and insights

Maintaining independence through the care journey.

The existing journey revealed friction between caretakers and patients, where patients are at the mercy of their caretakers availability while they are with other patient.

This isn’t meant to be a dystopian matrix-style simulation to replace the real world, it’s meant to create new opportunities to deal with their challenges.

First Iterations

Don’t bring them to the environment, bring the environment to them.

I initially struggled with how to approach the problem and it wasn’t till after my first iteration that I realized I was looking at the solution backwards.

Why create a location to attend like some school field trip (which would create an entirely different set of mobility and risk issues), I should be trying to bring the solution into their homes.

First iteration - an immersive physical experience with graphics that wrap around the environment.
First Iterations

"I'd love it if I could visit my family cottage, or the place I was born."

When I was first testing the idea a number of participants made reference to a specific place or memory that was special to them. It gave me the idea to use 360 degree videos of real locations, with the business opportunity to capture the unique real world places they hold dear.

Comparing a 3D virtual environment (left) to a real world location captured in 360 degrees (right).
First Iterations

I removed this tablet concept to keep the experience simpler and more intentional.

I had originally came up with a concept for companion app to go along with the experience. However, I decided against it to make the entire experience simple considering the age demographic didn't grow up along side technology.

A tablet app concept I eventually scrapped to reduce cognitive load.
Final design

Bringing all five senses into care with a calming multi sensory kit.

To create a truly immersive experience, I designed a multi-sensory kit with an individual artifact to address each of our five senses. You're not just seeing the environment, you're smelling it and feeling it too.

A 3D rendering of the physical aspects that control the other senses.
Final design

Experience calmness from the patients perspective.

Visit that family college, favourite beach trip, or somewhere you've never been. apture that moment and visit it anytime you like.

Point of view of an example environment within the experience. Captured 360 degrees.
Final design

Experience calmness from the patients perspective.

Don't take the headset off to adjust things. Just look at your wrist and adjust as necessary.

Menu comes out of your wrist, easy as checking the time. (please note the shaking visuals is a bug with recording vr perspective)
Reflecting

Find a personal connection in the problem you're solving.

The best motivation to solve a problem is to find a personal connection to it. Your solutions will be more meaningful and you’ll have a deeper sense of empathy for those you are solving for. If you lack a personal connection your solutions can feel empty and lack any real substance.

🤝 Let's work together! 🤝

I'm always interested in hearing about new projects, creative ideas, or opportunities to be part of your vision.