MyKinley
University Health Service Design:
Mobile App and Meditation Space
OVERVIEW
This project is a health service design for promoting college students' both physical and mental wellbeing. Optimizing scheduling volume through social computing, the MyKinley mobile app enhances students' experiences of scheduling appointments with doctors, picking up medication refills, taking medication with a planner and reminder, and self-checking in with a built-in AR guide, increasing the efficiency and convenience of utilizing the health service.
Besides, the McKinley domes, like the outposts of the university's mental health service, are on-campus meditation spaces that allow students with mental issues to consult with staff/volunteers and to meditate with motion pictures, generated from brainwaves through electroencephalography devices and projected on the dome, with immersive experiences.
MyKinley App - Group work with Yifan Shan, Jake Mullen
My Role: Research, Ideation, Persona, Wireframe, Interface
MyKinley Dome - Individual Work
UIUC Fall 2020
Tool: TouchDesigner, Openbci, Adobe XD, Photoshop, Illustrator, Miro, Rhino 7, Lumion 11
Keyword: University Health Service, Mental Health & Wellbeing, Meditation, Brainwave
BACKGROUND
THE UNDERUSED HEALTH SERVICE
BRAINWAVES AND MENTAL CONDITION
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The frequency of brainwaves may indicate sleep, consciousness, cognition, and some mental disorders. Slow brain waves are seen in some conditions such as sleep, coma, brain death, depression, autism, brain tumors, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and encephalitis, while rapid waves are generally reported in conditions such as epilepsy, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and drug abuse.
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An increase in the EEG rhythm is a marker of high brain activity that leads to high degrees of consciousness, while slow waves are suggestive of less brain activity. The pattern of EEG rhythm can be an indicator of some mental disorders, too.
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Conclusion: Brainwave study showed emotional reactions are clear on brainwaves. The brainwaves tell us the differences of the mental states the person is going through.
Roohi-Azizi, M., Azimi, L., Heysieattalab, S., & Aamidfar, M. (2017). Changes of the brain's bioelectrical activity in cognition, consciousness, and some mental disorders. Medical journal of the Islamic Republic of Iran, 31, 53. https://doi.org/10.14196/mjiri.31.53
RESEARCH
SURVEY RESULTS & INTERVIEWS
I released survey about UIUC students' opinions about the usage of the university's health service and its mobile app in November 2020. 64 valid results were collected.
PERSONA BRAINSTORMING
PERSONAS & EXPERIENCE MAP
INSIGHTS
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Redesign the mobile application to improve the convenience as well as enhance students' experience using the university's health service, as the college students’ mental issues is becoming severe
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Utilize brainwaves as data sources to visualize students’ brain activities, as references to determine the mental condition and as data records to facilitate further researches and treatments
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Give the university’s mental health service more promotion and exposure to students who are not that familiar with the system. At the same time, locate the service points to noticeable gathering spaces
IDEATION
BRAINSTORMING & CONCEPTS
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Utilize social computing to improve the appointment scheduling function to provide the convenience of using the health service
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Add prescription management function, making students refill/renew prescriptions with ease
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Build self-check-in and AR guide function to increase the efficiency of the visit to the health center
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Add medication planner and reminder to facilitate the treatment
MyKinley Mobile Application:
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Therapy and meditation spaces distributed through out the public spaces of the entire campus, utilizing electroencephalography equipment to track mental conditions, generate immersive visual effects and provide record for furtehr research and treatment. Students can have enhanced immersive medidation experiences in the domes
MyKinley Domes:
SERVICE BLUEPRINT
PROTOTYPING
WIREFRAME
EEG Receiving Equipment & Brainwaves Visualization
Ultracortex “Mark IV” EEG headset is used in the MyKinley dome to receive electroencephalogram (EEG) signals and output to TouchDesigner to generate moving patterns according to the different brain waves.
MOTION PATTERN STUDY
Mimicking the bird flocking and fish schooling, patterns are projected on the geodesic dome, giving the meditator immersive experiences with its fluid-like motions.
MYKINLEY DOME INTERIOR SCENARIO
FUTURE STUDY
I will dive deeper into college student’s health and wellbeing research of health services offered by institutions including digital platform applications and responsive environment interaction. Also, further researches on how data visualization of different brainwaves improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of the therapy and meditation process will be conducted.