...

〰️

... 〰️

Ever wondered how light and color can shape what we feel and imagine?

“It feels like I’m deep under sea!” -p8

Light Experience, Eyes Closed

This exploratory project investigated the diffusion of light through closed eyelids, aiming to create an open-source platform for understanding how colors and light affect human emotions and experiences.


Role

Lead Hardware Engineer
UX Researcher & Designer

Client

Seth Hunter
Display Engineer, AR/VR

Participants

36 Participants

Impact

Mood and color perception toolkit, guide, insights.

Date

Jan. 2024 – May 2024

Explore light perception through closed eyelids, creating an interactive and embodied experience.

“walking through a foggy forest.” -p2

hardware

〰️

hardware 〰️

Diverse Screen Technology Engineering

Create a fast inexpensive prototype we used a foam sleep mask, neopixel RGBW strip, neopixel ring, and light diffusion material.

Hardware Development

Matrix-Style

Focused on early exploration of brightness and hue transitions with small-scale prototypes.

Ring-Style

Expanded testing with refined prototypes, including A/B testing (warm-to-cool vs. cool-to-warm sequences).

User Research

〰️

User Research 〰️

Research & Discovery

36 participants aged 21–46

Methodologies

  • think-aloud protocols

  • PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) surveys, to measure mood and emotional responses.

Phase I

Early exploration of

brightness and hue transitions.


Participant Feedback Survey

“a bright, sunny day” -p17

Phase II

Perception of warmth tones.

A/B testing

  • warm-to-cool

  • cool-to-warm


Secondary Research

Cross-Cultural Color Perception Studies

Insight

〰️

Insight 〰️

Insights

Reds and blues invoke strong emotional reactions.

Bright Pink caused discomfort and anxiety.

Warm

Energy & Alertness

Cold

Calming

Insights

Female identifying participants shared more detailed descriptions of shapes and movement,

Male identifying participants leaned towards literal interpretations.

Environment matters: Trust and comfort played significant roles in participant engagement, highlighting the importance of clear communication and a welcoming setting.

Mood metaphors: Asking participants to describe their mood as a weather type or color provided rich qualitative data but posed challenges for consistent analysis.

Previous
Previous

Mood Mapping

Next
Next

Physical Therapy Proactive