As Northeastern University’s community experiences an influx of students new to campus and a transition back to hybrid/in person classes after more than a year of remote learning, there is a need for more space for meditation and mindfulness on campus.

The university provides many study and collaboration spaces on campus for students, as well as community gathering spaces, but there are not enough places on campus to easily be alone and focus on balancing the busy lifestyle of being a student.

I worked with a group of 3 other students to create interactive light installation based on color theory that gives community members an immersive space for meditation and mindfulness on campus by using animations to display visual representations of emotions, with the aim of giving students a convenient place of restoration and release. By introducing color therapy in the form of animated lights, students could exist in a restorative space whose appearance is powered their manifestations of emotions. The central location on campus made it so that students could visit the room when on the way to class, the library, or home, and the installation was constructed so that students could begin using the space during finals week.

We began with determining how to approach this problem through user research and competitive analysis, surveying students about their current relaxation habits and what their ideal experience looks like both on and off campus. We then conducted a competitive analysis of existing products and experiences focused on immersive mindfulness and meditation. This led us to research color theory and light installation, which ultimately shaped our final product.

We surveyed about 15 Northeastern students about their current relaxation habits. Many students answered that what made them feel calm were having a clear mind, organized thoughts, guided meditation and healthy habits. This led us think about how we could approach mental wellness through the lens of providing an interactive sensory experience.

About 40% of the students surveyed have practice meditation at least once. We thought that it could be valuable to introduce those who hadn’t yet experienced guided meditation to it based on the majority of answers to ‘What makes you feel calm’ being centered around peaceful activities and mental clarity.

An interactive light installation to promote community mindfulness and meditation.

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