Opened Mind
Justin Montana
Opened Mind
Research
Initial Problem
Stress is becoming more commonplace in modern society. Between worldwide threats, the rapidly changing political landscape, and a myriad of more intimate problems, most people in this generation are experiencing stressors that previous generations could never even imagine. This has created a massive movement of people encouraging self care through Mindfulness, once thought of a last resort, as a daily necessity.
Surveys
When talking to both users and experts who often work with high stress individuals, a commonality was discovered in their inability to recognize stress in the moment. This resulted in many people having trouble recognizing what caused the stress.
An important factor of stress that speaking with experts brought to life was that most people only think of stress as a mental reaction. While stress has many mental factors, there are also a variety of physical signs of stress, the most prominent of which being an increase in heart rate.
Prototyping
It was clear from an early stage that the solution to this problem would be in a digital space, but initial prototyping also delved into creation of proprietary hardware. However, after presenting this concept to users, it became clear that commercial heart rate technology was abundant enough that having a proprietary tool would be more inconvenient than useful.
After initial development, ideation was primarily done through user interface and features.
Early versions of Opened Mind were intended to be used between two individuals: A Parent and Child. After presenting the early concepts to parents and doing further research, it was agreed that reducing the agency of the stressed individual would do more harm than help.
Final Product
Features
Connects to a variety of smart devices, such as the Apple Watch and Fitbit, to document heart rate
Provides both simple, keyword-based documentation and space for in-depth notes
Gives Users a place to recognize patterns
Justin Montana
After my start in Video Game Design, I realized that I was better suited for the hands on nature of Product Design. My post graduation plan is to obtain my Masters in either
Education or Pop Culture. Outside of the studio, I also have a passion for history, anthropology, and analysis. When I’m not working on designs, I’m usually reading, playing video games, or collecting vintage toy robots.
Email: jmontana1498@gmail.com