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The Catenary

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Harbour of the Mind

An interactive lighting installation (The Catenary), developed with Lake Macquarie City Council and The University of Sydney, transforms The Catenary into an environment where visitors can breathe to improve and promote growth towards their mental wellness. 

​Client

Lake Macquarie City Council

Team Project

Puying Ye

Haixiang Yu

Wei Cao

Grethel Juanta

Time line

3 months (2021)

My Role

User Research / UI/UX Design

Overview

The focus of "Harbour of The Mind" is to highlight and visualise the theme of 'growth' through an interactive lighting installation, combining it with mental health. Growth and reduction are aspects of change, often leading to equilibrium or imbalance. This pattern of tension, evident in both nature and human endeavours, drives the project. How can we transform The Catenary into a space that promotes mental wellness and collective growth, triggering emotions, behaviour, aware, and reflections through the experiences we design? This project aims to create a positive, relaxing environment that encourages communal participation and enhances overall well-being.

Goals

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Promote mental wellness growth to users and visitors of The Catenary by transforming the place into a breathing space, encouraging them to clear their minds and relax their hearts.

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Encourage visitors to collaborate with other people to breathe and interact with The Catenary simultaneously. 

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Create a client-server system to allow people to interact with The Catenary using their mobile devices as their own remote controls. 

Initial Thinking

Target Users

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  • Local Residents

  • Visitors and Tourists

  • Technology and Art Enthusiasts

  • Community Groups

Research Methods

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  • Online survey - Questionnaire​

  • Interview 

  • Online research

Research

We linked the concept of growth to mental health improvements and social inclusivity. Our research highlights that Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a significant but under recognised mental health issue in Australia. Our design aims to foster individual growth by alleviating SAD symptoms and providing a supportive space for mental wellness. Additionally, we seek to promote a more inclusive society and initiate discussions on mental health.

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10%

Lifetime prevalence for SAD.

70%

of individuals diagnosed with SAD also suffer from at least one other psychological disorder.

In modern, psychiatric treatment, professionals are trying the following:

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  • Chromotherapy --- aka "Colour therapy"
    professionals use lighting colours to relax minds  ​​

  • Breathing exercises --- which help ease what's on one's mind and heart rates

Individually

 

Growth involves relieving anxiety and preventing SAD symptoms, enhancing users' ability to interact in public spaces.

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Collectively

 

Growth is the ongoing improvement and positive change experienced by individuals and society over time.

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'Growth'

 

Our design solution aims to positively impact individuals with SAD and foster mental and social connection growth within society.

Therefore, we decided to present the colour therapy through light changes and incorporate breathing exercises into our design as a form of user interaction with The catenary through the phone.

Online Survey

How often do people struggle and suffer from SAD symptoms in social situations?

46.6%

of the time

Would you use this installation to improve your mental health?

69.5%

want to experience our design

What would you choose to improve SAD?

  • Social skills training

  • Cognitive restructuring

  • Colour therapy

  • Breathing exercises

The reason that SAD is not taken seriously enough by society is that it does not affect normal life as much as other mental illnesses.

No, it's very common.

Yes, it's actually a thing.

Not sure.

Interview

Interview Documentation ↑

SAD reflections and mental growth triggered through design

Feedbacks and suggestions about the design

I believe SAD (or its symptoms)should be treated, and I want to improve my symptoms.

The current designs are effective in relaxing me, especially mentally.

Most participants preferred pastel, warm, low-saturation colours like soft pink and beige.

 

Respondents found light-guided breathing exercises very helpful and relaxing without requiring interaction with others.

 

Participants expressed a desire for interaction with others during playful games.

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The design experience feels good and encourages me to interact with others.

Personas

Initial Design Concept

Case 1: Environment-Guided Breathing Lightwave

  • Concept: Utilises pastel colours and guided breathing lightwaves to relieve anxiety.

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  • Interaction: Provides a relaxing environment with dynamic and static light modes for simultaneous visitor engagement.

Case 2: User-Controlled Sound-Light Game

  • Concept: Divide The Catenary into 2 interactive sections with sound and light effects.

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  • Interaction:

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  1. Single Player: Users control lights via mobile sound input, focusing on personal relaxation

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​​​​​2. Multiplayer: Players use sound input to trigger lights, engage in competitive gameplay, and receive positive feedback through applause-style light animations.

User Interface

The QR code can be scanned which directs the user to the mobile interface application.

The user is given the choice to select their own colour for the lights. They are also instructed to hold the icon to inhale. 

Time to exhale, while still holding icon, and once the system detects some breathing, it will show to the Catenary lights. 

This is the exit page on which user has the option to restart again to play with The Catenary. 

Feedback from clients and Solutions

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Focus on Mental Wellness:

  • Current Problem: Our focus on SAD faced ethical issues since we are not supervised by healthcare professionals.

  • Improvement: Redefined the new purpose of our design solution as "promoting growth towards mental wellness" through breathing exercises facilitated by The Catenary to align with project goals.

 

Collaboration Over Competition:

  • Current Problem: Competitive interactions may increase anxiety among users.

  • Improvement: Shift to collaborative interactions to foster a supportive and inclusive environment.

 

Scenarios to Consider:

  • Current Problem: The current design lacks versatility and does not cater to different user engagement levels.

  • Improvement: Develop designs for no-user, single-user, and multi-user interactions to address clearer user needs and scenarios.

 

User Customisation:

  • Current Problem: The design does not offer enough user autonomy or personalization.

  • Improvement: Allow users to choose light colours to reflect their mood, enhancing personal and collective growth and making the experience more personalized.

 

Breathing Exercises:

  • Current Problem: A lack of structured interaction guides users' experience.

  • Improvement: Implement the 5-5-5 breathing pattern (inhale, hold, exhale for 5 seconds each) to provide a consistent and calming user interaction with The Catenary.

For the Interface

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  • Fix the wording on the instruction or user guide part. Add welcome and introduction pages.

  • Consider researching the colour choices on the interface and change them accordingly. 

  • Improve the colour picker icons. 

  • Rephrase the text of the last page.

Final Design - Concept Introduction

Final Design - The Catenary

Case 1 - No User Around

  • Contrasting blue and pink colours to let the light effects and changes clearly present.

  • A more relaxing 5-5-5 breathing pattern is reflected in the change of light.

  • The light changes from the centre of the catenary to the sides in order to be visible to users in all positions.

Case 2 - Single User Interaction

  • Visualised the breathing by reflecting the amplitude of the breath through the stretching of the selected colour. 

  • An obvious difference between the background colour and the moving colour.

  • A reward light effect is added when the user completes the exercise.

Case 3 - Multiple Users Interaction

  • Closely connected clear colours

  • The colours move faster as the number of players increases, encouraging cooperation.

  • The reward lighting - ​More colourful with more light changes, all colours appear and flash at the same time.

Final Design - Interface

Welcome Page

Introduction Page

Instructions Page

Operation Page

After scanning the QR code, users see a welcome message and a "Get Started" button that takes them to the introduction page.

This page provides background information about the design and an animated breathing exercise matching The Catenary's default mode without user interaction.

Displays clear instructions on using the visitor's phone as a remote control to sync breathing with The Catenary. A button directs users to the breathing with lights page.

Users choose their preferred colour, which appears next to the icon. They then breathe into their mic and watch The Catenary perform light wave animations.

Evaluation

Future Work 

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Catenary Division:

  • Divide The Catenary into four sections with multiple servers, allowing richer visual displays and easier visibility for users standing in different areas

 

Enhanced Visuals:

  • Block division enables more colours and animations simultaneously, enhancing the experience for non-interacting viewers.

 

User Interface Updates:

  • Add features like a redo button, feedback page, and official exit page, which were previously delayed due to time constraints.

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