“Take a breather” is an interactive aid to help individuals regulate and slow their breathing as a way to cope with mental health challenges. 

Designed to address the challenges of COVID-19 quarantine protocols, “Take a breather” is intended to help individuals find a sense of groundedness by becoming more aware of their breath. Specifically, the project wanted to address the question: How might we help people, who are cohabitating with others and feel frustrated by the lack of personal space and “me time,” find escape?

The aid uses a smart inflatable and a monitor, which work together to track and guide a user's breathing rhythm. The inflatable and monitor inflate and deflate in sync with the user, serving as a tangible way for users to become aware of their breath and emotional state.

For example, if users are in an anxious or agitated state and have fast, heavy breathing, the aid inflates and deflates with the same rhythm and intensity.

After this initial syncing, “Take a breather” slows down the system’s inflation and deflation rate. As the user syncs their breathing with the aid, their breath slows and they enter a calm, meditative state.

“Take a breather” uses human-to-human hugs as a primary design metaphor. Within a hug, there is a natural feedback loop that occurs as two people match their heartbeats and breathing, and listen to each other’s natural rhythms. The project wanted to recreate this kind of support, awareness, and closeness.

The project also used Bill Verplank’s Interaction Design Process Framework and lo-fi prototypes as a way to guide the design process. These resources were key in learning core principles of interaction design.

Whether users feel trapped in their homes or isolated by COVID, “Take a breather” helps people deal with the challenges of the “new normal,” one breath at a time.