Night-Shift is a device that empowers someone working from home to create a stronger sense of mental boundaries, and ease the transition between work and leisure. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, people the world over have been forced to live in lockdown. Blurring physical and emotional boundaries of personal and workspace. Night-Shift is designed to assist in creating a healthy personal space ecosystem. 

To gain a better understanding of user needs, three expert interviews and seven in-depth interviews were conducted with professionals working from home in the United States and Costa Rica. Interviewees were prompted to create an energy map of their day; giving two examples of times when they feel energized and depleted. The goal was to understand the correlation between their routine and the time of the day. Observation, mapping, and desk research supplemented user research.

Four key insights were uncovered: the intersection of work and play, the need to maintain healthy boundaries, rituals as a means of finding balance, and connection to nature as a grounding element. A common theme was energy depletion at the end of the workday and activation during the transition from work to leisure. Interviewees cited the connection between light and their emotional state.  

Taking cues from biomimicry, the team used the Pufferfish and the Chameleon as inspiration for the inflation-activation and changing light color features of Night-Shift. Designed for small spaces, Night-Shift offers users the flexibility to use light to disrupt their routine and transform a physical space. Creating opportunities for energy renewal, boundary literacy, and improved mental and physical health.